Complete

PRO-IV is a complete tool for developing business applications, it does not only address the simple problems requiring the core of the system to be coded in a 3GL. PRO-IV has been used to build hundreds of types of application from financial accounting through to manufacturing systems.

Structured

PRO-IV imposes a basic structure on system and program development. This makes it easier to develop and maintain systems. Standards are easier to implement and monitor. Programs are more likely to be understood by developers other than the original author!

Modular

Systems are developed in basic modules which can be re-used where needed. This speeds the development of similar systems, improves consistency, simplifies testing and reduces maintenance costs.

Efficient

Any development language needs to perform efficiently and responsively in a production environment. Many existing products provide fast, interactive development, but then "bury" a machine when the application goes live. PRO-IV is particularly suitable for developing on-line systems. Tests within the IBM CICS environment have shown that it can even outperform COBOL! Not bad for a 4GL!

Provide Fast Development

Products which are efficient in execution are often slower for development. The structure of PRO-IV provides for structured modular development which delivers systems quickly. The language reduces by a large amount the number of lines of "code" needed to create a program. The modular nature of development makes it easier to isolate and fix problems discovered in testing.

Be Easy to Maintain

Maintenance of existing systems takes a large part of any available programming resources. The structured nature of PRO-IV code allows minor changes to be found and implemented quickly. The modular structure of systems written in PRO-IV allows major changes to be implemented with minimum effort and impact.

Allow Documentation

Programmers need to work with hard copy. Many 4GLs do not make it easy to see a whole program at once nor to draw the lines, circles and arrows that make all the difference when developing programs!. PRO-IV not only allows the developer to print programs and files in a flexible way but also to generate the cross-reference information vital to implementing system wide changes.

Portable

There are three benefits from a product which allows applications to be transferred between different computer architectures. Firstly the large investment in application software is protected if there is a strategy change. Secondly applications can be run on appropriate size computers, a small division can use the same software as the central group but on a smaller computer for example. Thirdly the skills of the applications developers are also transferable, allowing them to support a wider range of machines or to become quickly productive in a new environment with minimal retraining.

Robust

PRO-IV is a popular tool for developing software packages both by very large and very small software houses. A certain level of confidence in any product is required to support an application being used down the corridor. A difference in magnitude is required to be confident of an application running hundreds of miles away!

Easy To Learn

PRO-IV is written using formatted screens where programs are developed interactively by form-filling. Coupled with an on-line help facility this guides new developers through the process of creating a program.

Powerful

Once the basic concepts have been mastered PRO-IV can be used to create very complex applications. The flexibility of the interface with the developer means that PRO-IV can be integrated with CASE tools and a variety of powerful system development aids to produce a fully featured fourth generation environment.