Tom Chamberlain

If your daily machine, PC or MAC has 16GB of RAM, is a multi-core CPU and has 100-150GB of free space go with a virtual machine. There are free options like Hyper-V and VirtualBox even VMwares Workstation/Fusion is free for personal use. Delphi will run in a VM with 4-6GB of RAM and a 2 cores, not speedy but it will run. You can get a real copy of Windows 10/11 for cheap online and it's easy to backup with just a file copy.

Use the TFDConnection object's GetInfoReport() method, it takes a string list. It shows everything you want to know about the connection and the driver it used/picked. We have this on our login/splash screen hidden behind a TLabel double-click event because we were having the same types of issues. Also look into the FDDrivers.ini file configuration. ================================ Connection definition parameters ================================ DriverID=MSSQL Database=******* User_Name=******* Password=***** ODBCAdvanced=TrustServerCertificate=Yes; MARS=Yes Server=192.168.56.109 VariantFormat=String ExtendedMetaData=True ================================ FireDAC info ================================ Tool = RAD Studio 12 FireDAC = 29.0.51961.7529 Platform = Windows 32 bit Defines = FireDAC_NOLOCALE_META;FireDAC_MONITOR ================================ Client info ================================ Loading driver MSSQL ... Loading odbc32.dll driver manager Creating ODBC environment handle Searching for ODBC driver ... Checking for ODBC driver [ODBC DRIVER 18 FOR SQL SERVER] ... Found [ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server] Driver Manager version = 03.81.19041.0000 ================================ Session info ================================ Checking session ... Warning: The client [18.3.3.0.0] and server [16.0.0.0.0] major versions difference > 1. Warning: MS ODBC 11 does not support SQL_VARIANT data type. Warning: SQL Server 2016 and compatibility level >= 130 may lead to DATETIME comparision failure. Current catalog = Current schema = dbo Driver name = msodbcsql18.dll Driver version = 18.03.0003 Driver conformance = 3 DBMS name = Microsoft SQL Server DBMS version = 16.00.1130

Depends on the complexity of the data needed to create the record(s). The our app can have many child records for a parent, but requires at least one child, so we use a 'wizard' type screen for creating these initial records. Our app is 25+yrs old, we have a mix of DB-aware for the the oldest forms, client datasets and even TMS string grids have been used to store data, but for 95% of all your 250+ tables we use one form for all create, view and edit of data. If a table contains multiple records we use a grid of some type with a panel that we show/hide depending on the status of the selected record to create/edit the data. We force the users to click an Edit button to change 99% of any data and then an Save or Cancel button.

You may want to look at frames. https://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Alexandria/en/Working_with_Frames Different functionality and usage than creating a real component but may be what you are looking for. I have never used frames myself, but have several custom components to combine TEdit's, TComboBox's and TButton's into a TPanel that are added to a TScrollbox on the fly with different data in each.

Depends where the TFDConnection is defined, are you using a shared data module or creating it in the form? Is it pooled?

The problem is the procedure is declared to a class that does not exist: Should be: procedure TfrmDatabaseTutorial.ShowSelectResults();

We use a set of shared resource files, one for the EXE's and another for the DLL's (the filetype changes) and leave the IDE out of it. We have our own mass build process for production (the only time we care about the version numbers and things) with the option to update the version number, it changes and rebuilds the resource files before starting any compiles so we always have the correct versions for production.

No, not just for that feature I really like the component naming, renaming and replacement features. Makes migrating/upgrade older projects faster and the Tab Order as a tree saves time.

We prevent this issue with GExperts -> Set Component Properties and having it set the Active and Connected properties to False on all DB components before compiling. It does it automatically so we don't have to remember to do it 🙂 One of the best features of GExperts for us.

