OpenEdge Advanced Business Language: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Business application development language}}

{{AdvertPromotional|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox Softwaresoftware

| name = OpenEdge Advanced Business Language (ABL)

| logo = File:OpenEdge_logo.png

| screenshot =

| caption =

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| genre = [[Relational database management system|RDBMS]]

| license = Proprietary

| website = {{URL|https://www.progress.com/openedge}}

| logo = File:OpenEdge_logo.png

}}

'''OpenEdge Advanced Business Language''', or '''OpenEdge ABL''' for short, is a business application development language created and maintained by [[Progress Software|Progress Software Corporation]]. Typically classified as a [[fourth-generation programming language]], it utilizes an English-like syntax to simplify software development.<ref name="p2">Campbell, John, ''Programmer's Progress, a guide to the progress language.'' white star software, 1991</ref> The language was called '''PROGRESS''' or '''Progress 4GL''' up until version 9, but in 2006, [[Progress Software Corporation|PSC]] changed the name to OpenEdge Advanced Business Language (OpenEdge ABL), in order to overcome a presumed industry perception that 4GLs were less capable than other languages.<ref name="introABL">Salvador Vinals, Introducing OpenEdge Advanced Business Language (ABL), PSC whitepaper, 2007</ref>

{{Advert|date=January 2023}}

OpenEdge ABL helps developers to develop applications optionally using its own integrated [[relational database]] and [[programming tool|programming tools]]s. These applications are portable across computing systems and allow access to various popular data sources without having to learn the underlying [[data access]] methods. This means that the [[end-user]] of these products can be unaware of the underlying architecture.

'''OpenEdge Advanced Business Language''', or '''OpenEdge ABL''' for short, is a business application development language created and maintained by [[Progress Software|Progress Software Corporation]]. Typically classified as a [[fourth-generation programming language]], it utilizes an English-like syntax to simplify software development.<ref name="p2">Campbell, John, ''Programmer's Progress, a guide to the progress language.'' white star software, 1991</ref> The language was called '''PROGRESS''' or '''Progress 4GL''' up until version 9, but in 2006, [[Progress Software Corporation|PSC]] changed the name to OpenEdge Advanced Business Language (OpenEdge ABL), in order to overcome a presumed industry perception that 4GLs were less capable than other languages.<ref name="introABL">Salvador Vinals, Introducing OpenEdge Advanced Business Language (ABL), PSC whitepaper, 2007</ref>

By combining a fourth-generation language and relational database, OpenEdge ABL allows the use of the [[Rapidrapid Applicationapplication Developmentdevelopment]] (RAD) model for developing software.

OpenEdge ABL helps developers to develop applications optionally using its own integrated [[relational database]] and [[programming tool|programming tools]]. These applications are portable across computing systems and allow access to various popular data sources without having to learn the underlying [[data access]] methods. This means that the [[end-user]] of these products can be unaware of the underlying architecture.

By combining a fourth-generation language and relational database, OpenEdge ABL allows the use of the [[Rapid Application Development]] (RAD) model for developing software.

==History==

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==Examples==

===Hello Worldworld===

{{mainMain|Hello world program}}

{{main|Hello world program}}

The following ABL code creates a window with the text "Hello, World!" and a button labelled "OK".

<syntaxhighlight lang="progress">

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HEIGHT = 5

MESSAGE-AREA = FALSE

STATUS-AREA = FALSE.

CURRENT-WINDOW = w.

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(Some assumptions have been made about indexing, locking and transaction scoping in order to keep this example simple.)

Data access in the ABL is record -based, asin opposedcontrast to the result-set -based processing found in traditional SQL-based languages. InWhile SQL operations worktypically act on a setsets of records, in the ABL, theprocesses operation is applied to aone record at a time, -similar much liketo using a cursor in SQL. Record-based processing provides a clean and reliable locking mechanism which allows the developer to EXECUTIVE-LOCK, SHARE-LOCK or NO-LOCK a record when accessed by the application.

Record-based processing provides a fine-grained locking model, allowing the developer to apply different lock levels (e.g., EXCLUSIVE-LOCK, SHARE-LOCK, or NO-LOCK) when accessing records.

This approach can offer predictable memory usage, especially in environments using shared memory connections, where the application and database reside on the same host. In client-server (networked) deployments, however, each record or block of records fetched typically involves a network round trip. For example, with a default prefetch size of 50 records and a network latency of 50 ms, retrieving 1,000,000 records may result in up to 1,000 seconds of latency. This illustrates a potential drawback of record-by-record access in high-latency environments.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

==Application areas==

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The language is used in a wide variety of application areas, some examples:

* Mortgage and Autoauto Loanloan Originationorigination at US Banksbanks

* Rental Carcar Reservationreservation Systemssystems

* Manufacturing ERP

* Wholesale Distributiondistribution ERP

* Warehouse Systemssystems

* Transportation Systemssystems

* Commercial Serviceservice Forceforce Dispatchingdispatching

* Security Cardcard Systemssystems

* Gaming Systemssystems (think Las Vegas, not video)

OpenEdge can be used for:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-26 |title=Use Cases of Progress OpenEdge 2024 |url=https://www.trustradius.com/products/openedge/reviews?qs=product-usage |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=www.trustradius.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

* Microsoft Windows GUI (Graphical User Interface)

* WWW Programmingprogramming (UNIXUnix and Windows)

* CHUI (CHaracter User Interface) (UNIXUnix and Windows)

* JSON and XML appserver programming (UNIXUnix and Windows)

* as well background process programming (UNIXUnix and Windows).

==Notes==

<references/>

==References==

* Sadd, J. ''OpenEdge Development: Progress 4GL Handbook'', Progress Software Corporation, {{ISBN|0-923562-04-4}}, {{ISBN|978-0-923562-04-5}}

* Kassabgi, G. ''Special Edition : Using Progress'', Que Publishing, {{ISBN|0-7897-0493-5}}

== External links ==

* [{{Official Website|https://www.progress.com/openedge Official Website]}}

* [https://www.progress.com/openedge Official Website]

* [https://community.progress.com/community_groups/openedge_general OpenEdge Community]

* [https://docs.progress.com/category/openedge-information-hub OpenEdge Resource Hub]