Coming Releases
PowerBuilder 11.2
AKA: 11.1.1
Estimated release: Late 2008Q1
Migration required: No
Upgrade cost: None

Announced Features

• AJAX support for WebForms applications
• EAServer .NET client support
• "RAD" controls for WebForms, part 2
  - treeview

Announced Features

• "Core .NET enhancements" (waiting to hear the translation of this from Marketing-Speak)
• Native DataWindow updates
  - Graphs
  - Rich text column
  - Power tips
  
• Updated database support (i.e., support for the newer DBMS engines)

Announced Features

• .NET graphical control integration (i.e., being able to place .NET third-party visual controls on WinForms and WebForms windows and user objects, not that there aren't workarounds for this already with the COM Callable Wrapper [http://pbdj.sys-con.com/read/420516.htm])
• Managed code in the DataWindow, database drivers, resulting in end-to-end managed code for .NET deployments
• IDE upgrades (e.g., collapsible blocks in the script painter), "leveraging the shell from Visual Studio"
• Updated graphing engine
• WPF/WCF DataWindow and controls (to get a better idea of what this is and means, see the TechWave 2007 Application Development plenary [http://s3.podiumsystems.com/sybase/techwave2007/pln01.html]. This is also a good place to get a taste of the IDE upgrades).
• .NET Common Language Specification (CLS) support: the ability to produce/consume via PowerScript any assembly that was written in another CLS-compliant language
• Complete .NET interoperatbility

Announced Features

• Deployment DLLs will be split into smaller DLLs (memory management, deployment benefits)
• Multiple Orientation Painter data will be stored in syntax, allowing it to be read by source control and source-reading utilities like PBL Peeper (www.techno-kitten.com/PBL_Peeper/pbl_peeper.html)
• Bitwise functions
• IDE updating (like PB 105. or 11)
• Updated and swappable standard icon libraries for IDE and runtime
• Vista IDE support
• Source Code Control enhancements (analogous to PB 11.1)
• Power event on the application object, corresponding to the device being powered up or powered down
• Environment object adds battery level and available memory
• Graphics can be an embedded resource in an EXE or DLL
  Find out more at Reed Shilts' blog (http://reedshilts.pbdjmagazine.com/).

Announced Features

• Enterprise Messaging (MQ)
• .NET
• More Window Mobile-5 support
• IDE/System Tree enhancements

After watching a recent ISUG Techcast on creating .NET assemblies using PowerBuilder, I am here to report it couldn't be easier. Just point and click in PowerBuilder to deploy, then add a reference to your assembly in Visual Studio and you are good to go.

The thing that crossed my mind though, is why would I want to do this? After all, I already know C#, so why not just create the assembly there? After thinking about it for awhile I came up with a couple of reasons. One, the obvious, I do not know any .NET language, therefore, it makes sense that I utilize my existing skill set and write my business logic in PowerScript.

The other is code re-use. Suppose for example, that some new application development is being created in C#. However, there is an existing PowerBuilder system in place that has business logic that has been in place for years. Why reinvent the wheel in C# when you can easily re-use your existing logic and save yourself a lot of rewriting and testing? Makes sense. I encourage you to give it a try.