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OpenInsight for Workgroups - Overview
OpenInsight for Workgroups is a repository-based development
environment that provides professional development teams the means to
rapidly design, implement, evolve and scale high performance business
applications with access to SQL Server, a wide range of
industry-standard databases through ODBC, Lotus Notes databases, and
Revelation’s Native Tables. The net result is that developers can
deliver applications to their customers and users that meet the needs
of a dynamically changing business environment.
Table of Contents
Repository-Based Environment
OpenInsight Native Tables
Client/Server Workspace
HTML Publishing
Data Warehousing
OpenInsight's Scripting Language
For Advanced Revelation Developers
For Lotus Notes Users
OpenInsight Tool Set
Get the WORKS!
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Repository-Based Environment
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The OpenInsight repository provides a common area in which development
teams can store and reuse application components, such as bitmaps,
icons, menus, source code modules, and the like. In addition, it
protects the integrity and eases the maintenance of the application by
providing version control, automatic documentation of components,
impact/net change analysis, and other management capabilities. In
addition to providing these tight security features, the OpenInsight
repository gives development teams freedom and flexibility. Some
examples include:
- Check-in/check-out - lets developers work on a project at
remote locations with no risk to overall application integrity.
Long-term check-out lets users temporarily move components to
other drives, devices, or workstations. Short-term check-out
automatically locks an entity while it is being viewed or
modified.
- Extensible architecture - lets project managers combine
third-party development tools and libraries.
- Intuitive design - permits non-developers, such as icon
designers and documentation writers, to use the repository.
- Automatic documentation - if a member leaves the project,
the rest of the team will know the status of his or her work.
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OpenInsight Native Tables
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OpenInsight is delivered with the option of using its own native table
format. OpenInsight’s unique table format is fully compatible with
Advanced Revelation and many variable length multi-value data management
products. The OpenInsight native table environment is a
dictionary-driven text-oriented database that delivers the ultimate in
flexibility for prototyping, designing and even deploying applications.
For the developer it provides dynamic schema evolution and rapid
database modelling with recompilation, as well as unparalleled
flexibility in maintaining deployed applications. For the application
user it is ideal for text-intensive applications and integration of text
and structured information.
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Client/Server Workspace
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OpenInsight for Workgroup’s DataSet Object is the key to unlocking
client/server connectivity. The DataSet Object is implemented within the
product’s new visual Client/Server Workspace - an environment in which
developers create and manage database components using a collection of
visual tools. These tools include a query window, a SQL script building
assistant, database connection builder, and a DataSet Object definition
tool. The database access and manipulation components are separated from
other application components and, therefore, are reusable across
multiple applications. The components built with these tools can be
integrated with the core set of OpenInsight for Workgroups development
tools, yielding a single application development environment for
combining high performance access to relational, Notes and
OpenInsight’s native tables.
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HTML Publishing
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OpenInsight for Workgroups enables developers to publish data in native
tables to HTML. The new tools enable both static and dynamic HTML
publishing capabilities. Static publishing means that data is simply
published in HTML to the web; any updates require the user to make
changes and then republish that data. Dynamic publishing means that
OpenInsight creates HTML "on the fly" in response to a CGI
request. In other words, the end-user provides the final content in
static publishing; in dynamic publishing, on the other hand, the user
simply provides parameters, and the application server, working with the
web server, builds and provides the final content.
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Data Warehousing
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OpenInsight for Workgroups enables developers to warehouse native tables
data in an ODBC, SQL Server, or Oracle database. This offers developers
complete flexibility in managing native tables data, including running a
favourite reporting tool or writing VB, among others. Initial warehousing
is performed in a two-step process. In the first step, the developer
uses the OpenInsight SQL Warehouse Wizard to build the table definitions
and the warehousing procedures. In the second step, the OpenInsight SQL
Warehouse Manager is used to schedule the warehousing process. The
warehousing procedures are registered to the Warehousing Manager when
they are created. Subsequent warehousing can be performed on an
updates-only basis.
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OpenInsight's Scripting Language
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OpenInsight’s scripting language, BASIC+, is an event-driven language
which is compatible with BASIC dialects and which is explicitly designed
for database management and application definition. It provides
statements for assignment, flow of control, branching, looping and case
selection. A powerful system editor and debugger is included to edit and
test BASIC+ programs. Additionally, BASIC+ delivers:
- Runtime manipulation of user interface components
- Powerful string handling
- Dynamic and multi-dimensional array handling
- Database and OS file I/O
- DDE conversation management
- DLL calling capabilities
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For Advanced Revelation Developers
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If you are an Advanced Revelation developer, OpenInsight for Workgroups
enables you to:
- Build applications using Advanced Revelation dictionaries,
indexes, and data files.
- Create applications using the familiar Basic+ (R/Basic)
programming language.
- Enable team development of applications using OpenInsight’s
repository, including features such as check-in/check-out, version
control, impact analysis, object browsing, and more
- Reuse familiar concepts such as multi-value and variable-length
fields
- Add SQL Server, ODBC and Notes data to your application
- Deploy royalty-free single user runtimes!
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For Lotus Notes Users
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OpenInsight specifically addresses development issues in messaging
environments. In addition to native Notes data access, OpenInsight
allows developers to build Notes databases, and supports key Notes R4
features, such as folders and scripts, as well as other key messaging
features.
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OpenInsight's Toolset
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OpenInsight for Workgroups provides a powerful, easy-to-use set of tools
to instantly build forms, reports, menus, and database:
- Revelation Reporter - The first tool that lets users
generate reports populated by native data from a variety of
sources. It’s the fast and easy tool for creating
presentation-quality reports.
- Form Designer - A point-and-click WYSIWYG screen painter
provides rapid development of windows, forms, and menus that
require no programming to access data, regardless of data
location.
- Create Wizard - A wizard that lets developers design
other wizards. It creates a multi-part OpenInsight form which,
when executed, can prompt the user for input in order to perform a
task or operation. The new wizard can then be modified in the Form
Designer.
- BASIC+ Programming Language - This high-level 4GL is
compatible with most BASIC dialects and was created solely for
database management and application definition. It was made for
the event-driven architecture of OpenInsight for Workgroups.
- System Editor and Debugger - Using a powerful MDI
programmer’s editor, developers can create, modify, compile, and
test BASIC+ programs. The online context-sensitive help facility
lets developers copy and paste syntax examples directly into your
program. The Debugger uses separate MDI windows for source, local
and global variables, and the call stack. It also supports
single-stepping, trace-around, and unconditional breakpoints that
can be triggered by pass counts and modification of variables.
- Popup Designer - Developers can use this feature to
create pick lists for easy data selection by end users.
- Message Builder - With this feature, developers can
visually create and design informational and error messages.
Custom message styling, data validation, and full text formatting
are included.
- QuickHelp Builder - Use this tools to visually create
context-sensitive help for application users. It includes customisable
location and size of help box, full font, colour, and
justification selections, and a scrolling text option.
- Notes R4 Capabilities - Support for Notes R4 folders,
agents, MAPI, and native API functions.
- Notes Registration Facility - This graphical tool enables
users to register a complete Notes database, including all views
and forms, in one easy step. Forms, fields, and views are
registered in the OpenInsight for Workgroups repository in a
hierarchical outline organized by data source and location.
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Get The Works
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OpenInsight for Workgroups is available through an annual subscription
service that gives developers an unprecedented combination of
development tools, upgrades, sample applications, tools, utilities,
knowledge bases, and much more through the "For WORKS
Subscribers" web site. We’re "opening the OpenInsight
Vault" at Revelation and we’re providing all of the numerous
OpenInsight development resources to our customers.
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