INSIDE! REPORT FROM THE 25TH INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION $7.00 U.S. INTERNATIONAL

® SPECTRUMTHESPECTRUM BUSINESS COMPUTER MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2006 • AN INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM, INC. PUBLICATION NewNew LeadershipLeadership VisionVisionandand forfor InternationalInternational Spectrum Spectrum PLUS! The first in a series: Business Knowledge for Programmers — Inventory

INTERNATIONAL

® SPECTRUMMARCH/APRIL 2006

INVENTORY FOR PROGRAMMERS (PART I) Sometimes knowing 40 how to do something is the easy part. Knowing what to do is a bit more diffi- cult. In this first article of a series, Charles gives us an overview of the inventory process. BY CHARLES BAROUCH

MY BLOG SPACE When you’ve written as many articles as Mel has, NEW LEADERSHIP you itch to try a new format. Mel cautions us about the business issues related 6 FOR INTERNATIONAL 10 to blogs, then announces what he intends to be up to next. BY MELVIN SORIANO SPECTRUM So who is this new guy, and what is he going to do to our Spectrum? Find out what HIGHLIGHTS FROM SPECTRUM ’06 Didn’t make it to the 2006 the new Chairman of International 21International Spectrum MultiValue Conference and Exhibition? Here’s a recap Spectrum plans to pursue. of the events with a few pictures. Are we trying to entice you to come to the 2007 Conference? But of course! BY SHANNON STOLTZ

INTERVIEW WITH INTERSYSTEMS InterSystems, the makers of 32 Caché, are the newcomers to the MultiValue marketplace. We caught up with Robert Nagle, Vice President of Development for a conversation. This is a new take on a mature market.

MIDDLEWARE METADATA AND MULTIVALUE It’s all about DEPARTMENTS 36 the data. But you have to talk about the data. And the data about the data is the metadata. Robert clears up this issue and explores the developments of metadata 3 From the Inside and its impact on our MultiValue way of looking at the world. BY ROBERT HOUBEN 25 Feedback 26 Newsmaker USING THAT TRIGGER FINGER Mike shows you how to use 28 New Products 14 Modifying File Systems. Make that application do things the way you’ve always thought it should be done. BY MIKE RUANE 47 Clif Notes MVCMS — OPEN SOURCE BACKED BY MULTIVALUE International Spectrum and MultiValue 30 TECHNOLOGY MultiValue and OpenSource take on the world of Web is a registered trademark of International Content Management. There’s a new project in town. BY CHARLES BAROUCH Spectrum, Inc. All other registered trademarks and trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. DATABASE CHALLENGE Take a look at the specifications for the 42 2006 MultiValue Application Database Challenge. Seems straightforward enough? Then you should have signed up. We will look forward to your entry next year!

BY CINDI HART

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 3 FROM THE INSIDE INTERNATIONAL

