// the find
sdsuy/informix-4gl-manufacturing-erp-lab
A portfolio project demonstrating Informix 4GL development skills through a bare-bones customer maintenance module. Targets developers who need to show legacy ERP competency — think job applicants or consultants who work in industries still running Informix. Not a real ERP, not a useful library.
Uses soft-delete correctly for the domain — deactivating rather than deleting customers is the right call in any ERP context. Explicit session handling with OPEN SESSION avoids the common Docker pitfall of defaulting to root. The schema setup is clean with separate DDL and seed scripts. Fixed-column DISPLAY AT layout is exactly how you'd write this in production 4GL.
Zero error handling — no ON EXCEPTION blocks anywhere, so a duplicate customer code or failed INSERT silently crashes the session. Password hardcoded in source (in4mix) which is fine for a lab but the README documents it publicly without noting the risk. No input validation on PROMPT responses, so an empty customer code or overlong name hits the database raw. At Phase 5 with one entity and no tests, this is a long way from demonstrating anything about ERP complexity — order management, inventory, or financial modules are where the real design decisions live.