Data Based Advisor articles from July 1993

Data Based Advisor archives from July 1993

DB/Expo 93: can't we all just get along? (At Press Time)
July 1, 1993... DB/Expo 93, held in early May in San Francisco, resembled a peace summit this year especially compared with last year's event, when microsoft shocked the industry by announcing that it had acquired Fox Software). This year, it seems everybody...

New unit for Borland. (At Press Time) (Brief Article)
July 1, 1993... Borland was out in full force at DB/Expo 93, touting the fact that Rob Dickerson will be heading up the company's new Client/Server Division. Interbase, upcoming SQL Link products for Windows, SQL links for DOS; IDAPI middleware, client/server...

Get real. (RealWare Awards presented at DB/Expo trade show) (At Press Time) (Brief Article)
July 1, 1993... Seemed that hundreds of attendees roamed DB/Expo wearing buttons bearing the slogan, "Get Real., (These things come in handy, especially when sitting through half-hour demos.) However, in this case, they donned them to show support for the...

Andersen aims for high-end client/server market. (Andersen Consulting introduces upgraded version of Foundation development environment) (At Press Time) (Brief Article)
July 1, 1993... Andersen Consulting rolled out an upgraded version of FOUNDATION, its client/server development environment. New features to the product, strategically targeted at high-end distributed processing, include Rapid Application Builder, a new...

DB2/2 to go. (IBM to release microcomputer versions of database products) (At Press Time) (Brief Article)
July 1, 1993... When was the last time you saw a mainframer working on an airplane? Strange image, huh? It seems about to become a reality since IBM plans to release PC (and therefore, laptop) versions of its IMS and DB2 suite of database products. The company...

The only thing constant is change. (Editor on the Go) (Editorial)
July 1, 1993... I love this,industry, because there's never a dull. moment. Every time the dust settles, a tornado kicks up and the scenery is rearranged. Every week's a new edition of "The Wizard of Oz." Examples of big change are everywhere. If you've...

Feedback. (Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 1993... * Paradox for DOS by Leaps and Bounds In "Paradox for Windows: Evolution Before Revolution!" (April), Andy Marin believes that Paradox for Windows is not a logical upgrade for Paradox for DOS users. In "Paradox for Windows: A Necessary...

Corrections. (Correction Notice)
July 1, 1993... In Dave Menninger's "Set-oriented List Boxes Worth 10,000 Words" (May), we published the wrong graphic. The correct graphic, a set-oriented list box, is pictured below with its correct caption:

Helios - reusable subsystems for CA-Clipper. (Software Review) (Test Drives) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... CA-Clipper's object classes and open architecture (via access to program internals with the GET system and user-modifiable header files) provide flexibility, but they introduce a level of complexity. You could compile and link Clipper Summer...

QBE Vision looks into SQL-based data. (Coromandel Industries Inc. QBE Vision query tool) (Software Review) (Test Drives) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... QBE Vision 2.05, from Coromandel Industries, Inc., is a versatile Windows query and reporting tool for accessing and managing data in relational databases from a PC. Anyone familiar with the concept of rows and columns in a spreadsheet will be...

Crystal Reports 2.0 is clearly a winner with Windows pros. (Software Review) (Test Drives) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... Any product that gets the nod both from Microsoft and Borland deserves some attention. Crystal Reports 2.0, a Windows report writer, is one of those products, and the latest version is very popular in the Windows developer community. ...

Entering Exospace. (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... ObjecTech, Inc., and SofDesign International, Inc. have collaborated to develop and ship ExoSpace, a DOS extender for CA-Clipper applications. Exospace allows applications to address up to 16M of memory by giving apps access to extended memory....

DataFlex utilities find a home. (distribution agreement with PFX USA Inc.) (News) (Brief Article)
July 1, 1993... PFX (USA), Inc., has taken over North and South American distribution of PFXplus 2.10, POWERflex Corp.'s 4GL application development tool for Data Access Corp.'s DataFlex database management system. Version 2.10 supports DataFlex 2.3b commands,...

WordPerfect's newest offering. (DataPerfect 2.3) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... WordPerfect Corp. shipped the DataPerfect 2.3 database management system for DOS. New features include a data-retrieval menu system, report options, diagnostic and data ordering utilities, phone dialing, transaction log and more math and...

