X-Organization: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
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Date:         Thu, 12 Nov 1992 16:15:00 EST
From:         Barbara Eisen <BEISEN@IUP.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: NATURAL Information

Reply to Earnie Dyke, The College of William and Mary:

Indiana University of Pennsylvania has just finished rewriting all their
student systems from COBOL to NATURAL.  Here are our answers to your questions.

    What was the learning curve like?

         We have gone through several waves of training.  Initially Software
         AG instructors came on campus to teach the entire staff in
         NATURAL and advanced NATURAL.  Then, we had the eight week
         FasTrack program where two Software AG staff worked with us in
         designing the first phase of our system.  They helped us
         considerably in setting up the initial database and in giving
         us valuable hints and suggestions.

         When we hired two new people later, they were sent to a Software AG
         training center for formal instruction and this worked well.

         Recently, for various reasons, we replaced four staff members.  This
         time, existing staff members set up our own training program and we
         felt that this was very successful because we could concentrate on
         our own system and procedures at IUP.

         In all three situations, staff members were able to learn NATURAL
         fairly quickly and to become productive in writing programs.  However,
         there is a second learning curve to become expert in more effective
         programmaing.

    Do you use it with DB2 or ADABAS or VSAM?

         We use ADABAS.  However, we have also used NATURAL with RMS files.

    Do you feel it has really improved programmer productivity?

         Yes, it has made a significant difference in the speed of
         completing programs, particularly screen programs.  We have been
         able to do in days what used to take months.

    Have you tried to train any end users in NATURAL?

         No, we have not trained end users in NATURAL.  However, one of our
         staff was promoted to Director of Institutional Research and is
         using NATURAL to access the database for reports.  We have
         SUPERNATURAL, but have not been satisfied with its performance.  We
         will be installing a new version soon and if improvements have been
         made to the product, we may train certain users in it.

    Do you use NATURAL CONSTRUCT/PREDICT?

         Yes, we use NATURAL CONSTRUCT very heavily.  It is one of the main
         factors in our increased programmer productivity.

    What platform(s) do you run it on?

         We have a DEC VAXcluster under the VMS operating system.

    What is your overall impression of the product?

         We are very pleased with NATURAL.  It is easy to use.  The
         programming staff likes it.  It has enabled us to do a complete
         conversion of our administrative systems from a Honeywell 8000
         using ARES and COBOL to a Digital 6330 using ADABAS and NATURAL
         in a three year period.

Please feel free to call if you have any questions.

Barbara Eisen                              phone:  412-357-4008
Director of Administrative Computing       bitnet: BEISEN@IUP
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
ISCC, Stright Hall
Indiana, PA  15701
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