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Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs)
about Visual DataFlex Licensing
There are two categories of licensed
software within Visual DataFlex... products for developing applications
and products for deploying applications.
Visual DataFlex Studio Licensing
Visual DataFlex Studio is a complete Windows application development
toolkit including IDE, compiler, debugger, application framework, class
library, database utilities,
FlexODBC ODBC
Driver and documentation. A Visual DataFlex Studio
license is required for each person that uses the software.
The Studio license
also includes...
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A 3-User Visual DataFlex Client Engine
licensed for development, testing and internal deployment of application
software at the Studio user's company. More than 3 application users
require additional Client Engine licensing. |
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A distributable Evaluation Client Engine
is also provided with Visual DataFlex Studio as a facility for
commercial application software developers to market their application
software products. |
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A Web Application Server - Lite Edition
licensed for development & testing only (cannot be used for Web
application deployment). |
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Visual
DataFlex Developers in Asia Pacific now also receive a FREE
license of the newly released
FlexODBC Version 4 with their
Visual DataFlex 12
Studio and subscription renewals, valued at A$467.50!!! |
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An Annual Subscription which provides
users with newly issued product features and enhancements, bug fixes and
documentation. |
There are two sub-categories of Visual
DataFlex deployment software licenses:
Client Engine Licensing
Visual DataFlex Client Engines execute Windows-based application
software developed with Visual DataFlex Studio. The Client Engine's
components include the application execution engine, database utilities,
the embedded database and, optionally, database connectivity drivers. A
Client Engine license is required for each person that uses Visual
DataFlex Windows applications on a standalone PC or in networked
configurations. New Client Engine licenses include a one-year
Subscription.
Client Engine Licenses
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Multi-User Client Engine licenses provide
entitlement for specified numbers of End Users to concurrently use
Visual DataFlex Client Engines with application software in server
based, shared resource environments. Multi-User Client Engine licenses
decrease in per-User cost as the number of Users increases. Volume
licenses are available when quantities of Multi-User Client Engines are
required. |
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"Location Licenses" are available to
provide Client Licensing to all users at one physical address location.
Customized licensing programs are available for OEMs, shrink-wrap
application developers and information publishers. |
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A Single-User Client Engine license
provides entitlement for one person to use a Visual DataFlex Client
Engine with application software. A special distribution license is
available when quantities of Single-User Client Engines are required.
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Web Application
Server Licensing
Visual DataFlex Web Application Servers execute Web-based application
software developed with Visual DataFlex Studio. Web Application Server's
components include the application execution engine, a COM-based
interface to Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS), database
utilities, the embedded database and, optionally, database connectivity
drivers. A Visual DataFlex Web Application Server license is required
for each hardware server on which a Visual DataFlex web application is
installed.
Web Application Server
Licenses
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Internet Edition
- Supports unlimited number of concurrent sessions or browser
connections subject to the limits of the Web Server's resources and
Internet infrastructure. Supports process pooling. The Internet Edition
license allows users to host commercial websites. |
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Enterprise
Edition - Manages the combination of up to 255 Internet
Edition servers in a cluster configuration to allow for highly scalable,
load-balancing, fault tolerant web application servers. |
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Lite Edition
- Supports up to 5 concurrent sessions and does not support process
pooling. Electos can be deployed on a Lite Edition server, however, due
to its session limits, the Lite Edition server is not recommended for
production websites. |
Note: A Lite Edition server comes with
the Visual DataFlex Studio however it is licensed for development &
testing only and cannot be used for application deployment.
Annual Subscriptions are available for Visual DataFlex Web Application
Servers to provide application customers with all updates and
enhancements delivered by Data Access during a one year period. 
Q. What is a
Client Engine?
Visual DataFlex Client Engine is the software that runs applications
developed with a Visual DataFlex Studio. The Client Engine includes the
components that execute the application software, database utilities,
the embedded database and, optionally, drivers to connect the
application to well known database servers such as Microsoft SQL, IBM
DB2, Pervasive.SQL and others. A Visual DataFlex Client Engine license
is the entitlement to use the Client Engine. The formal terms and
conditions to use the software are defined in the Software License
Agreement.
Q. What is an annual subscription?
An annual subscription provides Studio, Web Application Server or Client
Engine customers with all of the updates, bug fixes and feature
enhancements released by Data Access for their particular software
product for a period of one year. No additional maintenance or update
fees are applicable to Visual DataFlex licenses covered by an annual
subscription.
Q. Do purchase prices include an annual
subscription?
Yes! New Visual DataFlex Studio, Web Application Server and Client Engine Licenses
include a one-year subscription at no additional charge. The annual
subscription starts on the date that the license is purchased. Customers
may choose to renew the subscription annually.
Q. When a Client Engine or Web Application
Server subscription is about to expire, what are customers' options?
Customers with Client Engines have two alternatives when the
subscription that accompanies their new license is about to expire:
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They can renew their subscription and
continue getting new software releases for another year without
interruption. To accomplish this, the subscription renewal must occur
prior to the expiration of the existing subscription. |
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Alternatively, if the subscription is not
renewed and a newer deployment version of Visual DataFlex is needed in the future,
customers can buy an update to the Client Engine at then current prices. As of January 2004,
the price of deployment licenses is 75% of the price of the original
license.