Wall Data gateway does new dance. (RUMBA Gateway System 2.1) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... Wall Data, Inc. released the RUMBA Gateway System 2.1, which now supports Banyan VINES, multiplexed TCP/IP, dual RUMBA SDLC coprocessor links, and dynamic data exchange (DDE) within Remote Management. RUMBA is a Windows-based gateway for...

CA-Clipper access to AS/400s. (OPN Systems introduces OPNAccess/DAL) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... OPN Systems International, Inc., announces that OPNAccess/DAL, its data access library, now supports CA-Clipper 5.01. OPNAccess/DAL has functions for writing CA-Clipper applications that can open and close tables, lock, unlock, read, write, and...

Speaking SQL in English. (Natural Language Inc. introduces Natural Language for Windows) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... Natural Language Inc. released Natural Language for Windows, a database ad hoc query interface. Natural Language for Windows uses English words to query a database and generate SQL statements. Data can be formatted into graphs and reports, or...

Quick front ends from WinClient. (WinClient Technologies introduces WinClient library for creating Windows front ends) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... WithClient Technologies, Inc., released WinClient, a C++ library for creating Windows front ends. The WinClient Library contains the C++ object library, with Windows initialization routines encapsulated in the application base class....

New LANtastic 5.0 hits market. (Artisoft Inc. releases LANtastic 5.0) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... Artisoft, Inc., released LANtastic 5.0, a LAN operating system. It now has global resources for redirecting drive and printer connections; bridged NetWare, UNIX OFS, OS/2 HPFS, WORM, and other non-DOS drives; and delayed despooling, among...

Arbor's spreadsheet server. (Arbor Software Corp. introduces eSSbase Application Server) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... Arbor Software Corp. released the eSSbase Application Server, a client/server spreadsheet analyzer. The eSSbase Application Server has three components: the eSSbase Client, eSSbase Server and the eSSbase API, for building custom apps. eSSbase...

Canonizer gets face-lift. (Six Sigma CASE Inc. introduces Canonizer 2.0 computer-aided software engineering tool) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... Six Sigma CASE, Inc., upgraded the Canonizer CASE tool. Canonizer 2.0 now has a moused-driven graphical user interface and context-sensitive help system. It also features data modeling using the Attribute-Relationship Diagram (ARD), a...

EDA/SQL-enabled enterprise. (KnowledgeWare, Information Builders Inc. to jointly develop software) (News) (Brief Article)
July 1, 1993... In an agreement with Information Builders to provide Application Workbench (ADW) users with crosss-platform data access, KnowledgesWare will develop Model/EDA and ADW/Construction Workstation-EDA. Model/EDA will enable DBAs to access relational...

Image software comes in clear. (20/20 Software Inc. introduces Westlake Imager 2.0) (News)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... 20/20 Software, Inc., shipped version 2.0 of Westlake Imager. Westlake Imager is a utility for adding images to database applications. Westlake Imager features multi-level zooms and pans and enhanced printer controls. It can support 256-color...

Debugging & Maintaining FoxPro Applications.
July 1, 1993... Do you hate debugging programs? How about modifying old programs? Even worse, how about debugging someone else's programs? If you haven't already experienced any of these, you'll eventually have to. In Debugging & Maintaining FoxPro...

Revelation Technologies' insight into the future. (1993 Revelation Developers Conference)(Field Report)
July 1, 1993... New Orleans, home of Dixieland Jazz, Cajun food, and the French Quarter, was also the gathering place for the 1993 Revelation Developers Conference, held February 28 to March 3. Revelations Technologies, Inc. (RTI) played host to more than...

ClearAccess manages this. (introduces ClearManager database administration client/server monitoring tool)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... ClearAccess Corp. shipped ClearManager, a Windowsbased database administrator's client/server monitoring tool. ClearManager can monitor user access to data, balance database loads, and toggle user rights to usage of ClearAccess. Queries can be...

Intelligent diagrams. (Atlantic Design Systems ships ADS Diagrammer 2.0 for Windows flowcharting tool)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1993... Atlantic Design Systems shipped ADS Diagrammer 2.0 for Windows, a flowcharting and drawing tool that lets you add what the company calls "intelligence" to diagrams. They say that Diagrammer objects know how to relate to other objects, diagrams,...