by Nathan Rector SPECTRUM® MARCH/APRIL 2006 e had a good show this year in Long Beach. There was a lot of Wactivity and many new products. I NATHAN RECTOR also talked with a lot of you at the President show. Many of the questions that I was asked dealt with the market- CLIFTON OLIVER place, such as “Where do I think the Managing Editorr market is going?” and “Why did you purchase International Spectrum?” I talked with many of you one- TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD Henry Eggers, Independent Consultant on-one, but I thought it would be a good idea to talk to everyone else in case you were as curious as the people that cornered me throughout the show. Tim Holland, Holland Consulting Most of you know, I’ve been in the marketplace for many years, despite the fact that Bruce Johnson,Tag Consulting many people complain that I don’t look more than 25. I remember the old Spectrum Ronald H. Jones, Ron Jones Consulting shows in the 1980s that had thousands of people and the days when the vendors of mini- Nathan Rector, Natec Systems computers showed off the number of concurrent terminals their systems could run. I Bryan Shumsky, Revelation Software started writing for Spectrum magazine and speaking at the shows in the early 1990s, and Melvin M. Soriano, Eagle Rock Information Systems I started exhibiting in the late 1990s. So as you can see,I’ve been around for a few years and have actually been on just about every side of the market: End User, Consultant, Presenter,Vendor, and Exhibitor. MISSION STATEMENT International Spectrum magazine’s editorial mission is to be the premier independent source of When I started looking at purchasing International Spectrum, the first question that my useful information for users, developers, and resellers of MultiValue wife asked me when I told her about it was: “Where is the market going? Will it still be database management systems, open systems business database solutions, and related hardware, software, and peripherals. Published around in 25 years?” My first reaction was a resounding “YES,”but then I had to think about bimonthly, International Spectrum provides comprehensive coverage of it.Why do I have such a strong feeling that things will stay around for the next 25 years? the products, companies, and trends that shape the MultiValue market- place as well as the computer industry at large — helping its readers get The first thing that came to mind was some PowerPoint slides that Gus showed me back the most out of their business computer systems. in 2002. He had put together some slides that showed the businesses that used MultiValue. Those slides showed me solid facts that supported my feeling unto that point. Some of the companies on those slides that I still remember are: DataTel, Epicor,WalMart,ADP,EpiTech, Reynolds and Reynolds systems, Intuit Eclipse, PetCo, Blue Cross, Marriott, and it went on and on.There were about 58 prominent companies on that list. The next thing that came to mind was the fact that the Long Beach Show was the 25th MV.ENTERPRISE Mentor Pro anniversary show.Look around you a little at the other computer shows.The 25th anniversary MO/E MULTI show makes International Spectrum the longest running computer trade show in the US. Verse Native PICK The next thing I found interesting was the number of DIFFERENT verticals our mar- ketplace has. Granted, this is nothing unique in a database market But I still found the PCVerse PICK OA

diversity interesting.There are about 89 different verticals out of the 10,000 subscribers tm to the International Spectrum magazine, in 55 countries. Some of these are: Power95 • Medical Billing • Wholesale Warehousing • University Administration R91 REALITY • Hospital Management • State and City Government • MRP • Document Images • Accounting • ERP AP/PRO • Retail POS • Aerospace • And the list goes on • Construction RPL

Why is this important to me? Well,it shows that the vertical solutions providers can adapt MV•BASE to the business market to provide solutions to new emerging markets quickly and easily.You all know that it takes less time to create, install, maintain, and administer a MultiValue appli- International Spectrum is published six (6) times per year at the subscrip- tion price of $40.00 U.S. in the U.S.A.; $45.00 U.S. in Canada and cation than something written in another database. Mexico; $50.00 U.S. for other countries. Single copy rates are $7.00 Well,this ease of development has caused MultiValue applications to show up in just about U.S. in the U.S.A. and Canada, and $9.00 U.S. in all other countries. International Spectrum is published by International Specturm, Inc., 8956 any vertical market.That is a strength that many companies can’t boast of. Fox Drive, Suite 102; Thornton, CO 80260; Tel: 720/259-1356; Fax: That last thing I would like to point out before signing off is that we have 10,000 active 603/250-0664 E-Mail: [email protected]. Copyright 2006 magazine subscribers. When I term active subscribers, I’m referring people that have International Database Management Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part, without written permission, is prohibited. resubscribed to the magazine or has attended a show since 2001. If I take that back to 1994, when I first started giving presentations at the shows, that number jumps to 47,000 PRINTED IN USA • ART AND DESIGN: CP Design; 619-246-6878; San Diego, CA individuals that have received the magazine in the past. That being said,Gus has done an excellent job of building a foundation for me to work NEWS RELEASES/UNSOLICITED ARTICLES International Spectrum is eager to print your submissions of up-to- the- from. I’m very grateful for that and wish Gus well in his retirement. Now it’s my turn to minute news and feature stories complementary to the MultiValue market- help the MultiValue marketplace through the next 26 years… I have to top Gus before place. Black and white or color photographs are welcome. Although there retiring myself. is no guarantee a submitted article will be published, every article will be considered. International Spectrum retains all reprint rights.

