Information Builders Inc, with its UK base in Wembley, Middlesex now has several versions of the Focus applications generator and tools available to front-end SQL-based relational database management systems. The first versions are for DB2 and SQL/DS and Teradata’s DBC/1012 database machine. Focus tools for SQL include: a data definition language which extends the SQL […]
Information Builders Inc, with its UK base in Wembley, Middlesex now has several versions of the Focus applications generator and tools available to front-end SQL-based relational database management systems. The first versions are for DB2 and SQL/DS and Teradata’s DBC/1012 database machine. Focus tools for SQL include: a data definition language which extends the SQL catalogue by allowing central report specification; the ability the create new SQL tables without knowing SQL; a join command to allow relational joining of up to 16 tables which extends to both SQL and non-SQL structures; a report writer for both formal and ad hoc queries; full data maintenance including input from external transaction files and/or online formatted screens, multi-record processing, extensive data validation features and a non-procedural language; automatic application development tools including a screen painter and ModifyTalk, which generates complete maintenance routines without manual coding; and Talk Technology tools including ModifyTalk, TableTalk and PlotTalk which allow casual or untrained users to generate reports and graphs from SQL databases via a menu-driven ‘point-and-pick’ user interface. Information Builders points out that IBM’s implementation of SQL works only with native SQL/DS or DB2 files whereas it claims Focus can access and join to almost any existing non-SQL file in the data centre.
