DYL280 to Spectrum Writer Conversion FAQ

Can Spectrum Writer execute DYL280 programs?
No. Like DYL280, 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 DYL280 programs to use Spectrum Writer's easy 4GL language.

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Is there a conversion program we can use to convert DYL280 programs to Spectrum Writer programs? Unfortunately, there is no program that can convert an entire DYL280 program to Spectrum Writer automatically. DYL280 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 DYL280 to Spectrum Writer Conversion Helper. This program automates at least part of the process for you.

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We have over 500 existing DYL280 programs. What can we do?
If you want to drop DYL280 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 DYL280 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 DYL280 programs as time permits. Once you're fully converted, you can drop DYL280.

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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 report just has a one difference from the othere. 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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Does Pacific Systems Group offer conversion services?
Please contact us to inquire about our current availablility for contract programming services.

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Can 100% of our DYL280 programs be converted to run under Spectrum Writer.
Your programs that use DYL280 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 DYL280 programs that use DYL280's advanced statistical features, you may not be able to replace those with Spectrum Writer. (If you only have a few such programs and want to eliminate DYL280, you could consider re-writing those programs in COBOL, or some other language). A 30-day trial is a good way to find out if Spectrum Writer is a good solution for the kind of DYL280 programs that your shop has.

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