Visual FoxPro Support and Conversions

Expert Programmers

Microsoft ended all support of Visual FoxPro in January 2015. Some of you should begin exiting now; some of you may have years before you need to be concerned. One thing every owner of a Visual FoxPro program should be concerned about: the growing scarcity of qualified and available Visual FoxPro programmers. ERW Custom Programming specializes in Visual FoxPro support and conversion. We have expert programmers that can help you answer:

Should you stay with your current Visual FoxPro program, convert Visual FoxPro to another language, just add a SQL backend to your program or switch to “off-the-shelf” software?

Should I stay with Visual FoxPro?

Staying with Visual FoxPro will save money in the short term and you’ll continue using the program your employees know well. However, as fewer Visual FoxPro programmers are available, hourly rates will increase. Not converting diminishes the value of your business. Your current data (DBFs) will continue to be dangerously insecure.

If you choose to stay, we can support you. We have specialized in Visual FoxPro since its very beginning. We started with dBase II, then dBase III, then Clipper, then FoxBase, then FoxPro for DOS and Windows, then all versions of Visual FoxPro.

We’ve taken over more than 200 programs and have become familiar with many different programming styles which is critical when supporting a program or converting to another language.

Should I convert VFP to another language?

The larger and more complex your program, the sooner you should get started. You’ll have time to carefully plan the transition and add new functionality such as mobile apps.

We recommend that you convert to C#.NET with a SQL database. A SQL database is one of the most secure databases available and is owned and supported by Microsoft.

Should I upgrade Visual FoxPro?

By this we mean should you convert your DBFs to SQL? Visual FoxPro can use SQL. Depending on how well your data was designed and how good your programmer was will determine whether this is a viable solution. It will be an excellent choice for some. You will have state-of-the-art security with Microsoft SQL and can begin doing mobile applications. You can convert some of your menu options to .NET but keep the others in Visual FoxPro. This is usually not a good option if, for no other reason than the lack of availability of Visual FoxPro programmers.

Should I get an “off-the-shelf” program?

Getting an “off-the-shelf” or “canned” program will sometimes cost less and sometimes will be implemented more quickly. However, it is important to note that you will lose control over your program. Getting changes made can be very expensive or even impossible. You face potential catastrophe if the software vendor goes out of business (which they often do). Some packages end up being much more expensive over a period of years.

      A Middle Ground     

• • • Let ERW Custom Programming support your program
    • While we are supporting your program, we can get a good idea of what it will take to convert it
    • You will get priority service  
    • If the programmer who is working with you is not available, we have backups