— NATHAN RECTOR, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM — International Spectrum is a registered trademark and MultiValue is a trade- mark of International Spectrum, Inc. All other registered trademarks and [email protected] trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. 4 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006

BY SHANNON STOLTZ New Leadershipand

After 25VISIONfor years at the International helm of International Spectrum, Gus Giobbi Spectrum has stepped down. At the International Why Sell Now? providers are in great shape and most significantly, the continued suc- When asked why they decided to sell, Spectrum show in Gus Giobbi explained, “It was time. cess of IBM’s U2 group bodes well March, Gus and Monica After 25 years, [International Spec- for the future.” trum] needed someone to take a fresh Giobbi announced the Nathan Rector agrees,“The MultiValue look at where Spectrum and the Multi- market is positioned for growth. I look sale of International Value market could be improved and forward to aligning International Spec- advanced.” Spectrum to Nathan trum with the growth and vision of A year ago, the Giobbis’ put the word the market.” Rector of Natec Systems. out that they were looking to sell. Sev- Nathan has distinct plans for making Nathan Rector may be eral parties expressed interest, but dis- that happen. At the International spec- cussions stalled. “When Nathan ex- the new owner of trum show in March, he unveiled his pressed interest in exploring the acqui- three-year plan and goals. “Gus and International Spectrum, sition, we immediately liked the idea.As Monica have laid out a solid founda- a long time writer for the magazine and but he is not a new tion to build on.I’m looking forward to featured speaker at many Spectrum taking it to the next level,”he said. face. Known for his shows, Nathan seemed the ideal candi- date to move Spectrum forward to new International Spectrum An Industry Portal achievements,”said Gus Giobbi. The first changes have already begun. show presentations and This month a new International Spec- magazine column, A Vision for the Future trum web site launched. “I wanted to Citing Nathan’s relative youth and update the International Spectrum web Nathan Rector has industry knowledge, Gus Giobbi site to be more of an industry portal, shared his MultiValue expressed his confidence in the new where users and consultants can find owner. To ensure success, Monica information, read white papers, register knowledge with Giobbi is staying on to “provide meet- for webinars, and access back issues of International Spectrum ing planning and business continuity the magazine and the E-xtra Spectrum services to Nathan.” Gus is stepping newsletter,”said Nathan Rector. readers since 1993. aside completely so Nathan Rector can At the moment, the web site is a work- “effectively take over the leadership role” at International Spectrum. in-progress. However, visitors will notice one new feature: Surveys. According to Gus Giobbi,“The timing Nathan explained, “Our readers are of this sale is perfect…, the MultiValue important.To provide information that market has been on an upswing in is valuable and helpful to them, we the past three years. All of the key need to know what tools they are Continues on page 8 6 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006

New The 2006 regional show schedule includes Cincinnati, Ohio; New Jersey; Seattle, Washington; and Clearwater, Leadership Florida. Main shows will be held in X Sydney,Australia and Long Beach, Cali- and fornia. Florida is a new location for the regional International Spectrum show, as the user group in Florida is no VISIONContinued from page 6 longer putting on their own show.

