InstantBDExpress: From the BDE to dbExpress

Many Delphi applications still use the Borland Database Engine (BDE) for data access. Although this is an obsolete technology, effective tools for a smooth transition from the BDE to the newer dbExpress  technology were never supplied with Delphi. dbExpress is available since Delphi 6, and considered robust and reliable since Delphi 7.

Having to carry the BDE's dead wood along may prevent an application from working correctly on the latest versions of Windows and in particular environments such as Windows Terminal Services. Anyone who tried to do that knows all too well that making it work often requires configuration tweaks and tricks. The ability to use an engine that's lightweight, up-to-date and simple to deploy and configure represents a clear advantage for people coming from a BDE experience. The only problem is the difficulty in converting (or rewriting) existing applications, which do work although they are technologically obsolete.

Thanks to the experience gained by porting several big BDE applications to dbExpress, Ethea is now able to provide a library of components and development tools to support the conversion to dbExpress. Ethea can also provide qualified consultancy services to help in the process. The fundamental idea behind this offering is that  the application must be able to continue to work with the BDE during the (potentially long) porting and testing process.

InstantBDExpress is a dbExpress-based component library that emulates interface and behaviour of the BDE components, plus an array of techniques and methodologies to easily integrate these components in existing (possibly huge) applications. This combination of components and techniques allows to keep backward compatibility at the application level while switching data access libraries. This way of working will also allow developers to approach a new database through a gentler learning curve, continuing to use familiar tools and techniques where possible. InstantBDExpress allows access to all databases supported by dbExpress.

At the Delphi Day 2005, Carlo Barazzetta of Ethea gave a demonstration about how to use this technology, showing how easy and quick it is to port an existing application. For real-world applications the process is longer and scattered with traps of various kinds. Ethea and InstantBDExpress help you to get through them.

Documentation

Here is an online copy of the documentation we supply with InstantBDExpress:

Readme | Release notes |  Conversion strategies | Converting MastApp | FAQ.

Please contact us through the InstantBDExpress newsgroup or our site if you have any questions.

InstantBDExpress Administrator

This tool is for administration of the database "Aliases", mimicking the way the BDE Administrator works. Thus, you can configure the database access settings through a familiar user interface. InstantBDExpress Administrator also features a metadata navigation function.

InstantBDExpress Components

The components in the InstantBDExpress package are the basis for transparent porting of an application.

If you feel like you can convert your BDE applications on your own through InstantBDExpress, then you can download a free trial version with no time or functionality limitations, which you can use to evaluate how much InstantBDExpress covers your needs, for as much time as you wish. If you find that InstantBDExpress suits you, you can then purchase a license with full sources and support.

Price list

The following table summarizes our offer regarding InstantBDExpress (IBDX).

Product	Features	Price (€)	Download/buy
IBDX Trial	Show Features Can be used for evaluation purposes, with no time limit, but not for commercial purposes. Does not include sources. Includes documentation and tools. Supports Delphi 6, 7, 2006, 2007, 2009. Includes access to the free support newsgroup (contact us to get the account details ). Unlimited upgrades (just download it again when a new version comes out).	Free	Download
IBDX Single license	Show Features Can be used commercially by a single developer. Includes full sources. Includes documentation and tools. Supports Delphi 6, 7, 2006, 2007, 2009. Includes access to the free support newsgroup. 1 month of Premium Support (through e-mail). 1 year of free upgrades.	239	Buy now
IBDX Small Team license	Show Features Can be used commercially by up to three developers in a company. Includes full sources. Includes documentation and tools. Supports Delphi 6, 7, 2006, 2007, 2009. Includes access to the free support newsgroup. 3 months of Premium Support (through private newsgroup). 1 year of free upgrades.	399	Buy now
IBDX Site license	Show Features Can be used commercially by an unlimited number of developers in a company. Includes full sources. Includes documentation and tools. Supports Delphi 6, 7, 2006, 2007, 2009. Includes access to the free support newsgroup. 6 months of Premium Support (through private newsgroup). 1 year of free upgrades.	639	Buy now
IBDX Premium Support x6	Show Features Extends your Premium Support contract duration by 6 months. Quick and customized answers to all your questions. Guaranteed quality: the service is provided by the IBDX developers themselves. Includes a private newsgroup with up to 5 personal accounts for the company's developers. Discounts on our consultancy, training and development services available.	599	Buy now
IBDX Premium Support x12	Show Features Extends your Premium Support contract duration by one year. Quick and customized answers to all your questions. Guaranteed quality: the service is provided by the IBDX developers themselves. Includes a private newsgroup with up to 5 personal accounts for the company's developers. Discounts on our consultancy, training and development services available.	899	Buy now
IBDX Services	Show Features On-site or remote consultancy and training services; development services. We can help you to get the most out of InstantBDExpress in your applications. We build upon the experience we made converting complex applications for our customers. Our skills don't stop with database access, but cover the entire application architecture.	Variable	Contact us

VAT is applied to orders coming from the European Union.

Consultancy and development services

Ethea's philosophy is to give complete support for the conversion of an application from the BDE to dbExpress. For this reason, porting projects must be evaluated on a case by case basis, analyzing their starting point (the initial application) from several different points of view:

• Size and complexity of the application
• Use of low-level BDE calls (DBixxx)
• Use of Paradox/Dbase tables or SQL databases
• Use of TTable or TQuery components
• Use of CachedUpdates or live queries
• File-oriented or SQL-oriented application logic

Starting a porting project means, first of all, considering every related problem. For this reason Ethea offers its consulting services, together with the use licence of the InstantBDExpress components, to help the companies face this challenge in a professional way.

Ethea's consultancy consists of:

• Analysis of the BDE application and identification of the main problems
• Training about the use of the InstantBDExpress components
• Technical support during the whole porting process
• Analysis of possible enhancements for the application
• On request, Ethea can take over the whole porting process

Contacts

Contact us for any additional information.