Greetings buddies from dbForum, this is my first post (pardon my terrible English).

My problem is: I need to make migration from HP300 IMAGE database to a new relational database that could be SQL Server, MySQL or PostgreSQL (the customer has not yet decided).

Is that there are ODBC drivers that allow me to convert more easily and thus avoid having to write lots of COBOL scripts.

Is there a free driver? I got the MiniSoft ODBC32, but only have a demo version. My budget is limited, so I need to get something that is free.

In advance, thank you very much for their assistance.

COBOL programs are not necessary at all. You can use HP's isql utility to query the data if your want a "zero out of pocket cost" solution, but this still has significant costs in terms of manpower needed for the transfer.

I can't rememeber an IMAGE/3000 client that didn't have any Windows ODBC drivers. Check with your client, as it would have to be a VERY old installation to not have any ODBC drivers supplied by HP. If the HP-3000 hasn't been under an HP maintenance contract during the last fifteen years, your client could still be running a version that doesn't have any ODBC driver provided by HP.

-PatP

Thanks Pat, indeed, the installation of my client is very, very old. For about 10 years ago failed to receive support. The client told me also that the database has an estimated time of 16-17 years.

That means that I do not get any ODBC driver and HP ISQL tool will be useless.

Now I ask, should I then focus on what I originally thought? (COBOL scripts).

If you have a really, really old version (circa MPE v23.1) you should be able to type IMAGE at the colon prompt. Once there, you can submit SQL queries and get the results as flat text at the console (or send them to files on the HP via MPE FILE statements).

This is far faster and easier than writing COBOL programs to extract the data, and allows relatively easy portability to most SQL databases.

I vaguely remember a utility that converted HP IMAGE data that was provided with the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Resource Kit. I tried to Google it, but didn't have any luck. If you can find that, I think it did much of the transfer work for you.

-PatP

Ernesto --> 3rn3st0? ;-)

I have a similar project coming up. We have a big system that uses IMAGE as the db. We want to get out of MPE (hp-3000) and move to something else...

If you could share your approach that would be greatly appriciated.

thanks,
Tavo

from each old databases you can export data to txt files and then load into new databases.

Just be aware, each database type has a different syntax for importing blob data, so there really is no generic version.

Have you looked at IMAGESQL utility (earlier known as ATCUTIL, the ALLBASE/Turbo Connect utility) to make an IMAGE db available over isql?