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What
is it?
Schema Plus is a collection of two programs that
run on Windows 95/98/NT computers:
DB
Draw
is used by DBAs to create IDMS database diagrams, fully linked Windows help files and
HTML files.
DB
View
is deployed to a Local Area Network (LAN) to be
used by DBAs, developers, systems analysts and systems architects to view database diagrams and help files
that have been created with DB Draw.
Who
needs it?
Schema Plus is the ultimate IDMS companion
product. It is a fully Windows compliant application that quickly and easily
performs the following functions.
Database
(Bachman) diagrams
can be created with simple drag-and-drop. Records are dragged from a list and dropped onto a "canvas". All sets
are connected automatically, and all text for records and sets is automatically
generated. Once on the canvas, records, set lines, and set text can be dragged
to any desired position on the canvas. Diagrams can consist of any number of
images, comprising a "diagram set". Schema sets can span multiple
diagrams within the diagram set. With DB Draw, this difficult task (which
normally requires many days and is error-prone) is reduced to a simple
operation that requires mere minutes per diagram image, and there are no typos! This feature alone offers a very fast payback on the cost of Schema Plus. But
there is much more...
Help
files
are automatically generated. These help files
contain area, record, and set information for the schema, all fully
cross-referenced with links to each other. Optionally, space information can be
included in the help file. With this information, developers and analysts can
determine the best navigation path through the database, and DBAs
can easily monitor area utilization and optimize area sizing. Also optionally,
program and work record information can be included in the help file. Programs
are fully linked with work records, and also with areas (ready usage mode),
records and sets (activity). With this information, DBAs, architects, analysts
and developers can determine the impact of database or work record changes
quickly and easily. The development cycle is significantly reduced by this
ability, resulting in further savings.
HTML
files
have the same basic format and all of the
functionality of the help files, but in an HTML format. These files can be
deployed onto the company intranet for greater availability. All entities are fully cross-referenced, as
in the help files, greatly enhancing the analysis, design and development
effort. Standard HTML 3.0 is used, so these files can be browsed with any
version of Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer.
Installation
Installation is simple. You will need the
following:
A copy of Schema Plus. We will E-mail you a self-extracting zip file. Once you receive it, simply double-click to expand the file and run Setup. The standard InstallShield program guides you through the process.
A
registration id. You can obtain a temporary evaluation
id from ARCH Consulting. A permanent registration id is issued when you
purchase the product. The first time you run DB Draw, you will be prompted for
a registration id.
The
Microsoft Help Compiler Workshop. This can be
downloaded free from the Microsoft web site, www.microsoft.com. Look for the
"Free Downloads" link and search for "Help Compiler
Workshop".
Database Diagram, Help File
and/or HTML File Creation
Getting started is simple. Follow these steps:
To begin, run a standard IDMSRPTS schema report
on your IDMS platform. Run the report output into a dataset.
Download the report onto the PC that Schema Plus
is installed on. Convert EBCDIC to ASCII, and convert line ends to CR/LF. You
can optionally truncate spaces at line ends to reduce the size of the file
downloaded.
Run DB Draw. Open the downloaded report file
(File - Open Schema Report). At this point, you can start drawing diagrams,
generate a help file, or generate an HTML file with the appropriate options on
the File menu.
It's that simple. There are some optional
extras...
Optional
Extras
Optionally, you can run one or many space
reports and include space information in help / HTML files. Space reports can
reflect space usage in different environments (i.e. Development, Production),
or they can monitor a single environment with snapshots over time (i.e. monthly
views of Production). You can combine multiple environments and multiple
snapshots as well. Run the space report output into a dataset and download it
the same way as the schema report. You can put many space reports in a single
dataset, or can download multiple datasets. In DB Draw, you can open one or
many space report files, each containing one or many reports.
Optionally, you can also generate program and
work record information. To do this, you will need to compile two very small
Cobol programs and tailor a job supplied in the install. See the related DB
Draw help topic for complete information.
Deploying
Database Diagrams
You can deploy database diagrams onto the LAN
easily, to be accessed by architects, analysts, developers and other DBAs. These diagrams are stored in a "diagram set" file - one set of
diagrams per schema. Simply do the following:
Copy program SHDBVIEW.EXE to a LAN directory.
Copy the database diagram file (myschema.shp) to
the same LAN directory.
Copy the generated help file (myschema.hlp) to
the same LAN directory.
That's it. Send an e-mail message to the user
community telling them to (1) create a shortcut on their PCs to program SHDBVIEW.EXE; and (2), when they are prompted for a file name, they should select
your diagram set file (myschema.shp). The help file is automatically assigned
if it has the same name (i.e. myschema.hlp) when they open the diagram set.
Users can click on any record in the diagrams to browse complete record
information in the help file. They can use the "Record List" to list
records alphabetically or by area, and can click on any record in this list to
display the diagram the record is on.
Deploying
HTML files
To deploy generated schema HTML files to your
intranet, simply copy the generated file (myschema.htm) to an intranet
directory, along with all .JPG files in the c:\shplus\work directory (these are
area.jpg, record.jpg, set.jpg, program.jpg, workrec.jpg, and up.jpg). Create a
link on your intranet to the myschema.htm file.
When
You Change the Schema
When you change the schema (i.e. perform a
database change), you will not need
to redraw the database diagrams. Simply download a new schema report and open
an existing diagram set. The changes will be automatically reflected. You will
need to do the following:
Add any new records or records with new sets to
the diagrams and save the modified diagram set..
Regenerate the help file.
Regenerate the HTML file.
Copy these files (myschema.shp, myschema.hlp,
myschema.htm) to their appropriate LAN directories.
A
Few Tips
Here are a few pointers to guide you through the
process:
Keep names consistent. If your schema is called
"myschema" (as it is called above), call the downloaded schema report
"myschema.rpt", the diagram file "myschema.shp", the help
project file "myschema.hpj", the help file "myschema.hlp",
and the html file "myschema.htm". All prompts will default to this
standard. Also, DB View will automatically assign a help file if it has the
same name (i.e. for a diagram set called "myschema.shp", the help
file should be called "myschema.hlp").
When drawing diagrams, first set the image size. Make this a multiple of the printer page size (either landscape or portrait),
minus whatever page borders you wish (default is 1 inch on each side). Also,
reset the grid size before you start drawing if you do not want the 4-pixel
default. All other Image Attribute settings can be changed anytime with no
repercussions whatsoever.
When drawing diagrams, it is not necessary to
have space reports or a program/work record file opened. These consume large
amounts of PC memory, and are only required if you are generating help or HTML
files.
When drawing diagrams, it is advisable to
position all records on all diagrams before modifying set lines. T his will get
the diagrams drawn in minimal time (this is a DBA writing from his own
experience).
Thank
You
Thank you for trying Schema Plus. We think you
will find it exceeds your expectations in every way! We also think the payback
period for the purchase of Schema Plus will be mere weeks, with savings in
database diagram generation, change impact analysis, systems analysis and
programmer productivity.