platforms, websites etc
Do they have any addon reporting or analysis packages?
Eric
_____
From: Dick Applebaum [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: August 27, 2004 6:51 PM
To: CF-Talk
Subject: Re: ADD System?
I also ran across a similar system Goldbrick (or some such) totally
proprietary and ridiculously expensive (the manufacturer knew their
product's days were numbered and were totally milking it)
Best for the client to get off a system like that ASAP! & the client
might just want to pay you to break the hold the vendor has on him.
As to determining how to do that.
1) As ken suggested, look at the files where the data is stored (a
combo character hex dump is useful)
2) If not totally encrypted, you might be able to see patterns of data
and pointers that give you clues how to extract the data
3) Look at how the client inputs and maintains the data for additional
clues to the structure.
4) Look at the docs for the program-- there are often hooks provided
where the installer can do (limited) customization -- you might be able
to impose some programming into these hooks
5) How do they backup restore the database -- you might find that the
backup data is in a more accessible format
6) How have the upgraded from one version of the Add program to a newer
version -- often this involves export and import & you may find a more
meaningful format.
7) Is there a debugging/trace/logging facility -- this could easily
contain the keys to the kingdom
8) Is there a reporting facility that could be used to essentially dump
the database(s) to report files.
9) if you can't do reports to files, you could even do them to hard
copy and OCR read them (as a last resort)
10) What's the URL of the ADD web site -- They know their product's
deficiencies and often provide forums that discuss these things, or
sell add-ons (pardon the pun) to compensate for the deficiency -- They
may charge an arm and a leg for a web interface, but only a few bucks
for a mail-merge thingie that outputs the db into a format acceptable
to Word, or something that interfaces Excel
11) Hire a hacker
HTH
Dick
On Aug 27, 2004, at 1:58 PM, Ken Ferguson wrote:
> I've never worked with that, but I have had some experience breaking
> into some software that used it's own proprietary DB... What type of
> database does it use? Is it a file or what? In what language is the
> ADD
> program written?
>
> --Ferg
>
> _____
>
> From: Ray Champagne [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 4:28 PM
> To: CF-Talk
> Subject: OT: ADD System?
>
> Has anyone here (maybe in a past life?) worked with this system? It
> is
> a
> very common program used by Oil/Propane/Natural Gas/etc delivery
> companies
> to track their customers, schedule deliveries, set prices, just about
> everything needed.
>
> We are working with a company that uses it, and we need to get some
> info
>
> out of the DB, but can't figure out how. Eventually, we would like to
> get
> the whole customer info out of the Db so that customers can check
> their
> next delivery date, pay bills, etc, but for right now we'd be happy
> just
>
> being able to export out some of the info in a usable format.
>
> Problem is, the ADD company has a web module that is ridiculous in
> price,
> so they will not help us try to 'beat the system' by developing our
> own.
> I
> know what we need to do, just don't know how to do it.
>
> So, anyone? anyone? Bueller?
>
> Longshot, I know, but this list surprises me sometimes....
>
> Ray
>
> =============================================
> Ray Champagne - Senior Application Developer
> CrystalVision Web Site Design and Internet Services
> 603.433.9559
> www.crystalvision.org
> =============================================
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