I am curious as to how Bentley supports an external database when it is deemed to be needed.
Noticed that ProjectWise, Promis-e, SewerGEMS, Bentley Facilities, BRCM and Openplant etc make use of SQL Server. Aecosim Electrical makes use of MS Access for some things.
But, PLANSTUDIO's Progenio seems to use SQL Server and AB_DATE appears to have come up with their own version of Aecosim's DataGroup System.
It seems curious that a vertical developer would need to develop something that does the nearly same thing already in a Bentley product. Can't be good if you are trying to grow an ecosystem.
1. Is there an API for DGS? or the Trifoma Family and Parts system which Aecosim uses for display/symbology. I suppose they will be both eventually replaced by Item Types and Element Templates at platform level... and potential developers will be able to avoid having to roll their own and focus on their domain-related code.
2. ODBC MSLINK, UDL etc seems pretty limited. Comms via OLE, ADO also seems tenuous and probably too slow for a lot of purposes. What about Bentley's investment in SQLite? Will all those Bentley devs hunkered down in their garages switch to the Secret Sauce and provide the beginnings of an SDK (both C# and C++) for general use? SQL Server is apparently expensive, so SQLite to start with would be good for kickstarting apps? Bentley's hydraulic verticals seems have taken this step.
I like the fact that most of SQLite's code is for testing. Anyone who is developing apps on top of that must be re-assured. Maybe, Bentley should also sell itself to potential developers as having the best debugging and performance profiling tools?
3. Bentley's 'federated' file-based appoach to handling and storing data has served it well. But, I think the increasingly data-centric needs in the BIM market place seems to point to the need for database support... at all levels. See ShipConstructor's DDROM, Openplant's ModelServer and Bentley Facilities. Progenio also highlights the PDM aspects that intelligent manufacturing will require... that will require big database tools.
4. It would also enable future 'companion' app combos and re-use. Look at Aecosim, Speedikon and Prostructures. They all have tools for generating steel members, but save their information using different systems. This must be expensive to support, and pointless.