<Search results turned up at least one hit>
pick up a copy of Lotus Smart Suite, Millenium Edition. V9 can be had for a buck or two. V9.5 will cost you $10 or so. I think the
latest is V9.6, which you can then "upgrade" to for some $150.
A friend of mine has been using Approach from this suite in place of MS Access at his job. He absolutely swears by it now! Says he'll
never go back to Access again. He says he's able to build stuff so simply and easily that it should be illegal. He imported a big
database from an ancient PFS:File app that they're still (!!) using and nearly duplicated the PFS:File user interface inside Approach
with almost no custom coding.
If you're not familiar with PFS:File, it's got a feature where you hit a function key to switch to "search" mode, type in some stuff in
the fields you want to search on, then hit another function key. You get a nicely formatted report that can be easily customized.
Custom reports are all easily created by end-users and can be saved or discarded. Only, PFS:File is a flat-file database and isn't very
intelligent when it comes to "modern day" stuff. Approach is a fully relational system that allows you to implement field validations,
relations, etc. My friend says it's far more, uh, approachable than Access to end users (pardon the pun!).
-David Schwartz
Trent Shipley wrote:
> <PHM Reports>
>
> Then there is the problem of a report generator. This exists and is called
> Microsoft Access. Microsoft access is too hard to use however. The desired
> magic tool:
>
> 1) Connects to any database and runs on MS.NET / Windows
> 2) Allows building queries (Access-like graphical query language)
> 3) Forms
> 3.1) Must allow any pointy-haired manager (PHM) to parameterize query
> 3.2) Any parameterized query can be put into pretty GUI form by PHM.
> 3.3) PHM can combine form with GWC
> 4) Reports
> 4.1) PHM can do roll-ups / grouping _post facto_ or interactively
> 4.2) PHM can use Excel-Like tool to interactively roll-up, pivot, or cube
> results
> 4.3) PHM can design report layout suitable for distribution or presentation
> SHE (silver-haired executives)
>
> 5) C-geek friendly (C-geeks program in C, disdain databases as mere CIS
> scutt work.)
> 5.1) C-geek can use PHMR to abstract subset of functionality to provide
> application specific simplified reporting tool.
> 5.2) C-geek need not work with OS or RDB user, user-group, or roles to
> restrict (can) applications developed using PHMR as meta-tool.
> 5.3) Like PHM, but much less so, C-geek can avoid playing DB developer or
> DBA.
> 5.4) C-geek can control snapshotting, commit sizes, etc. to tune the
> performance -vs- consistency of any derived reporting tool.
>
> 6) Child-proofing.
> 6.1) Restrictions on DB access can be set in derived applications (per 5.2)
> 6.2) PHMR talks to RDBMS to get query plan. PHMR derived applications warn
> of potentially lethal queries per C-geek specifications. Specifications can
> be made accessible to administrators of the derived app.
> 6.3) PHMR derived applications can monitor all queries it dispatches and
> kill them if they use excessive resources as defined by DBA or C-geek. Kill
> parameters can be exposed for tuning by derived application administrator at
> C-geek option.
> 6.4) PHMR keeps access plans for all killed queries for length of time set
> by C-geek (or app admin) and denies queries with identical or super-set
> access plans.
>
> <How would I search for this sort of tool?>
>
> ================================Trent Shipley
>
> Work:
> (602) 522-7502
> mailto:tshipley@symbio-tech.com
> http://www.symbio-tech.com
>
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