An End-User Perspective

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An End-User Perspective On Using NatQuery Building
a Dynamic Variable
www.natworks-inc.com
T. 802 485-6112
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Note this example Of NatQuery is being run
against ADABAS on Linux in a PC network
environment. The following screens may differ in
your environment but the basic process of
building a dynamic variable will be similar.
NatQuery is a workstation-based tool that
provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI)
allowing an End-User to easily extract data from
a remote ADABAS / Natural mainframe, then
integrate this data into common workstation
tools. Shown above is the NatQuery
desktop. The user will begin by clicking the
New Query icon.
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Our user wishes to ask for EMPLOEES named X,
where X a dynamic variable. A dynamic variable
will allow the user to substitute new EMPLOEE
names into this query without having to write the
query again and again. Clicking the New Query
icon opens the Select Files window. Our user
will chose the EMPLOYEES file.
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Having selected the EMPLOYEES file, we are now
presented with the Select Fields from EMPLOYEES
window.
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Our user has chosen the three fields in the right
side pane for use with this query. This was done
by double clicking on the Field name, or
highlight and then ADDing the field. The fourth
field of CITY is about to be selected for
inclusion.
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NatQuery now asks the user if they wish to
include files that NatQuery has been told have a
relationship with Employees. NatQuery omits those
files without links (relationship) to the
EMPLOYEES file. This knowledge is governed by
the ADABAS DBA.
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Having clicked the Continue button in the prior
window the user is now presented with the
Selection Logic window. The user only wants
specific Employee records so they have clicked
the Apply Selection Logic in the Selection Mode
box.
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In the Selection Logic to Apply box, the user
will chose, Where Field, is equal, to a,
variable. Clicking the Variable button will
allow the user a choice of available variables,
if there are any, or a chance to Add (build) a
specific variable.
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Currently there are no variables available for
use in this query. Adding a dynamic variable
will allow the user to substitute different names
into the query at will. The user will click
the ADD button to begin the process of adding a
variable.
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In the Define Query Variable window the user
can name the variable, choose to include it in
the output, choose the format and length, and
most importantly, choose which of five types of
variables they wish to build. This window shows
the default settings.
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In this example the user will reuse a Field name
for the dynamic variable name. Because they wish
to have the ability to change the employee (last)
name at will they have clicked the Dynamic
variable button in the Type and Value box this
enabled the Define Value button.
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Clicking the Define Value button brings up the
Define Dynamic Name window. For the purpose
of this query the user will click the Dynamic
Input button. This action gives default values
for the Format and Length windows, the user is
free to change this information at their
discretion.
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Pressing OK in the Define Dynamic Name
window brings the User back to the Define
Variable window. By clicking OK here the
user has finished building their dynamic NAME
variable.
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The dynamic variable is now available to the
user. As it is not a part of the query yet, the
Modify, Delete, and Select buttons are active
allowing the user a choice of action. By
clicking the Select button this variable will
become part of the query.
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Here we see the variable is now incorporated into
the query. This concludes the building of the
query by our user. The query is now ready to be
submitted, and so the user will click the OK
button.
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The user may now review the query. If satisfied,
the user will click the Send to Server
icon. The next few steps would reflect expected
windows as seen during the submission process.
This presentation will skip these steps and focus
on using the new dynamic variable.
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After completing the steps required in the Send
To Server Options window, the user will be asked
to supply the Dynamic Input Value which will be
their chosen variable name (EMPLOYEE Name), in
this case the user has chosen the name SMITH.
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The MS Excel Extract Configuration - Field
Information window lets the user edit the column
headers to reflect more user friendly titles. To
edit a Field the user would highlight the Field
Name of choice in the Database Field
Information pane and then click the Edit
button.
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Our user has chosen Name, now the user may rename
the column and with certain variables they would
also be able to change the Format and Length.
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Our user has renamed this variable output field
(output fields are used as column headers in the
case of MS Excel) to be USERVAR Employee.
They will now click OK.
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The dynamic variable will now appear as the
column header USERVAR Employee of the populated
Excel spreadsheet. The next few steps are the
expected screens seen by the user during the
submission process. For the purpose of this
session we will skip over these steps.
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Having completed the retrieval process, NatQuery
now asks if the user would like to go ahead and
populate the requested Target. In this case the
user chose to see their data in an Excel
spreadsheet.
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Here we see the 19 records that were returned for
the users query. In the spreadsheet, the Employee
name SMITH appears twice because they chose to
include the USERVAR Employee in the extract
information. This was an option when the user
created the Dynamic variable and it could have
been excluded.
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Upon closing Excel the user will see the Check
Server window showing each slot allocated to
the user as being either open or pending. The
user may retrieve any pending queries including
Scheduled Requests or click OK to return to
their open query on the desktop.
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The user now has many choices Modify the dynamic
variable and run the query again, Save and Close
the query, modify the query, or they may choose
to close the query without saving it.
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By selecting the Modify button the user will be
able to change the Selection Logic of the current
query.
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The Selection Logic window will allow the user
to Modify the entire query or just portions of
it. In this example the user wishes to exclude
the dynamic variable from the output file. By
clicking the Variable button the user will invoke
the List Variable window.
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The user does not wish to add another variable.
They merely wish to exclude the existing variable
from the output. Aside from using the Modify
button on the Query Selection Logic window, the
user also has the option of clicking on the Query
Variables icon to be taken immediately to the
List Query Variable window. They would then
highlight the desired variable and this would
enable the Modify button.
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Because this specific variable is being used in
the querys Selection Logic this message tells
the user that certain parts of the variables
make-up can not be changed. After clicking OK in
the message box the user will be able to un-click
the Include with extracted fields checkbox.
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Because this variable has been modified the user
will need to click OK to continue.
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Nothing has changed within the query structure
itself. When the user clicks the Send to
Server icon they will be asked for the dynamic
variable again. Instead of SMITH the user in
this example can now types in the last name
JONES for instance.
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Note that the dynamic variable USERVAR EMPLOYEE
is no longer part of the Database Field
information it will not be returned with the
retrieved query data.
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After the submission process has completed the
retrieved data is able to be downloaded into the
target. Note that Jones is not repeated a
second time as Smith was in the previous query.
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The user again has choices Save and Modify this
new request, Save and Close the new query, or
they may chose not to save the query at all.
The user has elected to close the query, but
they forgot to save it first.
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NatQuery reminds the user they have in some way
changed the query from its original form. If the
user says Yes the query will be saved with all
changes. If the user says No and the query has
previously been saved then it will be saved in
the original parameters specified by the user.
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The user chose Cancel in the last message box so
that they could add some text to their long query
description. By clicking the Query Description
icon the user may rename the query to reflect the
changes made. Depending on the breadth of these
changes, this may or may not be appropriate. The
user can now Save and Close this query.
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Simple Ideas with Enormous Potential
URL www.natworks-inc.comE-Mail
info_at_natworks-inc.com454 South Main
Street Northfield, VT 05663 T. 802 485-6112