The New DataFlex Diagnostics Tool

In a perfect world, installing software on a computer would be a breeze; no errors, no issues. We would run the installation program and things would just work. We would have our application up and running as soon as the installation process was over.

In the real world, however, that may happen 80% of the time. In the other 20% of the time a little troubleshooting of the environment where the installation is being done has to take place. To help you with that process, Data Access Worldwide created DataFlex Diagnostics.

DataFlex Diagnostics is a troubleshooting assistant, a tool that will inspect and report on settings and configurations that may interfere with a successful installation of DataFlex products, the use of development tools, and the deployment of your applications.

The end result of running the tool is a report displayed in your browser that will identify potential problems that may need attention in that specific computer’s environment.

The main screen has a few options to let you adjust the tool to your needs:

• DataFlex revision

The tool detects all revisions of DataFlex installed on the machine where it is run and the combo box DataFlex revision lets you select whether to analyze all revisions identified or one specific revision.

It may analyze the environment for all revisions found on that machine or for one specific revision. This is useful in case you are having issues with one of the revisions and would like to shorten the report generation focusing on that specific revision only.

• Registered Web Applications for selected DataFlex revision(s)

This selection indicates if the tool should analyze registered DataFlex web applications or not. If checked (default), DataFlex web applications listed in the Web App Administrator will be checked.

The tool generates the report in HTML and XML formats and it also creates a compressed .CAB file of the report so you can easily attach it to an email.

The report generated will list settings that may affect how DataFlex applications work and their values. Issues that need to be reviewed will be counted and the number of issues will be listed next to each category.

Each setting will be flagged as green, yellow, or red to indicate whether a setting looks OK, in other words it has an expected value or not.

As you navigate through the report expanding or collapsing each detail line, you may obtain more information on the results when you click on a setting line.

The information in that box will assist you in recognizing an issue and rectifying it in your environment.

DataFlex Diagnostics analyzes a finite number of settings, but those listed are the ones that experience has shown commonly cause applications or environments to misbehave.

The goal of the tool is to have you successfully run your DataFlex applications in the target environment after reviewing each of the reported items and addressing those that need your attention. That’s ideal and we hope it is also real.

Join the conversation about the tool in the DataFlex Diagnostic Tool support forum.

Download DataFlex Diagnostics and its ReadMe.txt file today to help streamline your settings and configurations, so you have less work to do in the future.

Blog updated: 1/27/2017