Your joking right? Is your database so large that it is not in a virtual server (hopefully on redundant hardware) with at least some sort of enterprise backup solution at a VM level? Is the client so small or so cheap they do not understand this is not a software vendors job? This sounds like a 'sales job' making you to come up with a solution for a non-problem or a completely incompetent IT service. I am betting on the latter. Sarcasm: Tell them they need an SAS 18TB LTO tape drive attached to the server and something old-school like Restrospec or Backup Exec installed on the server for file-level backups and about 10-12 hours of down time each night to do the backups. Don't forget to include someone has to swap that tape every day and they will need at least 100+ tapes for daily's, weekly's and monthly offsite storage. Maybe you should offer to pickup the backups every morning and keep them safe offsite for them, for a extra fee of course. Sorry I slipped into a 1990's rant there, just glad I do not have to deal with this type of thing anymore. Not making fun of anyone who still has to deal with tape backups I know their value to large organizations and disaster recovery plans.

We have also been using ReportBuilder Enterprise for 15+ years since QuickReports was not capable of somethings we wanted to do so many years ago. 100's of reports later and that doesn't count the 'End User' reports the users have created themselves. When COVID hit switching to emailing reports and invoice's saved so much time and paper, we have gone paperless and are not going back. We have not had any performance issues (that were not self-inflicted) and when we have had technical issues, support is fast and responsive with patches. I would also recommend ReportBuilder.

Cary Jensen has a book that is pretty good, https://www.amazon.com/Delphi-Depth-Cary-Jensen-Ph-D/dp/1546391274

The one thing no one has pointed out: Unit1 TClass1 PropertyA Unit2 Uses Unit1 {the unit name, not the class inside the unit name} Another useful link is https://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Alexandria/en/Programs_and_Units_(Delphi)

If you own D11.3 Enterprise or Architect and all your apps are Delphi then you can create your own solution with DataSnap. You can use the TDSClientCallbackChannelManager to register client applications with a DataSnap server. Your client applications make function/procedure calls to the DataSnap server using regular types and classes to do what you want, DataSnap will do all the marshalling for you both ways. We use such processes to track concurrent usage with a 'user' object we pass that contains user name, machine name, IP, database they are connected to, etc. We have created our own 'message' structure that allows us to send notifications to individual clients or all registered clients via the callback or issue 'commands' to the clients to close the application gracefully if the user forget to logout at the end of the day. The callback from the server sends a TJSONValue so you can build a simple or very complex message architecture. (Interacting with the client GUI requires some TThead.Queue calls but this will be true of any solution) If your apps use multiple languages then something like ActiveMQ, ZeroMQ, RabbitMQ, etc. would be a better solution, but if your apps are all Delphi you may already have the tools/tech you need. That said, if you have more than 5,000 active clients I would not use DataSnap, but look for something that scales better than DataSnap. We are small and only have 20-30 active clients at most so DataSnap is a simple and flexible solution for us.

Interesting, we only call CoInit/CoUnInit in new threads before/after new connections are created/freed, never in the main (GUI) thread which has DB queries and data-aware components (to many, but 20+yr old code) but only one shared DB connection for the GUI in a data module. But every thread inside services get CoInit/CoUnInit's. We have only ever used M$/SQL, used the BDE for the first 5yrs and switched to ADO in 2003 or 2004 which has be sufficient for our needs until changes to M$/SQL date field types have forced us to make the switch to FireDac and the latest ODBC SQL drivers. We have had some learning pain's with FireDac but nothing like theses issues.

In our 24+ year old system we have a central TDataModule with the connection and shared data access for things used everywhere like customer information retrieval. Then each form has form specific queries/datasets/command and datasource components dropped on them (no tables) for the form related data. We don't have a sea of DB components on most forms, but if I could go back 25 years knowing what I know now, I would do it all through objects and/or use some type of ORM and have no DB components anywhere. Now, where is my Tardis?

+1 for the Run Lola Run reference....Manni!!!!

