Greetings

My one remaining client has a new IT consultant that recently upgraded the client's hardware and Windows OS.

He believes that Tim (and myselff) are incompetent because the upgrade did not go according to his plan.

Note his comment below.

<<I've been involved in many operating system upgrades that have resulted in incompatible software having to be updated or replaced as they simply cannot work with modern software systems... this may simply be one of those cases.>>

The consultant does not take any notice of me.

Does anyone have some words of wisdom that I can pass on regarding the quality of Tim's software?

Richard

Richard,

Having no idea what is the consultant talking about, because that sentence doesn't say anything about what exactly is not working or why, I can only reply with facts:

For many years I have had applications using ElevateDB databases, some with 20 to 30GB of data, using remote synchronization, Unicode and Ansi, with Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11, and I never ever had any issues with them when updating hardware or operating systems.

--
Fernando Dias
[Team Elevate]

Às 19:13 de 16/03/2025, Richard Harding escreveu:
> Greetings
>
> My one remaining client has a new IT consultant that recently upgraded the client's hardware and Windows OS.
>
> He believes that Tim (and myselff) are incompetent because the upgrade did not go according to his plan.
>
> Note his comment below.
>
> <<I've been involved in many operating system upgrades that have resulted in incompatible software having to be updated or replaced as they simply cannot work with modern software systems... this may simply be one of those cases.>>
>
> The consultant does not take any notice of me.
>
> Does anyone have some words of wisdom that I can pass on regarding the quality of Tim's software?
>
> Richard
>

Richard


Apart from echoing Fernando there just isn't enough to go on.

Having worked for a firm of management consultants/auditors I have a low opinion of the breed (my general comment was there are some consultants who are worth their weight in gold, others that are worth their weight in gold to keep off site).

Either the consultant will be interested in fixing the problem or he/she will be interested in selling the client another solution (aka making more money). Hopefully its the former, if so a few questions:

What was the hardware upgrade?
What was the OS upgrade?
What errors are generated for your application?
Which other applications didn't survive the change?
Are there other sites running your application under the same OS (and similar h/w)?

I can currently take an application written in D2007 under W7 and drop it on to a W11 (developer mode) box and it just works. I can drop it on to a Linux Mint machine and it runs happily under WINE.

Roy Lambert

>>the upgrade did not go according to his plan.<<

That's not saying much. What exactly did go wrong?

Delphi applications in general and EDB applications in particular are in my experience pretty independent from the Windows OS. Windows updates or a new Windows edition usually don't break anything.

Heiko

Thank you Fernando, Roy, Heiko

I am not trying to solve their problems. I am attempting to put the IT Consulant's outlandish ideas in place. I consider the installation as unmanageable and broken. The consultant does not have a website so it is not possible to get an idea of his background.

"Incompetent" is certainly not a word that I would use to describe Tim's abilities.

I was intrigued at how the consultant could possibly use the word "obsolete" in describing the Elevate Software products.

I wrote a 30 page document outling an incomplete list of concerns. I mentioned that the document was dismissed. Actually it was disparaged.

A very simple example amongst many.

<<the database is also backed up in an image file, which can be restored as part of a full system restore. this is a snapshot of a running system, with all the programs including the database just as it was at the time the snapshot was taken.>>

Repeatedly the company has been informed that a database must be backed up and restored as a single entity.

I also suggested that it is imperative that any backup and restore procedures be tested which has not been considered necessary.

The Elevate DB Manager does not appear to be operational. I also wrote an application unimaginatively called "EDB Backup Manager" which is a simplified and reduced functionality version of the Elevate DB Manaager that allows clients to backup and restore databases and manage stores. This does not appear to be working either.

The consultant manages the system including the Elevate products by "tweaking" registry and INI file settings.

As Fernando shows with his experience with Elevate Software products are certainly capable. Bruno Larochelle worked for Environment and Climate Change Canada at Edmonton, Alberta for decades and Walter Matte has developed a comprehesive system for University of British Columbia what would not be possible if the Elevate Software was as incompetent as claimed.

I appeciate your comments.

Richard

Hi Richard,

<< Richard Harding wrote:

Greetings

My one remaining client has a new IT consultant that recently upgraded the client's hardware and Windows OS.

He believes that Tim (and myselff) are incompetent because the upgrade did not go according to his plan.

Note his comment below.

<<I've been involved in many operating system upgrades that have resulted in incompatible software having to be updated or replaced as they simply cannot work with modern software systems... this may simply be one of those cases.>>

The consultant does not take any notice of me.

