New Conversion Document for ZP 32 Customers

I just posted a new document on the Tutorials page of our web site called "Converting From ZP 32 to ZP SQL." This document is designed to help explain some of the issues existing ZP 32 customers should be aware of when switching to ZP SQL.

Checking For Blank Dates

In report expressions, advanced filters, etc. customers often want to check for blank dates an take an action. Only do this if the date is filled, for example. In ZP 32 part of the expression to check dates might look like this:

NOT EMPTY(insp_date)

That expression does not have the same results in ZP SQL because the databases handle dates differently. In SQL there never is a "blank" or empty date field. Rather it is set to "null" to show that it does not have a specific value yet. You can still get the same results in your expressions by  adding an extra function to convert nulls to blanks. The new expression would look like this:

NOT EMPTY(NVL(insp_date,""))

There are several other ways to do this as well but this approach works well when converting from ZP 32.

First Custom Application Ported to ZP SQL

We just recently finished porting the first custom application from ZonePro 32 to ZonePro SQL. Fittingly, it was the Trash Billing custom program which is probably the oldest custom program we wrote. Everything went smoothly. This was a hallmark because the custom applications are the last bits of ZP 32 to be converted. All of the standard modules have made the transition.

Fixed Fees Not So Fixed

I don't know why I even call it the Fixed Fees Screen anymore. In ZP SQL all of the databases in the Fixed Fees Screen can now have multiple fee entries. Each entry can have a flat fee or a formula. This brings this screen more in line with the way ZP handles zoning or building fee schedules. The extensive changes mean that this is one of the few databases that does not convert over when existing ZP 32 customers move to ZP SQL. Those fees have to be setup again. I think this is a small price to pay for the increased flexibility the new design brings.

Variable Fees Vanish

I may have mentioned before that the program interface for ZonePro SQL is very similar to ZonePro 32. There are, however, some differences. Some are due to the switch to remote data storage and some are due to design decisions. I plan to enter a series of posts outlining these differences. For example, ZP SQL no longer supports variable fees. This change affects the fee screens for Zoning Permits and Building Permits. In ZP 32 you can have 3 types of fees in your permit fee schedules: flat fees, formulas, and variable fee lists. In ZP SQL we have scuttled the variable fee lists. This was purely a design decision. Several years back the formula option for fees was expanded to include scripts. This scripting option has proved to be a much more flexible way of storing lists of fees if needed, thereby paving the way for the variable fee options obsolescence. This change will only affect existing customer who are considering ZP SQL. Any existing variable fee lists need to be changed to formula scripts before converting to ZP SQL.