Application Support for DFESoftware

Although the DFESoftware-supported Broker's Notebook package ships with Btrieve 6.15 Workstation Engine to keep your costs low, the software runs best on the workgroup and client/server database engines from Pervasive Software. An upgrade to the Pervasive PSQL v9 Workgroup Engine (WGE) or Client/Server Engine (CSE) will provide improved performance and improved stability. If you are experiencing periodic file corruption, then you definitely want to have Pervasive PSQL v9, as this may prevent these problems from recurring.

DFESoftware has completed testing for Pervasive PSQL v9, and this engine runs the application very well. It is definitely recommended for all sites! In fact, in an attempt to reduce ongoing support costs, DFESoftware is now requesting that ALL sites upgrade to the Pervasive PSQL v9 database engine

If your site has fewer than 5 concurrent users, then you can go with the Workgroup Engine. At $24 per installed workstation for the electronic license (plus $11 for the physical media & shipping, if you want it), this cost-effective solution will provide immediate benefits.

If your site needs more than 5 concurrent users, then you should go with the Client/Server Engine instead. Pricing for the Server engine varies based on the number of concurrent users you need (regardless the number of installed workstations) and can be found on our Pricing page.

To get started, you should contact DFESoftware to confirm that you can upgrade, then you can download the 30-day trial engine for immediate use. (Be sure to get the right version, as indicated above.)

*The abbreviations used on the columns above include the Workstation Engine (WSE), Workgroup Engine (WGE), and Client/Server Engine (CSE). Not all engines exist in all versions, and these are marked with N/A. Items with a NO are unsupported; items with YES are supported. Items with NR are not recommended; items with R are recommended. Items with no entry are unknown at this time. P indicates that testing is in progress for this release.

There are eight points of interest:

1. The Broker's Notebook application has been tested and runs very well on Pervasive.SQL V8 and Pervasive PSQL v9. It can run on either the WorkGroup Engine (for up to 5 simultaneous users), or on the Client/Server Engine (for 6 or more simultaneous users). The CSE provides slightly better performance and much better security, but it is a lot more expensive for smaller sites.
2. Performance Tip: If the WGE is used, the machine with the data files physically on it should be designated as the permanent gateway using the Gateway Locator Utility. Changing the configuration from a floating gateway (the default) to a permanent gateway will provide the best performance and stability. See our white paper on this topic for more information, or click HERE for the video!
3. Performance Tip: After your system has been running on Pervasive for a few weeks, and you are comfortable enough that you will never go back to the old version, you may want to rebuild your data files to take advantage of even more performance gains. See our white paper on the file rebuilding for more information.
4. Status 116 or Status 85 Problems: We have seen some sites with problems after installing with Status 116 errors. If you run the application and do NOT see the Pervasive.SQL splash screen, then you may have an old DLL still stuck on your system.
   
   You can confirm this by first starting Broker's Notebook, then going to Help->About Broker's Notebook, and looking for the Btrieve Version at the bottom of this dialog box. If you still see Btrieve 6.15, then your workstation has old components somewhere.
   
   Search the local and network hard disks to locate a file called WBTRCALL.DLL, dated 1999 or older. If you find such a file, rename or delete it. You may find it in the BNWIN directory. (Copies in the PVSWARCH directory have been found and archived by the installation process. You may leave these copies alone, and after a few weeks, you can safely remove this entire directory.) In some installations, it may also be necessary to remove or rename the following files, if they are found: WBTRCALL.DLL, WBTRVRES.DLL, WBTRLOCL.DLL, WBTR32.EXE, WBTRV32.DLL, W32BTICM.DLL, WBTRTHNK.DLL, W32MKDE.EXE, W32MKRC.DLL.
5. Status 88 Problem: Some users have run into a problem after updating with a Status 88 during the download process. Contact DFESoftware for an application update to address this issue.
6. Status 46: A Status 46 error message has been seen on a few sites that upgraded to Pervasive PSQL v9 but were still running some database files in the archaic Btrieve 5.x file format. The first step is to identify the database file that is still in the older format, and then rebuild it. If you need help determining the file, please contact DFESoftware. Alternatively, you can rebuild ALL files as mentioned in Tip#3 above.
7. Status 12: This information comes from David himself:
   - Ditch all protocols except TCP/IP on server and all workstations.  Do this on the workstations AND the server.
   - Reboot workstations and server often!!!!!
   - Set Local=No, Requester=No
   - Run BNWIN.EXE from the server, not from the individual workstations.
   - Delete the ~PVSW~.LOC file. This is sometimes easier said than done, because it is locked. Reboot every machine. Then unassign the gateway on the server.  Now can we delete that file.
   - Make things work with no gateway. Once working, assign a gateway.
8. Wrong File Location: If you have the wrong file location, then you may see license problems, status 12's, 30's, or just about anything else. First, verify that the icon used to start BNWIN has the START IN property set to the database server. Second, verify that the BNWIN.INI file in that directory contains the proper DATA or SHARED path (on the server). Finally, make sure that the drive letter in the INI is properly mapped.