Does anyone have some words of wisdom that I can pass on regarding the quality of Tim's software?  >>

Over the years, I’ve observed that many consultants lack real expertise. Having worked in several Australian Federal Government Departments—first as a public servant doing coding and later as an IT contractor—I’ve seen firsthand the impact of their recommendations.  

Most of these departments brought in consultants at some point, often more than once. In every instance, they charged exorbitant fees while pushing for sweeping changes, convinced that everything was being done incorrectly. The result? A complete mess. None of their changes worked, and in the end, we had to revert to the original system because it was more efficient and actually functional.  

Unfortunately, consultants aren’t the only ones who fall short.  

For the past nine years, my software—built with an EDB backend (previously DBISAM)—has been used by thousands of users, with over 100 new versions released since its initial launch. Some installations support up to 100 users, and I frequently interact with customers' IT support teams—often from outside companies.  

While I’ve encountered some truly skilled IT professionals, others lacked fundamental knowledge. In many cases, I had to guide them through tasks they should have been able to handle independently.  

A prime example: A customer’s IT support team struggled to install a simple update, blaming my software instead. They even suggested switching to a different system, claiming mine "doesn’t work properly." However, when I remote connected (with the customer present), I installed the update in minutes—something the IT support team had been attempting for a week. Guess what the customer stopped using? Hint: It wasn’t my software.  

In my experience, some consultants and IT support professionals simply don’t listen. If your customer’s consultant is dismissing your expertise, it’s likely because they believe they know better. A good consultant should be open-minded and willing to learn from those who truly understand the system.  

If they aren’t prepared to listen, breaking through to them can be difficult.

= Steve  

Richard


<<I am not trying to solve their problems. I am attempting to put the IT Consulant's outlandish ideas in place.>>

Whilst I wish you total success with that I doubt you will achieve your aim. Your client is probably paying this consultant large sums of money which tends to have a detrimental effect on rational thought, at the worst the consultant will be related to whoever in the client commissioned the consultant.

Depending on the value of your software to the client you may be best served by simply walking away. If the application is valuable to your client send a proposal to the CEO to either come and fix or remote fix for a suitable fee. Make the fee big enough and the consultant may be directed to work with you to prevent having to pay it.

Roy Lambert

Richard,

I've read it again, and in fact there is something the consultant says that is revealing:

<<I've been involved in many operating system upgrades that have resulted in incompatible software having to be updated or replaced as they simply cannot work with modern software systems... this may simply be one of those cases.>>

That says a lot!
Tells me that he has no idea what he is doing, he is just selling things.
A system upgrade (hardware or software) has to start with an exaustive report about the requirements of the existing and running software, and possible adjustments that have to be done.
Did he ask you about it? If no, it's his fault.
Your software was built/configured for the existing system, not for the future unknown changes that might happen.

On a side note, I have just updated today a client machine from Win 10 to 11 and the ElevateDB applications just started normally with no changes or adjustments, and about a month ago I've updated a client from WinXP to Win 11 without problems.

--
Fernando Dias
[Team Elevate]


Às 19:13 de 16/03/2025, Richard Harding escreveu:
> Greetings
>
> My one remaining client has a new IT consultant that recently upgraded the client's hardware and Windows OS.
>
> He believes that Tim (and myselff) are incompetent because the upgrade did not go according to his plan.
>
> Note his comment below.
>
> <<I've been involved in many operating system upgrades that have resulted in incompatible software having to be updated or replaced as they simply cannot work with modern software systems... this may simply be one of those cases.>>
>
> The consultant does not take any notice of me.
>
> Does anyone have some words of wisdom that I can pass on regarding the quality of Tim's software?
>
> Richard
>

Hello Roy

<<Either the consultant will be interested in fixing the problem or he/she will be interested in selling the client another solution (aka making more money). Hopefully its the former, if so a few questions:>>

The client and developer do not understand that hey have a problem. They believe that everything is working fine.

It will be intriguing when they need to to an EDB Database restore.

I am having not further involvement.
 
Richard

Hello Steve,

<<For the past nine years, my software—built with an EDB backend (previously DBISAM)—has been used by thousands of users, with over 100 new versions released since its initial launch. Some installations support up to 100 users, and I frequently interact with customers' IT support teams—often from outside companies.>>

Thank you for sharing your expereince.

My guess is that the problem originated when people stopped reading real books (books that you can hold in your hand) and started getting their information from snippets on blog posts. Copying and pasting does not give you much time to think.

Richard