So, this is the last day at DUG 2008. It has been a good trip. I learned quite a bit about the upcoming new Colleague Advance update that will happen for us in ’09 (already in general release). Overall, it looks like a good product. Here are some observations:
- Some folks will have a hard time getting others at their institution to go along with the new change.
- Getting an integrated product may be hard, but the benefits of updated and synced data can not be ignored (despite the problems mentioned in #1)
- Despite my preference for open source products (read: MySQL, PostgreSQL), I like the move to a (mostly) standards compliant M$-SQL Server. It is much easier to become familiar with a system that you can read about and install on your workstation or laptop. This is my biggest complaint about UniData. It is hard to learn about since you have to use IBM manuals and Datatel does not offer data mappings on their site.
- The move to a database-agnostic layer on the back-end is a great move. It will lead to options and eventual savings for the purchaser.
At the end of the day, the institution is looking for a good product and value for its investment. These types of conferences work to ensure that outcome by leveraging not only the company’s experience, but also the end-user’s invaluable ingenuity.