pro and con is using txt file vs ODBC driver ?

[paulyeo11]

Hi All

my coy have change the new accounting software . Which support ODBC driver allow QV direct access the data.

For the last 6 year I have already using QV with my old accounting software,  which does not support ODBC Driver. So I use micro to generate the all report in text file automatically at 3 am and I have a batch file which will auto reload my QV and generate one QVD file and I have a final QV doc which read the QVD and only create all report I need . Which is working fine for last 6 yr.

Since now we are changing to new accounting system and I still want to use QV for reporting .

Can some one share with me what are the pro and con of using ODBC driver instead of still generate text raw data file for QV ?

Paul

[marcus_sommer]

With a direct access to the database you saved efforts to export all needed tables/queries to txt-files which is only an additional step. Further your database contained always the current state from the data - by your txt-files you need extra logics and checks to be sure that the data are always correct. Also you are by direct db-queries more flexible to change/adjust the data-structures (maybe to add fields, combine tables …) whereas the txt-files needed to be (all) replaced. The possibility to use login-credentials could be an advantage, too.

Nevertheless you will benefit from incremental load methods or needs them by a database access in the same way like by txt-files.

- Marcus

[Anonymous]

My knee jerk would be to use ODBC direct against the database, thus cutting out the extract to text file step.

But your 3 am daily extract to a singe text file, load to a single QVD and load to a single dashboard sounds simple and has done you well for 6 years.

So I would say stick to your text file extract method.

[paulyeo11]

Hi All

Thank you very much for both your advise.

So since I already have the report created..so I will Make QV access my new accounting text file . So that it will not affect my report.

Once it success in the next ver I will use ODBC,  and build.from zero.

Paul