Revved up: Visual Basic 3.0 Professional Edition. (Software Review) (First Look)(includes directory of add-on products) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... Anyone familiar with Microsoft Access will certainly feel comfortable with the combination of Visual Basic and the Access engine (code named "Jet") in Visual Basic 3.0 Professional Edition for Windows. Developers can work with several table...

Team programming for PC projects.
July 1, 1993... A talented PC programmer can complete projects that would require teams of programmers on larger hardware platforms. However, as PCs have become more powerful, the size of the projects being assigned to PC programmers has grown to the point...

How version control works.
July 1, 1993... One of the primary problems of multi-programmer development is version control. While single developers can get away with keeping a couple of back-up copies, multi-programmer development introduces a whole host of new issues - concurrent...

Group programming with TeamWindows. (Software Review) (Gupta Corp. TeamWindows) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... Gupta Corp.'s Team Window is targeted at growing group of MIS professionals who, for the mos part, have a mainframe background and are faced with responsibility of developing mission-critical, client/server applications. This new "corporate...

Group programming at RDI. (RDI Software)
July 1, 1993... Larger projects are now being developed for today's sophisticated PCs. A frequent requirement of large project is that they must be done in a minimum amount of time to both meet business requirements and the realities of the marketplace. ...

Announcing the dBASE IV Compiler. (Software Review) (includes related articles on working with libraries in dBASE IV Version 2.0, BDC MAKE utility) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... Finally, the big day! If you're like me, you've been waiting for the dBASE Compiler ever since you signed up for the Developer's Edition of a new product called dBASE IV in 1988. For five years, you've listened to promises, seen demos, and...

ANSI standards committee makes progress. (American National Standards Institute)
July 1, 1993... The legal cloud of uncertainty that's hung over the X3J19 Xbase ANSI Standards Committee seemed to dissipate at the committee's third meeting, held at the end of April in San Rafael, Calif. The painstaking work of drafting a standard has...

Apple bites into the client/server market. (includes related articles on role of Taligent, Mac consulting, Apple's developer programs)(Special Report)
July 1, 1993... If you were asked to describe Apple Computer, you'd probably say it's a hardware vendor that makes easy-to-use computers (most notably, the Macintosh). If you said that, you wouldn't be completely wrong, but it the eyes of Apple, you'd be...

Your guide to cross-platform development. (Software Review) (Special Report) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... One of the best features of the Macintosh is that it lets developers tap into the rich toolbox provided in its operating system, and develop applications that have a common look and feel. Many of the programming tasks can take advantage of...

CollegeView moves to head of the class with Serius. (CollegeView creates Macintosh-based kiosk information system)(Special Report)
July 1, 1993... It's your senior year in high school, and you're starting to think about the next step. Mom wants you to find a college in a small town, while Dad thinks a top-notch business school is essential. Your guidance counselor reminds you not to...

Why a serious developer uses FileMaker Pro. (Special Report)
July 1, 1993... Claris' FileMaker Pro s the dominant DBMS on the Macintosh, with something approaching a 65 percent market share. The program enjoys a cult following in the Macintosh community. FileMaker Pro owes its popularity to its perception as a personal...

Under the hood: why developers choose Mac. (database development)(Special Report)
July 1, 1993... Though they acknowledge that the general perception of the Macintosh is that it's not a development platform, Mac developers say their platform is a more elegant development environment than DOS or Windows. "Drag and drop, point and...

Macintosh databases and development tools. (Special Report) (Buyers Guide)
July 1, 1993... * 4th Dimension ACI, Inc. 10351 Bubb Road Cupertino, CA 95014 (408)252-4444 Fax: (408)252-0831 Pricing: $895; runtime is $195 for one user, $595 for four users Summary: A relational database that includes a programming language,...

Let your data drive your graphics. (includes related articles on using inline graphics in desktop publishing programs, working with PostScript) (Tutorial)
July 1, 1993... More databases are being used these days to directly produce printed publications for mass consumption. This trend puts Pressure on programmers and administrators to turn out publications that are professionally designed and typeset. ...

Gupta's latest server: SQLBase 5.1. (Software Review) (Client/Server Advisor) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... Last November, Gupta Corp. released the latest version of its SQLBase database server. This version, 5.1, contains numerous bug fixes and certification from Novell that the product companies with the Novell NetWare LAN platform. With features...

