>From the few experiences I've had with companies converting away from Pick, the most >common problem I see is underestimating staffing requirements for the new system.
I actually had one company owner say that he expected to reduce his staffing requirements by converting to a SQL Server-based package. This may not sound so strange until you learn that at the time he had one computer operator and a part-time contract programmer, called in for occasional development and mods. In actuality, he didn't reduce his staff, but it didn't grow significantly either - if you're just counting staff. He now has a computer operator/database administrator and a full-time programmer... along with three consulting companies providing weekly on-site service and off-site development for various aspects of the new system -- hardware, database, and networking. It is a significant increase in outlay for the same user base. None of this was unpredictable... or necessarily a bad thing. It could be argued that an increase in functionality might well be worth the trade-off of additional outlay in the I.T. Department. The only frustrating part was the constant denial by the owner beforehand of the anticipated increase in outlay, and the constant surprise he showed after the fact. It wasn't a surprise to anyone but him. Meanwhile, as Dawn said, there is a significant development effort being expended to bring the off-the-shelf package into closer conformity with their business model, and vice versa. I don't think this is a function of the chosen database; it's just a natural process that occurs when a legacy system is replaced. -- James -----Original Message----- From: Donald Kibbey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: May 17, 2004 9:23 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [U2] Companies going belly up converting from PICK/MV These all sound like companies that had issues because management were morons, and not because they used database X or Y. Don Kibbey Financial Systems Manager Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP ------- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.u2ug.org/listinfo/u2-users ------- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.u2ug.org/listinfo/u2-users