using, what they are interested in, how information that helps our readers solve Industry Marketing they are using their MultiValue systems. practical problems as well as stay up-to- Materials date with industry news.” We need to get to know our readers bet- Another avenue on the International ter.” Nathan Rector also has expressed Spectrum’s three-year plan is to develop this desire to hear from More Training materials for the MultiValue community his readers and audience Opportunities to educate the general public about at the International Spec- Along the same theme, MultiValue systems. Initially, copies of trum show, where he “The webinars are also on International Spectrum magazine are invited interested audi- Nathan’s list of enhance- being made available to consultants ence participants to ments. “When Spectrum and VARs who want to give copies come talk with him. MultiValue began offering webinars away at their booths at vertical trade market is last year, those who can’t shows and conferences. However, the Changes at the make it to a show gained vision is much more than this. Magazine positioned for a great resource. Entire “We’d like to develop the Multivalue.org At the magazine, change shops are sharing a con- website into a marketing tool for the began two months ago growth. I look ference room to listen in MultiValue marketplace,” said Nathan when long-time editor on the training webinars.I Rector. The vision includes access to Nichelle Johnson stepped forward to want to expand the webi- industry marketing materials, a Rent-a- down to pursue her nars to include free ven- Coder service, and a Consultant Find teaching career. “As a aligning dor product demos and database. writer, I worked with more training content,” Nichelle for twelve years. International shared Nathan Rector. A Fresh Vision and She did a great job and New Resources will be missed,” said Spectrum The “more training con- Nathan Rector. tent” theme continues in With the plans and goals laid out, the Nathan’s plans for the new International Spectrum team has Replacing Nichelle is with the growth regional and main Spec- its work cut out for itself.The goals for Clif Oliver, another long- trum shows. “This year the first year are aimed at building show time consultant, speaker, and vision of we’re focusing on the attendance, increasing webinar partici- and writer.“Clif brings a pation, and building the new Interna- expanded show sched- comprehensive back- the market.” tional Spectrum web site. With the ule already planned, but ground to Spectrum. He MultiValue market on an upswing, a going forward, we want knows the industry and new leader at its helm,and experienced to include more training the publishing business. staff on board, the new International presentations at the shows, particular- His writing, training, and editing expe- Spectrum company is posed to offer the rience as well as his technical expert- ly the regionals,” explained Nathan MultiValue community new and ise will be a great asset.” said Nathan Rector. expanded resources, based on the solid Rector. “Show participants have expressed foundation Gus and Monica Giobbi so aptly built. is Readers can look forward to increased interest in more training opportunities technical content, book reviews, and for technical staff and more seminars two new columns — Clif Notes written and case studies aimed at non-techni- SHANNON STOLTZ is a freelance by editor,Clif Oliver,and From the Inside cal and management personnel.We are written by publisher, Nathan Rector. looking at offering multiple seminar writer specializing in business and “We’re expanding the magazine’s base tracks at future shows and at other of writers and adding more technical ways to add value for show partici- technology. She can be contacted articles to the magazine,” said Nathan pants. We’re open to feedback.” said Rector,“We want the magazine to share Nathan Rector. at [email protected].

8 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 Gain Secure, D3 Easy Access to XMLjBase Reality .net Your MultiValue mvBase Data from mvEnterprise Windows UniData/UniVerse & More or Java SOA Environments .net Data Access Products Built on Standards New! ADO.NETODBC New! ReportingJDBC Services OLEODBC DB 2 MVJDBCSQL OLE DB onware.netMV2 SQL

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FUSIONWARE CORPORATION I www.fusionware.net I tel: 866.266.2326 [ Webonomics 101] My BY MELVIN SORIANO SpaceBlog Lookatme, Hereiam, Listenifyoucare

