Expandable Software, Inc. was formed in 1983 by a group of manufacturing and systems professionals. These seasoned veterans developed the first fully integrated financial, manufacturing, and order management software package that allowed companies of any size to standardize their enterprise computing on a PC LAN system and take advantage of the strengths of PC based client/server computing.

This system was originally developed in procedural DataFlex 2.1. The Expandable solution provides visibility into all areas of your business, fully integrating information to help you run a business more productively and effectively. It gives (you) control over all operations, supporting distribution, customer management, inventory, manufacturing, EDI, financial reporting, business analysis, and web-enabled order management.

The Need: A Reliable Database Driver for MS SQL Server

In early 1998, Expandable was getting ready to launch its latest product (E2) in phases which required that the original product be able to operate on the same database. The database that Expandable chose for E2 was MS SQL Server. In 1998, Expandable started looking for an easy way of migrating their ERP software to MS SQL Server back-end, without investing heavily in rewriting existing programs. Jerry Lass, one of the founders of Expandable, says "We were very happy to learn that Mertech was about to release SQLFlex which would allow our Classic System developed in procedural DataFlex to co-exist with our new system, sharing the same MS SQL Server database back-end". "The availability of a solid database driver and migration utility for SQL Server from Mertech has allowed Expandable to continue deployment of Classic System at new customer sites while continuing development on our new system and deploying it in phases".

Mertech's Support

According to Jerry Lass, "Expandable is very pleased with the quality and stability of the SQLFlex product. We have been delivering it to our customers since September of 1998. Mertech has been very responsive to our needs. In some of our larger sites we were able to optimize performance by utilizing the features of embedded SQL statements and by calling stored procedure within our DataFlex code. It has been a pleasure working with Mertech as they have always been available to answer questions and help solve problems, many of which weren't even related to their product."

Contact Information

Jerry Lass
Expandable Software, Inc.
1171 Homestead Road
Santa Clara, CA 95050-5481
USA
www.expandable.com