DYL-260 to Spectrum Writer Conversion FAQ

Can Spectrum Writer execute DYL-260 programs?
No. Like DYL-260, Spectrum Writer is a powerful report writer. However, each program uses its own unique language to produce custom reports and output files. You will need to convert your DYL-260 programs to use Spectrum Writer's easy 4GL language. (See an example.)

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Is there a conversion program we can use to convert DYL-260 programs to Spectrum Writer programs? Unfortunately, there is no program that can convert an entire DYL-260 program to Spectrum Writer automatically. DYL-260 is a largely procedural language (something like a simplified COBOL). Spectrum Writer, on the other hand, uses a non-procedural 4GL language. There is no line-by-line way to "translate" from one to the other.

However, we do offer a free online DYL-260 to Spectrum Writer Conversion Helper. This program automates one tedious part of the process for you -- the translation of the record layouts.

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We have over 100 existing DYL-260 programs. What can we do?
If you want to drop DYL-260 as soon as possible, consider hiring temporary contractors to convert all the programs right away. (You'll recoup that one-time expense from the annual savings in license fees after DYL-260 is gone.) Or you could plan your conversion over a longer term. Start now to write all new your queries and reports with Spectrum Writer. Then use existing staff to gradually convert the old DYL-260 programs as time permits. Once you're fully converted, you can drop DYL-260.

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Does Pacific Systems Group offer conversion services?
Please contact us to inquire about our current availablility for contract programming services.

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How long does it take to convert a program.
That depends of course on the length and complexity of the program. Beyond that, it depends on where you are in the learning curve. The first program you convert will take the longest because you will be a very new and inexperienced Spectrum Writer user. (We're of course happy to provide help and suggestions to you at that stage.) Once you've got the basic approach down, your conversions will go much faster.

Also, we've noticed that most shops have groups of related report programs. For example, there may be a number of programs that all read the same input file and produce the same basic report layout. Each of the reports just has minor differences from the others. Perhaps the selection criteria. Or the sort order. Or the time range, or daily vs. weekly, summary vs. detail, etc. Obviously, once you've converted one of these programs, you can quickly whip out the other similar reports.

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Can 100% of our DYL-260 programs be converted to run under Spectrum Writer.
Your programs that use DYL-260 as a report writer (ie., read an input file, select certain records, compute various values, sort and print a nicely formatted report, with control breaks and subtotals) can be replaced with a Spectrum Writer program. If you have DYL-260 programs that use features unique to DYL-260, you may not be able to replace those with Spectrum Writer. (But be sure to ask us before you give up -- we may know of a trick using Spectrum Writer that you hadn't thought of, or a feature that you hadn't yet come across.) If you do have a few programs that Spectrum Writer cannot handle, and you want to eliminate DYL-260, you can always re-write those few programs in COBOL, or some other language. We encourage you to download a 30-day trial of Spectrum Writer as the final proof. That is the best way to find out if Spectrum Writer is a good solution for the kind of DYL-260 programs that your shop has.

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