BLOG. It sounds so icky. As with other 2nd generation Internet terms, it’s a contraction of other words That led to two separate developments (1st generation was prefixing every word with “i”or “e”,as that overlapped somewhat and are in e-Commerce). Blog stands for web log, an online diary or today bleeding back together. First was article that is frequently added to and edited. the rise of columnists writing on their own web sites. With the strong public Blogs often have random philosophical be indexed, googled, browsed, and fol- interest in politics, society,celebrity,reli- thoughts,opinions of the day,and rants. lowed. It means that those with the gion,and music,regular people began to Perhaps 100,000 new blogs are appear- biggest e-mouths are able to get their put down their favorite ideas and ing each day. Forbes estimates that feelings and ideas out to anyone willing thoughts, with links to the writers, nearly 20 million are now online. You to listen.And it’s altering the way peo- pages,and opinions that reflected them. can be reasonably sure your employees ple exchange ideas. That’s because and relatives are among the millions of blogs are also influential. The other development was the rise of bloggers out there—not just while at Friendster and MySpace.Young people There was a day when you had to sub- home, but while they are at work. around the country began to document scribe to newspapers, journals, and their interests,friendships,dates,family, Clearly blogs are popular. That’s magazines in order to get current because a blog is an entirely different news, commentaries, and editorials. jobs, and hobbies in web sites with animal. Yes, a blog is an online diary. News made the huge jump to the Inter- appealing templates. An individual Yet, unlike those worn books locked net early on, but those other aspects of could take these basic templates and and hidden under mattresses of yester- journalism lagged behind. easily add custom graphics, pictures, year, these writing efforts are public. music, text, and links.They link to each The first foray into the exchange of Very public. Musings and blatherings other,too, creating virtual communities opinions started on personal web sites. are laid down on virtual paper,but with rather quickly. Students communicate After years of looking at pictures of pets, the wonders of the Internet allow and with their classmates; long distance children, and vacations, people started encourage one’s opinions, longings, friendships can be sustained with a to rethink their web efforts. It frequently regrets, and experiences to be shared combination of these personalized took too much time, and most people with the entire world. web pages and online chat. simply do not have the hardware,graph- So unlike the secretive, paranoid world ic software, skills, and talent to develop It’s the equivalent of a vanity license of personal diaries, blogs are meant to pages that represent them well. plate. Continues on page 12

10 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006

• Act like an academic journal and cre- sonably be seen as speaking for the com- ate a self-edited group.You can draw on pany, the employer bears some liability My excellent writers to places like Huff- for the employee’s flames. ingtonPost.com. After a well-docu- Blog So, like your e-mail and web surfing reg- mented accident, HuffingtonPost was Space ulations, you should develop for your Continued from page 10 able to pour out dozens of articles company better rules regarding blog and still come out with a Hunt-With- You get to let the world know what reading and writing.Here are a few ideas. Dick-Cheney online game in less than you listen to. You can search out who 24 hours. • Be sure blogs are added to your else listens to what you listen to and employee acceptable behavior rules get a feel for your personality.You could • Redo the blog as a that dictate appropriate read a listing of musical likes and type of online maga- e-mail and Internet use. decide whether you’d enjoy chatting or zine with editors and keeping up on this person. For exam- other traditional hier- Be sure blogs • Ban disclosure or dis- ple, in the last month, I saw Mamma archies. cussion of confidential Mia, the Trojan Marching Band, and information for blogs, as Madama Butterfly; I sang Matthias, And what is the effect are added to you would for e-mail. of all this on regular Moses Hogan,Gretchaninov,and Taize;I • Disallow any unap- karaoked to Beatles and Eagles; and I businesses? Well, first one must recognize your employee proved use of trade- XM’d and iPod’d to the 80’s, Bette, marks and logos. Phantom, Babs, and South African that blogging repre- ryhthms. A MySpace website or blog sents a significant a- acceptable • Make it clear that blogs would definitely allow similarly minded mount of time both on represent the employer oddballs to monitor my activities and those who write so as well as the employee. perhaps get ideas for things to listen to much, but also those behavior rules Customers and competi- or laugh about. who can’t resist reading tors are to be treated about others’ opinions. with the same respect as And although blogs primarily share they would be treated in And you thought it that dictate ideas and opinions through words, a non-blog setting. MySpaces mostly shares ideas and opin- was tough keeping ions through music. It’s a generational your employees from appropriate • Mandate that employ- divide that doesn’t matter, since the doing personal shop- ees who maintain blogs web can handle both cohorts. ping and, er, adult must state that the web surfing at work. e-mail and views they express in Of course, Webonomics 101 is about their blogs are personal Blogs, though, repre- money,productivity,and exploitation of and unrelated to the sent a special concern the Internet. And blogs are no excep- employer. tion to this guy’s eye.There seem to be for companies.They are Internet use. several business opportunities for pro- interactive, outspoken, So, just as I warned y’all fessional bloggers. public, and many times a few years ago about anonymous. Google it yourself: many this stuff, it’s time to add these few • Grow bigger and bigger then sell out major companies have some blog criti- extra items on your list of Internet con- to mainstream media. Many political cizing them for some reason or another. siderations. web blogs such as andrewsullivan.com And it’s not the customers you should have sold off to traditional media. Which, oddly enough, leads me to a worry about. final few comments. • Become a content supplier to a big Blogs allow disgruntled employees, Internet or media company. You then whether current or former, to trash any- Footnote in History **** encourage good blogging with popular body and any company. Moreover, you Columnists like me are used to writing writers and then deliver those words to also have the potentially frightening pos- a piece every so often, at the pressure the big guys. sibility that trade secrets and private data of a stressed out editor. For example, I • Go the route of cartoonists and star can be released to the world. Public cor- often take an idea that’s been perco- columnists. By syndicating, you can porations also have to worry about stock lating in the back of my head for the maintain your brand names and market and the laws that govern them. past several days, spice it for you and author’s independence. And,like e-mail,if an employee could rea- Continues on page 14

