PowerBuilder 11

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PowerBuilder 11s Intelligent Updater .NET
Smart Client Application Publishing

• John Strano
• Technology Evangelist
• Sybase, Inc.
• john.s.strano_at_sybase.com

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PowerBuilder 11 Overview (presented Nov. 20,
2007) Jim ONeil Systems Consultant
.NET Windows Forms And Interoperability Dec. 4,
2007 Jim ONeil Systems Consultant
.NET Assemblies (presented Nov. 13, 2007) Jim
ONeilSystems Consultant
Web ServiceDataWindow Feb. 5, 2008 John
Strano Technology Evangelist
PowerBuilder 11 .NET Deployment Webcasts
.NET Web Forms Dec. 11, 2007 David
Fish Engineering Evangelist
.NET Web Services Jan. 29, 2008 David
Fish Engineering Evangelist
.NET Smart Client Jan. 15, 2008 John
Strano Technology Evangelist
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Agenda

• PowerBuilder Roadmap
• Smart Client Overview
• Demo Publishing PowerBuilder Smart Client
  applications
• Additional Resources
• QA

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PowerBuilder Roadmap

• Version 11 released in June 2007
• 11.1 Maintenance Release in November 2007
• Delivers on third-phase of PowerBuilders .NET
  initiative

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PowerBuilder .NET Windows Form (WinForm)
Applications

• Preserves PowerBuilder development skills
• Create a PowerBuilder application
• Deploy it as a .NET Windows Form application
• Supports most features available in PowerBuilder
  Win32 applications
• PowerScript language features
• DataWindow, Editmask, RichText, InkEdit,
  InkPicture,
• DataStore, Transaction, ResultSet,
• Most system functions

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Why Deploy as a .NET WinForm Application?

• Consume .NET classes via PowerScript .NET
  interoperability
• Publish/Deploy PowerBuilder applications using
  Smart Client techniques

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PowerBuilder .NET Smart Client Support

• Solves the biggest headache of all

Application Deployment

• The best of the Rich Client world
• The ubiquity of the Web

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Comparison Among Rich, Thin, and Smart Clients
Rich Client Thin Client Smart Client
Rich user experience Yes No Yes
Responsive Yes No Yes
Heavy footprint Yes No No
DLL hell Yes No No
Network dependency No Yes No
Easy deployment No Yes Yes
Developer productivity Yes No Yes
Occasionally connected No No Yes
Performs well in low bandwidth network No No Yes
Uses local resources Yes No Yes
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PowerBuilder .NET Smart Client Support

• Occasionally connected
• PowerBuilder with MobiLink
• Always up-to-date applications
• PowerBuilders Intelligent Updater
• Maximize performance using client resources
• PowerBuilder applications deployed as Windows
  Form (Rich Client)
• Communicate utilizing Web Services
• PowerBuilders Web Service DataWindow
• Utilize network resources
• PowerBuilders Web Service DataWindow
• PowerBuilders Intelligent Updater
• PowerBuilder with MobiLink

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Intelligent Updater Overview

• Reduces pain of updating a typical client-server
  application
• PowerBuilder 11 simplifies the ClickOnce
  technology of .NET Framework
• Makes deploying a Windows Form application as
  easy as deploying a Web application

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Deployment Model

• Application installations and updates are
  deployed via centralized servers (via HTTP, FTP,
  UNC,)

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Demonstration

• The Intelligent Updater in Action

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Further Resources

• Prerequisites Packages use .MSI files.
• You will need to author an .MSI file for each
  prerequisite package.
• A profiling of multiple MSI authoring tools
• http//www.installsite.org/pages/en/msi/authoring.
  htm

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Further Resources

• You can use InstallerEditor to customize a
  prerequisite component
• InstallerEditor is an OpenSource tool.
• It can be obtained from
• http//www.devage.com/Wiki/ViewArticle.aspx?named
  otnetinstallerversion0

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Further Resources

• PowerBuilder Demonstration Recordings
• http//www.sybase.com/products/development/powerbu
  ilder/videos
• Recorded Webcasts from this series
• http//www.sybase.com/products/development/powerbu
  ilder/webcasts

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Getting Your Hands on PowerBuilder 11

• Do you have an Update Subscription Plan (USP)?
• Access the Sybase Product Download Center (SPDC)
  at https//sybase.subscribenet.com
• Download PowerBuilder 11 and companion products
• Generate license keys
• Need new or additional licenses?
• Contact your Sybase sales office (US/Canada
  1-800-8-SYBASE)
• Visit e-shop at http//eshop.sybase.com

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QA
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FAQs

• Can I use the Intelligent Updater to publish my
  Win32 PowerBuilder applications?
• The Intelligent Updater was designed to publish
  only .NET WinForm-deployed PowerBuilder
  applications.
• However, if you can bear some limited
  functionality, a Win32 PowerBuilder application
  can be packaged in an .MSI file and
  published/deployed as a prerequisite.

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FAQs

• Do I have to use IIS as my Smart Client
  Publishing server when using HTTP?
• Yes.
• PowerBuilder's .NET Smart Client publishing
  enhances ClickOnce technology which is closely
  integrated with IIS.

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FAQs

• What tool should I use to author .MSI files for
  use with publishing my applications
  prerequisites?
• Profile of various MSI authoring tools
• http//www.installsite.org/pages/en/msi/authoring.
  htm

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FAQs

• Will the Intelligent Updater publish my entire
  application each time, or just the modified
  portions?
• As of PowerBuilder 11.1, only the modified
  portions (.NET Modules) of the application should
  be downloaded.
• However, the .NET modules for all the PBLs in the
  application and any unchanged data files included
  as resources are downloaded to the client in the
  GA version of PowerBuilder 11.1. CR 479418

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Thank you.