Oracle on HP9000 and access to Image DB on HP3000?

[David Shore]

Is there anyway an Oracle 7.3.4 database on HP9000 UX 11.0 can access an Image database on an HP3000? Our datawarehouse is an Oracle 7.3.4 database on HP9000. Our source of data is an application that runs on the HP3000 and uses the Image database structure. Right now we extract HP3000 data to flat file, ftp file to HP9000 and use SQL*Loader to get it into Oracle. I was hoping that there was a way that the Oracle database could access the image database. I've heard of ODBC drivers for Image but they only work on Windows machines. Anything like that exist for HP UX?

[Dave Seibel]

Here we are moving from an HP3000 world to an Oracle HP9000 world so the problem that you are describing is happening all around me too.
There is a product called Image/SQL (HP Product) that allows sql commands to access Image databases. It must run/setup on MPE for the world to work via an ODBC environment. Its fairly easy to setup but it makes some fairly large files associated with each DB that attaches to it. You can get some of the Image/SQL functionality by default in the OS but to get the full blown product, I think you need to pony up some $$.
It works pretty well if you are just reading the data. The problems come in when you want to update the data. Image has things like "detail" sets that allow for repeating keys. This causes confusion in the relational world and the Oracle ODBC connection will not be able to get a row lock for the commit.
I would try to use this Image/SQL environment as a migration tool/short term setup if possible. If your HP3000 is like ours (beaten to a pulp), you will find it hard to get enough disk/horse power to allow for this new process to run along side your normal processing.

Good Luck,

Dave

[David Shore]

I knew of Image SQL from Oracle but didn't like it since it only ran on MPE (HP3000). We are not converting from Image to Oracle. Our source will always be Image on the 3000. We create a datawarehouse on the 9000 to allow easier user access to the data. Anybody else out there have this type of setup?

[Chris Xu]

David,

There is a way to do what you want. You need to buy the Gateway software from Oracle. We have such an environment in which our Oracle database connect directly to Image DB on HP 3000 through the gateway. It has been working fine for us for a long time. Go to Oracle web site, and you should easily find the product.

Good luck.

Chris