Python as a substitute of VBA?

[Harry George]

Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed at ix.netcom.com> writes:

> Jordi fed this fish to the penguins on Sunday 22 December 2002 11:32 am:
> 
> > I understand your viewpoint, but it seems to me that implementing
> > logic or functions in store procedures for the business logic is not
> > as easy as it could be written with python. However, after your
> > replies I may look into creating our framework with Zope / python
> > scripts. Then, Ms Access could interface with the "framework" via HTTP
> > or XML-RPC, but that is another issue.
> >
>         Any good book on developing RDBM applications (even with VB!) 
> emphasizes embedding as much of the business logic into the RDBM as 
> possible, away from the user-side clients. This way you can change the 
> client interfaces (from stand-alone applications to a web interface for 
> exampe) without having to reimplement all the business rules. In truth, 
> the business rules should have been discovered during the design of the 
> database before any sort of client access is even created.
> 

Good DBMS practice would definitely put the business rules at the DBMS
server end of things.  But burying them in a proprietary lockin
mechanism is a problem for the overall project NPV, due to exit costs.
So I try to use:

a) Define the business rules in a portable manner (e.g., typical E-R
rules), and autogenerate to any proprietary lockins as needed.

b) Use a portable language (such as Python) to define embedded rules
in the proprietary tool, e.g., via callouts from VBA to python COM
objects.

c) Use a portable layer for complex business rules (sometimes they are
more like a full semantic tramsformation than simple rules).  E.g.,
Python layer is accessed from the apps, and in turn reads/manipulates
the actual DBMS.

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-- 
Harry George
hgg9140 at seanet.com