In this IBM Redbooks publication, we describe how Informix customers can upgrade their 4GL application development environment to the Rational Software Development platform, and, more specifically, transition to the Rational Enterprise Generation Language (EGL). EGL provides just the right balance of simplicity and flexibility, and enables application developers to focus on solving business problems rather than expending time and energy on technology. For example, Informix 4GL developers who are unfamiliar with Java can use EGL to quickly build data-driven Web applications and business logic. They can then write and debug their applications in EGL, and the Java code will be generated for them. So they can then build dynamic Web applications without having to learn the Java language. This provides significant advantages, enabling clients to minimize application development time and resource requirements. We give you an overview of EGL, its concepts and operations, and walk you through a step-by-step tutorial to develop an simple Web application. Included is an overview of the 4GL to EGL migration process and a sample application migration. You will be alerted to potential migration issues, and given the information to resolve them. We also include guidance for working with special database behavior and requirements, JasperReports, and a number of advanced EGL topics for developing robust and individualized applications. |