Powerbuilder 9: Advanced Client/Server Development

Over a decade ago PowerBuilder introduced the idea of rapid Client/Server application development and, for much of that time, was the leader in both technology and sales in the enterprise development market. Although PowerBuilder has lost significant market share to Visual Basic and Delphi, it still enjoys an intensely loyal developer community of close to 300,000. Version 9 of PowerBuilder continues the tradition of introducing leading-edge technology to these developers. PowerBuilder 9 Client/Server Development zeroes in on the most important aspects of building client/server applications in PowerBuilder, including PBNI (native interface), PFC (foundation classes), and database connectivity.

Bruce Armstrong is an independent consultant in the Los Angeles area. He was one of the charter members of TeamSybase and has been using PowerBuilder since version 1. He was a contributing author of PowerBuilder 4.0 Secrets of the Masters. He is also a member of the editorial board for the PowerBuilder Developer's Journal, in which he has authored several articles, including a monthly news column.

Millard F. Brown III is the Vice President of Training Development at Power3 (Power-Cubed) and a member of TeamSybase. Power3 provides consulting and training in the areas of Enterprise and Internet development and architecture. Millard has been with Team Sybase since 1996 (formerly TeamPowersoft). Millard's areas of expertise include OO design and architecture, n-tier Internet and intranet development. He has also authored and delivered training material. His knowledge of Sybase products includes PowerBuilder (since version 2), EAServer, and PowerDesigner.

Terry Dykstra (terry.dykstra@pb9book.com) is working in a combined role of database administrator and systems analyst for Canadian Forest Oil Ltd. in Calgary, AB. Previously, he has worked in the Telecommunications and Energy and Utilities industry. He grew up in The Netherlands, where he received his B. Comm. degree. He has been a guest speaker at the Sybase user group conferences. Terry has been a member of TeamSybase since 1996.

Dave Fish (dave.fish@pb9book.com) is the Sybase PowerBuilder evangelist and a member of TeamSybase. He has been using PowerBuilder since 1993. Dave was a coauthor on a PowerBuilder 4 and a PowerBuilder 5 book. Dave has written articles for several industry publications and has developed numerous client server, distributed, and Web-based applications using PowerBuilder.

William (Bill) Green (bill.green@pb9book.com) is a software developer, consultant, and teacher with more than 10 years of object-oriented software analysis, design, and development experience, and more than 20 years in the software development arena. Bill is a charter member of TeamSybase, a group of technical experts that provides voluntary assistance to Sybase customers on the Internet. Bill is a contributing author and coauthor of several technical books, including the best-selling PowerBuilder Foundation Class Library Professional Reference (McGraw-Hill, 1997), is a regularly featured writer in industry trade journals, and is a regular instructor at the Sybase international user conferences.

Berndt Hamböck (berndt.hamboeck@pb9book.com) is a senior consultant and certified instructor for Sybase products (PowerBuilder, EAServer, iAWS, EP, ASA, ASE) after spending several years at Bhitcon in Germany and Austria. He is certified in EASAC, CPD5, SCAPD8, and SCJP2. He also writes articles for the PowerBuilder Developer's Journal. At the arrival of this book, his first daughter Lara was born.

Bob Hendry (bob.hendry@pb9book.com) specializes in writing client server/Internet Software Systems. He has been programming in PowerBuilder since 1993 and is the co-editor-in-chief of the PowerBuilder Developer's Journal. He lives in Wayne, Illinois, with his wife Caroline and daughter Cassie. This book is dedicated to them.

Paul Horan (paul.horan@pb9book.com) is the senior software architect at Video Communications, Inc., of Springfield, Massachusetts, VCI is the award-winning vendor of STARS II+, a PowerBuilder/ASA/EAServer¿based Sales, Traffic, and Accounts Receivable System for the Broadcast and Cable television industry. Paul has been working actively with PowerBuilder since version 1.0 B, and was inducted into the ranks of TeamSybase in May 2000. Paul is a frequent contributor to the PowerBuilder Developer's Journal, and he was the founding member of the Indianapolis PowerBuilder User's Group. Paul currently resides in Buffalo, New York.

Roy Kiesler (roy.kiesler@pb9book.com) is an architect with Percussion Software in Stoneham, Massachusetts, specializing in Content Management systems and XML/Java applications. He has nine years of experience building Web, distributed, and client/server applications for the financial services, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and energy and utilities industries using PowerBuilder, C++, and Java. Roy is also a writer for Sybase Developer's Network (SDN) and the PowerBuilder Developer's Journal, as well as a guest speaker at Sybase user group conferences. A winner of the 2001 TeamSybase MVP award, Roy has been a member of TeamSybase since 1999.

Jerry Neppl (jerry.neppl@pb9book.com) is the president of Develop-n-Tier, Inc., a software consulting company specializing in design and development of distributed systems based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

John D. Olson (john.olson@pb9book.com) is a member of TeamSybase, the editor-in-chief of the PowerBuilder Developer's Journal, a certified Sybase instructor, CPD, on the ISUG board of directors, author, and frequent speaker at conferences and events in North America and Europe. He is the chief technology officer of Developower, Inc., a company that provides expert-level leadership, technology and development consulting for Web, n-tier, and client/server projects. John spends most of his time helping governments, companies, and individuals develop better software.

Jim O'Neil (jim.oneil@pb9book.com) is a principal technical support engineer at Sybase, Inc., and an honorary member of TeamSybase. He has supported Sybase products since the release of PowerBuilder 5.0 in 1996, specializing in PowerBuilder's interfaces with databases and application servers. Jim has CPD Professional certification in PowerBuilder versions 5 through 8 and participated on the certification exam writing board for the last two versions of the product. He has been a presenter at TechWave and Sybase user groups in the United States and Europe since 1997.

Regan Sizer (regan.sizer@pb9book.com) has 10 years experience as a software engineer. He has been a supporter of PowerBuilder since the early days and tries to promote the product by providing free code examples that showcase some of the more advanced capabilities. He is currently the development manager at a large international bank and lectures part time at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Buck Woolley (buck.woolley@pb9book.com) is a software developer and consultant with eight years experience using PowerBuilder in a variety of industries. He is an avid promoter of PowerBuilder and has authored an article for the PowerBuilder Developers Journal. His company, dw-eXtreme, develops and sells advanced graphical user interface objects using the PowerBuilder datawindow.