"WinDev AS/400" includes the full WinDev product, plus AS/400 native access. The native access lets you access the AS/400 without using ODBC, OLE DB, or ActiveX, and allows you to benefit from all the features described in this document. "WebDev AS/400" is the version of WebDev that includes AS/400 native access. With WinDev AS/400 you will be able to easily offer your users this type of screens, which will work with AS/400 data (read/write).

WinDev and WebDev AS/400: integration with AS/400

WinDev AS/400 and WebDev AS/400 allows for real-time native access (without ODBC, without OLE DB, without ActiveX) to AS/400 databases, and gives you access to the programs and commands of the AS/400.
It's not a mere retooling!
With WinDev you can exploit the AS/400 features and its GUI in your developments: the best of both world.
You capitalize on your information system, while benefiting from reduced development times, up to 10 times faster.
Regardless of the client platform: PC running Windows, Web browser, radio terminal, the development is identical, using the same 5th generation language.

Programming is the same old WinDev programming. No AS/400 programming (RPG, Cobol, and so on) is needed to use WinDev AS/400. Programs built using WinDev and WebDev automatically work with AS/400 data, if you need to. Application portability is immediate.

From the same application developed using WinDev AS/400, you can access either the native AS/400 files, or databases in WinDev format - Hyper File -, or both, as well as other database - Oracle, XML, and so on - or other OS - Linux, etc.- totally transparently.
This allows you to keep your data where best suited and avoid duplication.
After installing AS/400 native access, you won't have to perform any operation in AS/400.

All the security features of the AS/400 are preserved, for file and program accesses, as well as for managing transactions.
Your applications will be able to lock records and files opened in Read/Write mode, using the conflict management rules of AS/400, without interfering with other applications.

The application developed using WinDev or WebDev can send AS/400 commands to generate "OVRDBF", or "OPNQRYF" on files for example, before opening them using WinDev commands, or to modify the work environment or allocate objects.
 

Native access: security, speed and performance

Client stations running Windows with WinDev benefit from the development power of WinDev as well as the speed of native access to AS/400 data.
You can easily:
- Communicate with AS/400, without doing any specific development
- Get the description of a database (and its keys) located on AS/400 through reverse engineering (DDS import)
- Perform read, modify, add, or delete operations on the AS/400
  databases, in parallel with existing "5250" applications
- Perform read or write operations in optimized mode (using buffers),
- Perform searches using simple or composite keys
- Create transactional applications
- Use DataQueues and Data Area
- Send CL commands using parameters
- Call RPG, Cobol, C programs using parameters

 

Information System Architecture

The machines configuration is very simple.
WinDev and WebDev communicate with your AS/400 either through the APPC protocol of your router, or through the TCP/IP protocol.

The client station: PC
. Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP...
. Any APPC router (Client access, NS Router, Netware for SAA, Microsoft SNA Server, PCS, ...) or TCP /IP

The server: AS/400 or iSeries
. All the OS since version 4R3 included
. TCP/IP

The connection
The connection between the PC and the AS/400 relies on the network architecture: Ethernet, Token Ring, SDLC, Twinax,...
If TCP/IP is present, a router is not required. If TCP/IP is not present, a router is required.

 

THE DEVELOPMENT METHOD

Let's illustrate the ease-of-use and the development power of WinDev AS/400 using a concrete example: a sales management application.
WebDev AS/400 and WinDev mobile rely on the same development method. In the deployment phase, only the run-time platform changes, using the same UI: Windows with WinDev, browser with WebDev, Pocket PC, Smartphone or Terminal with WinDev Mobile.

Note: to simplify the text in the rest of this document, we'll just use the term WinDev. In this example, the application will run on a PC, with the data files on the AS/400.

The development of this application can be broken down into 5 steps:
  1. Create project and "analysis" (DDS import)
  2. RAD (optional step)
  3. Program
  4. Create the executable
  5. Deploy the application

These steps cover the usual development cycle. Each one of them will involve the standard modules included in the WinDev AS/400 product.

More.. WINDEV AS/400 brochure (HTML)