Hi;



I'd like to purchase another copy of DDT for a new machine I got to build some SQL tables and etc. and I don't want to install the full SF on this machine (VS2008 beta 2) and I also don't want to constantly turn off DDT from one machine and turn it on, on another machine.



So the best solution would be to buy an standalone copy of DDT and install it with VS2008. Any plans for standalone installation, before the price goes up?



Thanks!

..ßen

DDT used to be a standalone product, I miss it and would welcome this with open arms




Keith Chisarik

Any response?

..ßen

No.  But I can tell you how to just copy of the files over so you don't have to load Visual Studio.  It is just a matter of moving over the StrataFrame assemblies, DatabaseDTK.exe , and the Activate.Exe so you can activate.  I may have to break down and re-create the DDT only install one day but we have no plans of doing that in the immediate future.

FWIW I would think DDT as a standalone would be a very viable product for VFP developers working with SQL Server back end. 

Don't know how technically awkward it would be for you to make a standalone version available, but I think it would greatly expand the potential market  ( F1 Technologies would be happy to market it to VFP developers )

Thanks for all of your input.  We always want to meet the market where there is a need.  We will definitely take this into serious consideration.

Dear Trent; How are you?



I posted that question for several reasons and I'll share another one with you. I think DDT is under utilized by none SF applications and I think there is a great market for those who already have other applications running but they need to maintain their database and be able to send it to client or server and so on. I was talking to a friend yesterday who has an application written but he needs to send updates to remote users and it's a real pain. I told him about DDT.



I think DDT needs to work as two parts for these people, the front end part where developer makes changes and another exe that he sends to clients to deploy his package. The front end should be controlled by license and the deployment should be free. The deployment should allow the user to enter the package name or could be setup as one setup that the package is embedded into the exe and ready to be run.



This will also opens the door for these people to become exposed to SF. Just my two cents...

..ßen

I could definitely see DDT becomeing a "doorway product", especially once it supports triggers and the other items you are adding soon



We have a customer that has a huge investment in a VFP warehousing application, they are having scalability problems and want to recode some of the critical features to SQL, but no one knows SQL there. Hello DDT!



I am pretty sure they are going to stick with VFP for now, but since VFP is dead, they know they need to do something at some point.

Keith Chisarik

This is worth a bump

I just emailed sales to see what the current thinking is on the Standalone DDT.

I do think it would be a great way to raise MicroFour's profile among developers (especially VFP) who haven't started doing and .NET yet but who are migrating data to SQL.

I understand, and agree.  And this may be something that we do long-term, but at the moment it is a matter of working on what will reach the most developers.  It is all a matter of time and project management and this is not as high on the list as many of the other topics....really this is a matter of producing installations, stand-alone docs, license management, etc.  That is where the time is involved in producing this as a stand alone.  Hope that makes sense.