FairCom RTG FAQ

Is RTG a data extraction tool?   

NO!  RTG is a data integration platform! RTG allows you to keep your COBOL or Btrieve investments and extend their functionality with modern data management.

Is RTG an ODBC Driver?

NO! See above. RTG does provide extensive data integration with ODBC, JDBC, Python and new JSON based APIs. 

Do I need to install MS SQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, or other SQL databases to use RTG?

NO!  RTG is a fully capable SQL database specifically designed for existing COBOL and Btrieve data. It has a highly specialized data types integration to handle nearly any data management reporting.

How often do I need to load new data to RTG to view it?

Never! There is no ETL required with RTG.  After your initial application migration to RTG it is accessible from your existing COBOL and Btrieve runtimes as well as SQL, concurrently. There is no data reloading required. No ETL. Just convert once and enjoy your new data management access.

My data requires normalization for SQL as it contains multiple REDEFINED data descriptors.

NO! With RTG, you can leave your data exactly as it is! Our table virtualization can handle the most complex COBOL data structures. Each REDEFINED record type can be filtered into its own unique table view.

But where do you connect to MS SQL?

We don’t! RTG IS your SQL. No other external servers needed. You can connect your existing MS SQL to RTG via an ODBC linked table if you really want to access data from MS SQL.

Does my xyz COBOL work with RTG?

Almost always! RTG easily integrates with AcuCOBOL, RM/COBOL, GNU COBOL and nearly all Rocket Software (formerly Microfocus) COBOL products. RTG only requires a configurable external file handler interface such as ExtFH. Check with your COBOL vendor should you need to inquire about your specific COBOL product.