I am enjoying listening in on this IT discussion, which is a little over my head. I have heard these kinds of discussions about AC repeated in other forums as well.
I am wondering how this upgrade to SQL will affect the users who have to "live in this program," as Vinny says?
I worry that this database conversion is diverting resources away from bug-fixing and new feature development.
Does Amazing Charts, being an "economy model" EMR, have the resources to successfully pull off an arduous re-architecture?
At this moment, Jon is diverting resources to convert to SQL. Meanwhile, there are issues of basic functionality which have been deferred in favor of this development. That's Jon's decision to make, but it is a reality.
(I do have to say that I appreciate Jon taking time out recently from the big tasks to address a number of annoying bugs, and add some welome features).
I also worry that the conversion might actually rob AC of some of its advantages in the market.
Right now, AC may not be the most elegant EMR on the market, but it has some unique qualities which set it apart. I would characterize these as follows:
- Low cost.
- Ease of installation.
- Simple networking.
- Approachable interface (GUI).
I am worried that #1, #2 and #3 may all suffer with this upgrade.
Amazing Charts has to keep making its established market happy, which is solo physicians and small groups, who have mild to moderate computer expertise. To me, this means AC needs more of what is already working for it:
- The program needs to stay simple and intuitive, to reduce strain on the users, and AC's support staff.
- The program needs to run fast on older, slower computers.
- The price needs to stay as low as possible.
p.s. - Could some of you experts explain the difference between MySQL and Microsoft SQL Express edition?