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Q. Can revision updates to
Visual DataFlex Studio be
purchased?
No. Studio Licenses differ from deployment licenses (Client Engine
and Web Application Server) in this regard. Studio customers must renew
their subscriptions without interruption to maintain entitlement to new
releases; Studio updates are not available. If a Studio subscription
expires, a new license must be purchased to acquire the latest version.
Q. If a company has 5 Studio Licenses, how many subscriptions are
required to keep all of the licenses current?
Each Studio License must be individually subscribed to maintain
entitlement new releases. A company with 5 Studio Licenses must have 5
subscriptions.
Q. Does Visual DataFlex software stop working when a subscription
expires?
No. The continuing entitlement to use Visual DataFlex as defined in
the License Agreement is independent from the expiration of the
subscription. As long as the terms of the License Agreement are
followed, customers have a perpetual right to use the last revision of
Visual DataFlex delivered before their subscription expired.
Q. Who buys and maintains Client Engine and Web Application Server
Licenses?
Licenses and subscriptions for application deployment licenses are
normally
managed by the developer of the application. The developer will
typically define for his customers how Client Engine and Web Application
Server licenses will be managed. For pre-packaged software products,
Client Engine licenses are often supplied by the developer as part of
the application. In this scenario, the price of the Client Engine
license can be transparently bundled into the price of the developer's
application. Subscriptions can also be bundled into the developer's
maintenance or subscription fees for the application.
Q. Aren't bug fixes often provided without cost?
Bug fix revisions or "Service Packs" are sometimes offered for free.
Service Packs typically contain only priority bug fixes and no new
features or enhancements. Visual DataFlex subscription releases include
major revisions with new features, user suggested enhancements as well
as bug fixes so customers get all of the bug fixes that they would
normally get, plus the incremental release of new features that they had
to wait for and pay for before.
Q. When a major revision to Visual DataFlex is released (e.g.
11 to 12), is it
included in the subscription?
Yes. When a major revision occurs, Studio, Web Application Server and
Client Engine licenses with active subscriptions have full entitlement
to the new revision at no additional cost.
Q. If a developer wants to install Visual
DataFlex applications for a company with
500 users at ten different locations, what kind of licenses are
required?
This scenario would require a license for the appropriate Number of
Clients at each of the 10 locations. While the size of the individual
licenses may vary, the essential point is that each site must be
uniquely licensed. In some cases, special license terms may be
appropriate and DAW often works with developers and their customers to
provide customized license agreements for unusual requirements or
particularly large scale deployments.
Q. What is a Location License?
A Location License is a special form of Client Engine License that
provides flexibility and low administration for businesses and
organizations with large numbers of Visual DataFlex Clients Engines at
one physical location. The Location License provides entitlement for all
end users at one legal business entity at one physical building with a
unique postal address (the Location) to concurrently use Visual DataFlex
Client Engines with application software in server based, shared
resource environments. There are restrictions as to when Location
Licenses can be used: business entities with multiple locations must
have a license for each Location. A Location License provides
entitlement to only one business entity; each entity at a Location must
have a license. Multi-building facilities and campuses (e.g. Heathrow
Airport or the University of Miami) do not qualify as a Location.
Neither remote facilities (e.g. branch offices) nor remote employees of
the licensed business entity qualify for any entitlements under a
Location License. Traveling employees that routinely work at a Location
are granted entitlements to use Client Engines on notebook computers. A
Location License is not a corporate license. A Location License is not
an unlimited license.
Q. If data is exported from a Visual DataFlex application on a stand alone, single
user PC to a host system, what Client Licenses are required?
In this specific export-import scenario, so long as there is no
direct connection to databases on the host system, a Single Client
License is sufficient on the exporting system provided that the host is
not running Visual DataFlex. If the host "importer" is also running a
Visual DataFlex application, Client Engine licenses are required for the number of
users sharing its resources.
Q. What ultimately defines how many Clients are entitled to use Visual
DataFlex in a
particular application environment or scenario?
The ultimate control - or perhaps "controlling authority" for
software usage is its License Agreement regardless of the presence or
functionality of any mechanisms embedded in the software to control or
restrict the number of users. Customers are responsible for compliance
with the terms and conditions in the License Agreement.
Q. Is customized software licensing available for Visual DataFlex and
other Data Access Worldwide products?
Yes. Since application software is used in so many different business
and deployment models, standard-licensing policies cannot cover all
possible requirements. Customers with large numbers of end users or
unusual application or business needs should contact either their
application developer or Data Access Channel Partner or their regional
Data Access office to discuss custom licensing options.


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Telephone Support |
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When you purchase a Visual DataFlex or Electos product you are entitled to Free Installation Support for the first 30 days from the date of purchase. Program anomalies will be addressed at no charge and updaters posted on our web site. Evaluation and other support issues will be subject to a A$33.00 per incident fee. Make sure you have the Serial Number of your purchased product and call 03 9761 3644 or +61 3 9761 3644 during our normal office business hours between 9am to 5pm week days Australian EST (with the exception of Public Holidays). |
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Copyright ©
2007
Data Access Worldwide ABN: 86 544 223 459
All rights reserved |
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