SQLWindows 4.0 goes OOP. (Software Review) (Gupta Corp. database server)(Client/Server Advisor) (Evaluation)
July 1, 1993... With SQLWindows 4.0 Gupta Corp. is, according to the CEO of the company, Umang Gupta, "broadening its market and addressing the competition." What's new? For those of us who have used the product since its inception, the number and...

Choosing the right software: Slater Steels. (includes related article with developers' advice on software selection)(Client/Server Advisor)
July 1, 1993... When Slater Steels started its search for a client/server front end, their overriding concern was that it support their existing AS/400 mainframe. Stephen Gutknecht, the personal systems manager who headed up this search, explains that "the...

I object, do you? A real-life example of object-oriented development. (Client/Server Advisor)
July 1, 1993... First, let me tell you what this column is not about. It is not intended to be an academic dissertation on the esoteric nuances of object-oriented programming. [For a primer on object-oriented programming techniques, see the December 1992 issue...

Re-develop your database applications. (Client/Server Advisor)(includes related article on re-development tools) (Tutorial)
July 1, 1993... We've all heard a lot about downsizing lately. Moving host applications to less expensive, more productive computing environments is all the rage. But how do you go about doing it? This article outlines a basic downsizing technique -...

Database server sales reveal trends! (Client/Server Advisor)
July 1, 1993... Microsoft is wary about revealing the number of units shipped unless a product is shipping like hot cakes. But we finally got the word on SQL Server! More than 28,000 copies of Microsoft SQL Server have shipped as of May 1993. Roughly 60...

How to use CA's new RDD API. (application programming interface) (includes related article on handling memory errors) (Hardcore Clipper)(Column) (Tutorial)
July 1, 1993... The most important new feature of CA-Clipper 5.2 is the inclusion of several replaceable database drivers (RDDs). Computer Associates provides drivers that allow Clipper to access FoxPro IDX/CDX index files, dBASE III PLUS DBF and MDX files,...

FoxPro printer drivers: the power of user procedures. (FoxPro Developer)(Column) (Tutorial)
July 1, 1993... Printer drivers are very powerful in FoxPro 2.x for DOS. The key to getting the most out of them lies in understanding how they work and what you can do with them. Lisa Slater has covered the basics of working with printer drivers. (See...

Inside ObjectPAL: objects and methods. (Paradox Programming)(Column) (Tutorial)
July 1, 1993... Last month, I showed you a step-by-step approach to building an application using ObjectPAL, the programming language in Paradox for Windows. Let's look at what makes it possible to even use the ObjectPAL language to program: objects and...

Use what you know: Access to PowerBuilder. (programming with Microsoft Access, Powersoft PowerBuilder) (Windows Developer)(Column) (Tutorial)
July 1, 1993... With the arrival of a new wave of visual database management systems, the question is: Which one should you learn? Two major contenders - Access and PowerBuilder - show a high degree of convergence. Basically, they tend to do the same things....

Low-level file functions. (Clipper Basics)(Column) (Tutorial)
July 1, 1993... Continuing the Clipper Basics column tradition, this month I'll provide a CA-Clipper style overview of the low-level file functions. These functions provide direct read/write access to DOS files from a Clipper program and avoid the necessity to...

Declaring variables in ObjectPAL programming. (Paradox Basics)(Column) (Tutorial)
July 1, 1993... Variables are used in ObjectPal programming for two primary purposes: To serve as temporary storage locations for values (this is the role that variables traditionally play in DOS PAL programming), and to serve as "handles" to refer to objects...

You can help define 'Xbase.' (DB Connections ) (Column)
July 1, 1993... Now that the ANSI Xbase Standard is hitting its stride, the DBADVISOR forum is the proving ground for Xbase language ideas. Committee members, realizing that put from the community is vital to their efforts, are often found in Section 3 posing...

Calendar of events.
July 1, 1993... Informix Worldwide User Conference - Features Inforniix products, programs, and strategic direction in addition to products and services displayed by more than 100 Informix partners. July 12-15, San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA. Contact...

Database confidential. (rumors) (Column)
July 1, 1993... As a thousand developers at DB/Expo in San Francisco last May watched Access 1.1 attempt a five-way join, a collective gasp could be heard: The join failed, flashing up an ODBC error message. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates must have had a flash back...