1x BFFGHHIInfosheet about RTS's SupAMan SupAMan Superbase Application Manager, is an extension to Superbase 2.0 that extends the concept of a database several steps further towards a realistic application generator. Its main features include: an extended data dictionary, function libraries that contain generic high-level functions which can be used as easily as the built-in functions of Superbase, additional security models, improved referential integrity, batch processing etc.. SupAMan's control files, e.g. the data dictionary, can be queried using Superbase's built-in report generators. Most standard applications can be built without any programming by simply using the graphic tools provided by Superbase in combination with the SupAMan pre-programmed functions. All the current databases available on the Windows platform have a few things in common. Most are relational (to some degree or other), they offer a number of standard data types usually including but not limited to Text, Numeric, Logical, and Date. They provide the necessary functionality to add, edit, delete, and browse records. They provide some sort of import and export capability and some form of report generation and mass modification capability. They usually have some sort of form designer, with differing degrees of functionality. In addition, most include a programming language of some type. This is sufficient for an experienced database programmer or database power user to accomplish much of what they wish to do. For those users who are not database programmers or database power users, this is usually not enough to make a complete product. Most power users do not wish to learn to program, they already have a job. What they want is a tool which helps them get their work done faster and easier. None of the current offerings on the market fulfill this need alone. Programmers who create applications using a database program know what a maintenance headache big projects can be. They are also aware of a need for certain high-level standard functions which are not available in any of the packages. The result is that to re-use their own code they still must hard code certain things into each program. SupAMan was developed to answer these problems. The extensions to the data dictionary allow the user not only to specify that a field is a text field, but also to specify that it is used for a specific purpose. This is done through a field function code. The current version of Superbase allows a text string to be provided as help in the status bar, however as this may not be enough for some applications we have added an additional 4000 character field for further on-line, context sensitive help. This is brought up onto the screen if the user presses the F1 key while in a field. Function codes exist to identify the following types of information (not a complete list): Telephone number, Telefax number, Image path, OCR Text path, 1st address line in address block 1, 4th address line in address block 2, Primary address block for this address, Date created, Date changed, Created by, Changed by, Hierarchical file pointer field, etc. This list can be extended by the user if they have sufficient access to the system. The function libraries contain pre-programmed, generic functions. Some of the functonality provided by these libraries includes: Mail-merge services to Word for Windows (Word Perfect and Ami-Pro will follow) and using Superbase's internal mail-merge capability. Image scanning and archiving, Scanning/OCR and archival of text. Image display - many different formats and at higher speeds than currently supported by Superbase, along with the ability to rotate the images in 90 degree increments as well as to zoom in or out, and also to open any number of windows containing images. Autodial. Workday calendar and calendar module. Extensive extract file management to include: cataloging of extract files (key lists only) and association of such files with the master file, interactive selection of items from a table view type of form, add to and remove from an existing extract file, create new extract file, run a program against a set of selected records or an entire file or extract file, do the same for mail merge, mass modification, deletion, or export. Search module where the user can simply enter into a form their search criteria. A function library to implement a form of Hierarchical Database capability within Superbase. Display object management is also included, to permit the user to catalog field lists for use in record mode, page mode and table mode. They can be given a long descriptive name. The security extensions include access control at the record level if desired. This takes two forms. Either direct line access control via access level, or else a hierarchical access control system setup much like a corporate structure chart, where 2 people at the same level could not see each other's data but their boss could see both sets of records and his colleague could not see any of the records but their boss could see all of the records from both departments. In Superbase 2.0, if the user is in a Form where all of the links to a master file from its dependent files are present, it is possible to use cascade delete to remove the master record and all of its dependents. If the same user is in any other non-Form view, they can remove the current record without removing the dependent records. This can also be done in the Form mode. This results in a loss of referential integrity. These types of problems are addressed in SupAMan. The delete function in SupAMan can check the data dictionary for existing relationships and determine whether or not the user is permitted to delete a record based on the information in the data dictionary, and if so, whether or not to perform a delete on the related files for the linked records. A number of functions have been provided to allow the programmer to document their own programs, generate program code from menu files, determine where a specific function is used, and ask questions of the internal databases maintained by SupAMan. All of the menus and icon bars are managed internally as catalogs and can be given long descriptive names for allocation to User-Profiles. The User-Profile defines, after a successful Login, the startup Form, menu and icon bar, access rights to files being opened, User dependent sub-sequences of multi-page Forms etc. Integration of user-defined functions is possible at several different levels of the system. A pre-processing or post-processing function can be defined at the file level, to be executed when a record is created, changed or deleted. At the application level, startup and cleanup code can be written to integrate one's own functions into the system. This allows the programmer to add functionality to the system. Also, since the field function codes can be expanded, the user can create their own libraries to work with self-defined field function codes, thus extending the capabilities of the system even more. All of the above features as well as some still to be decided upon and implemented are part of the SupAMan package (the scanning capabilities are NOT part of the standard package but can be purchased in addition to the base package). The target market for SupAMan is the power user, developer, and corporations. Development with SupAMan and Superbase together is a sure-fire way of producing a working, useable, real-world application in a controlled framework with extensive in-built functionality in the shortest time possible. A system that is open and can grow with the users' needs. For further information contact: Robinson-Tannenbaum Software Dr. Richard Tannenbaum President Hirschbergstr. 1e W-5330 Knigswinter 43, Germany Tel. : +49 (0) 2244-3772 Fax: +49 (0) 2244-81436 Compuserve: 100034,3076 Internet: 100034.3076@compuserve.com Robinson-Tannenbaum Software Neil Robinson Technical Director Bartelsweg 5 W-6932 Brombach, Germany Tel. & Fax: +49 (0) 6272-3060 Compuserve: 100016,2775 Internet: 100016.2775@compuserve.com the usewsohkmgc_[Wx S$ xH J e g m ) +   5pyp{pppcpppp68 UW =Wp  9 R R x z  =Wp  9 R fA.6p >( their boss could see all#h departments. In Superbase 2.0, if the user is in a Form where all of the links to a master file froTimes New Romanre present, it is possible to use cascade delete to remove the master record and all of its dependents. I