Do not waste your time, find a new job and leave them in the past. Got reprimanded once for replacing 2000+ lines of code looking for values by doing 'if Edit1.Value = x' on about 200 edit boxes basically named Edit1, Edit2, Edit3..Edit200 on a form (don't ask), just a huge cut-paste, change the component name procedure. I reduced it to about 10 lines using FindComponent in a loop producing the same results. I walked out of that job in less than 1 month after I figured out they (staff and management) refused to learn anything new. Do not suffer fools.

It works better if you can break it down and use a key for the child objects also: TChildList = TObjectDictionary<UniqueKey, TMyClass>; MyList: TObjectDictionary<String, TChildList>; UniqueKey is a priority/sequence number in our system for each unique child, we use an integer. This makes searching and processing child objects simple. var localChild: TMyclass; if MyList.ContainsKey(SearchString) then for localChild in Mylist[SearchString].Values do begin localChild.....whatever end; and if MyList.ContainsKey(SearchString) then if MyList[SearchString].ContainsKey(UniqueKey) then begin localChild := MyList[SearchString].Items[UniqueKey]; localChild...whatever end;

I thought there was a problem with skipping the Application.Run, that is why the call to Application.Terminate is in there. It puts the terminate message on the que and the Application.Run processes it correctly and you get a clean exit. My 'DoWeShowTheForm' actually is a splash screen with login prompt from a dynamically loaded DLL so maybe that is why I did it with the Application.Terminate, it has been many years ago since that was written. I did try it without the terminate and skipping the run and it does work, FastMM did not report any issues, but I still put the terminate back in

You could change the DPR file like so: begin Application.Initialize; Application.ShowMainForm := False; Application.CreateForm(TfrmMainForm, frmMainForm); if frmMainForm.DoWeShowTheForm then Application.ShowMainForm := True else Application.Terminate; Application.Run; end. Then in the normal form OnCreate set a flag and check it in the DPR, this never shows the form if you want to terminate the program, the forms OnDestroy runs so you can do any cleanup and no memory leaks.

We have named user license for Delphi and never run the same VM twice. A Delphi license is only installed on one VM used by only the one named user. We (there are only 2 of us) each keep a Windows 10 VM with Delphi 10.4 and another VM with Delphi 11.2. In the event there is a problem with our dev machine we restore the backup copy of the VM to another machine and fire it up. It is still the same VM and license, we treat them just like physical machines.

I have been using VirtualBox for almost 10 years, always a clean install of Windows with a single version of Delphi per VM. I use a shared folder with the host for all the source, only the host talks with the repos. Delphi versions like 10 to 11 are always a new VM (enterprise lic for Windows) with a new repo chain for testing builds on a new version, just in case. I do make monthly backups of the VM images and use the CloneVDI tool to compact the image/drive to save space on the host. And I never use the VM's to access the internet outside of Windows updates and trusted 3rd party update tools that require access from the installed VM. Make sure you do not let your anti-virus scan the holder were the VM images live. This makes laptop replacement easy and with a couple of hand tweaks to the vbox file they can run (not at the same time) on my Linux machine if needed. I run multiple VM's all day long; dev and SQL VM with services to simulate the user environment.

I agree, if you have the enterprise version of Delphi you could use DataSnap to create your own "exchange" server that way you control both sides. We use the DataSnap callback feature to register and unregister clients for by-directional communications via the TJSONValue so we have a dynamic message but still have structure. We validate concurrent usage licensing, request "check-ins", send user messages and can even terminate the clients. There is some DataSnap overhead but with a few clicks and every little code you can add authentication, compress and encryption. (encryption does require the deployment of 2 OpenSSL DLL's) There is nothing wrong with MQTT or other options, they are all good.

Do not forget to check the indexes on the M$/SQL server tables; missing indexes or where's and join's on fields without indexes are also performance killers. If you have blob/varchar(max) fields, never do a Select * From. If you have any tables with millions of records and lots of indexes rebuilding the indexes could help a little but that can take time, best done in off-hours. You may also want to look at the database Properties -> Options -> Legacy Cardinality Estimation value, if it is ON try turning it OFF and see if that makes any difference. (in test of course)