PowerHouse (programming language): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Fourth-generation programming language}}

{{RefimproveMore citations needed|date=February 2007}}

{{Infobox software

| name = UNICOM PowerHouse

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| website = {{URL|https://teamblue.unicomsi.com/products/powerhouse-4gl/}}

}}

{{Refimprove|date=February 2007}}

'''PowerHouse''' is a trademarked name for a [[Bytecode|byte-compiled]] [[fourth-generation programming language]] (or 4GL) originally produced by Quasar Corporation (later renamed [[Cognos]] Incorporated) for the [[Hewlett-Packard]] ''[[HP3000]]'' mini-computer, as well as Data General and DEC [[VAX/VMS]] systems. It was initially composed of five components:

* ''QDD, or Quasar Data Dictionary'': for building a central data dictionary used by all other components

* ''QDesign'': a character-based [[screen generator]]

* ''Quick'': an interactive, character-based screen processor (running screens generated by QDesign)

* ''Quiz'': a report writer

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== History ==

PowerHouse was introduced in 1982 and bundled together in a single product Quiz and Quick/QDesign, both of which had been previously available separately, with a new batch processor QTP. In 1983, Quasar changed its name to ''[[Cognos]] Corporation'' and began porting their application development tools to other platforms, notably [[Digital Equipment Corporation]]'s ''[[VAXOpenVMS|VMS]]'', [[Data General]]'s ''[[EclipseAOS/VS MVII]]'', and [[IBM]]'s ''[[ASOS/400]]'', along with the [[UNIX]] platforms from these vendors. Cognos also began extending their product line with add-ons to PowerHouse (for example, ''Architect'') and end-user applications written in PowerHouse (for example, ''MultiView''). {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} Subsequent development of the product added support for platform-specific relational databases, such as HP's ''Allbase/SQL'', DEC's ''[[Oracle Rdb|Rdb]]'', and [[Microsoft]]'s ''[[Microsoft SQL Server|SQL Server]]'', as well as cross-platform relational databases such as [[Oracle Database|Oracle]], [[Sybase SQL Server|Sybase]], and [[IBM]]'s [[IBM DB2|DB2]].

The PowerHouse language represented a considerable achievement.{{According to whom|date=March 2011}} Compared with languages like [[COBOL]], [[Pascal programming language|Pascal]] and [[PL/1]], PowerHouse substantially cut the amount of labour required to produce useful applications on its chosen platforms. It achieved this through the use of a central data-dictionary, a compiled file that extended the attributes of data fields natively available in the DBMS with frequently used programming idioms such as:

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GO

{{code|<screenname>}} was the name of the screen that the programmer assigned to the program. {{code|<filename>}} was the file name to be accessed in the data dictionary. Whether the items in the file would all fit in the screen would be determined by how many items and the size of them. If they didn't all fit, the program would have to be modified to eliminate unneeded items, change the size of items to some other size, etc. But, for a file with only a couple of items in it, it is quick and easy to generate a screen for data entry, deletion, or to simply look up data by an index.

Simple QUIZ reports were almost as easy. A one-file report was as simple as:

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Commands could be abbreviated to the first three characters when writing source code. ACCESS could be abbreviated to ACC, as well as DEFine, REPort, SCReen, etc.

QUIZ reports could be routed to a printer, screen, or ASCII text files with the <ttcode>SET REPORT DEVICE <printer> <screen> <disk></ttcode>command.

Given the right access and commands, a novice could write simple report programs. Just as dangerous, though, the same novice could easily destroy the data as there was no security to whether one can call up any of the interpreters. If you had access to QUIZ, you also had access to QTP and QUICK.

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==References==

{{reflistReflist}}

==External links==

* [http://teamblue.unicomsi.com/products/powerhouse-4gl/ UNICOM Systems' Application Development Tools home page]

{{Hewlett-Packard software}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Minicomputers]]

[[Category:HP software|PowerHouse]]

[[Category:4GLFourth-generation programming languages]]

[[Category:Divested IBM products]]