Developing Sophisticated Applications in SIR

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Developing Sophisticated Applications in SIR
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Unsophisticated

• Im the only user
• Im only go to do this once anyway
• I know what these codes mean
• If anyone wants any of this stuff they have to
  come to me anyway
• You can do anything with a spreadsheet

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Sophisticated Applications

• Other People Use It
• Reliable
• Repeatable
• Long Lived
• Changes in People
• Changes in Application
• Understand Requirements
• Implementation may not be the problem

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Data, Processes and Interfaces

• Database Design
• Driven by data
• Data Analysis from existing/proposed documents or
  systems
• Records and Keys
• Coding systems
• Processes who, what, when?
• Regular Data Input
• Standard Tasks
• Interfaces to other systems
• Queries and analyses

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Data, Processes and Interfaces

• User Interface
• Easy to use
• Easy to learn
• Consistent
• Implementation Issues
• Test Database
• Data Base Administration
• Long Term Maintenance
• Documentation

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Building Sophisticated Applications in SIR

• Cooking with SIR
• Known Ingredients
• Possibly some old favorites
• Fresh Ideas
• Four presenters
• Tony Reardon David Baxter
• SIR developers
• Dave Doulton and Tom Shriver
• Long term sophisticated SIR users

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Timetable

• Day 1
• 1230 Overview
• Creating and Maintaining a
  Database
• 1430 Building User Interfaces
  David Baxter
• Day 2
• 900 Building Sophisticated
  Processes
• 1030 11.00 Converting from earlier versions of
  SIR David Baxter
• 1300 Exchanging Data between SIR and
  other Systems Dave Doulton
• 1430 A Case Study Tom Shriver

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Creating and Maintaining a Database

• New Database
• Logical Design
• Normalization
• Eliminate redundant data
• Identify data dependencies keys
• SIR Schemas
• PQL Schema Functions
• Simple Data Dictionary

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Internals of SIR database

• Structure of records
• Structure of blocks
• Structure of index
• Loading Factor

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Concurrent Update

• Master
• General Principles
• Database Access
• Lock Management
• Difference File
• Managing Master

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Backup and Restore

• Unload/Reload
• Journals
• Restructuring
• Export/Import
• Verify

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Building User Interfaces in SIR

• Menus Dialogs
• Generic Database Applications
• Spreadsheet Forms
• Other Interface Possibilities

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Menus and Dialogs

• Menu Overview
• Writing and Running Menu Programs
• Menu Tips
• Dialog Overview
• Dialog Programs
• Dialog Painter
• Dialog Tips Tricks

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Generic Database Applications

• Programs and Retrievals
• Schema Functions
• Generating Code
• Example Applications

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Spreadsheet Forms

• PQLForms
• Writing Forms
• Generating Forms
• Forms Painter
• SPREADSHEET DBMS command
• GRID PQL Command
• PQLFormsGrid

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Other Interface Possibilities

• GUI vs Console Interfaces
• ODBC/SIRSQLs Interface
• CGI Interface
• API Interface

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Building Sophisticated Processes

• Review of SIR Structure
• Command Processing scripts
• Use of Globals
• PQL as development tool
• Review of Syntax
• Recent Commands

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PQL

• EXECUTE DBMS
• GUI commands outside Dialogs
• Current capabilities for file and directory
  processing
• ARRAY Processing
• GRID command
• LOOKUP command
• PQLForms

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Converting from Earlier Versions of SIR

• EXPORT/IMPORT
• PQL Programs
• ICE Procedures
• FULLSCREEN PQL
• SIR3.2 Menus
• SIRFORMS
• HELP Tabfiles
• Tips Tricks

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Exchanging Data between SIR and Other Systems

• ODBC
• Setting up ODBC sources
• ODBC import
• ODBC PQLl
• ODBC members
• Using sirweb.cgi
• ODBC and sirweb.cgi
• ODBC and PQLServer

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Case Study

• Implementation Philosophies Strategies for
  Sophisticated Applications
• Brief description of the MNYR database
• Database Management on Remote Control
• A Model for End-User Database Navigation Systems
• Useful End-User Features

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Developing Sophisticated Applications in SIR