12 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006

QM, A New Approach PICK to MultiValue My PROFESSIONAL Blog Only $119 per user Don’t make the mistake of placing your career in the hands of just ANY Space 10 year upgrades just $30 search firm. We are professionals who Continued from page 12 Proven for 4 years understand the importance of CONFI- Thousands in use DENTIALITY and RESPECT of a job give you the chance to eat it up. Hope- U2/Prime Compatibility search, and our database of clients is D3 extensions one of the largest in the country. fully it’s tasty. Network Ready Unlike the rest, we will work in YOUR best interests’ to help you further your But it’s different now. And since Webo- Remote files career. Because of our dedication and Client/server API professionalism, we are recognized as nomics 101 has been going on for a Useful bundled items: the leaders in the PICK/UniVerse/Unida- dozen years, and with the changes at AccuTerm + GUI ta placement industry in the Tri-State International Spectrum, perhaps it’s Coyote Web Server area and throughout the U.S. So if you Companion GUI/Web 4GLs are tired of putting yourself at the time to groove to a different beat. So, mercy of the rest. OpenTPH $30/user with the next column, I thought I’d Neucleus $72/user CALL THE BEST! Contact... start to evolve along with the Net. Supported Platforms: Matt Hart Windows 98, XP Instead of going on about one specific Windows NT, 2000, 2003 EXECU-SYS, LTD topic, I’ll more likely touch upon sever- BSD, Linux 1 Penn Plaza, Suite 3306 al different Internet developments that OpenQM New York, NY 10119 GPL on Linux w/ source (212) 967-0505 caught my eye and made me think (800) 423-1964 x 302 about Webonomics. I’ll describe these Fax: (212)947-8593 topics and my thoughts. Give links. EasyCo.com Email: [email protected] Maybe talk about music. 800-470-2756 Consultants Needed Nationwide Yup. A blog.

So... until this experiment fails and I

INTERNATIONAL have to try out podcasting,hasta la vista Webonomics-circa-1994. Hola 2006.

® SPECTRUMSPECTRUMTHE BUSINESS COMPUTER MAGAZINE Mel Soriano (HTMMel aka XMMel) is - ™ extra MELVIN M. SORIANO Have you seen it? works at Eagle Rock Information Everyone’s talking about it, International Spectrum Systems (ERIS), an Internet e-xtra™, the new e-newspaper. Application Service Provider and WebWiz- Look for e-xtra, on the first and the fifteenth of each month. This e-newspaper has timely industry news, hot topic, classified ard/MultiValue Developer. ERIS has ads, and things of interest heard on the MultiValue grapevine. deployed enterprise-wide solutions on • Let us know what you’ve heard on the grapevine that you think we should look into. most MultiValue platforms and operating • Let us know what’s new at your company that you’d like other people to know! systems. HTM-Mel can be contacted at • Find out how to add e-xtra punch to your International Spectrum Magazine ad with a complementing ad in International [email protected] and visited at Spectrum’s e-xtra. • Take advantage of placing an inexpensive classified ad in www.eriscorp.com. You can always call International Spectrum e-xtra. him directly at ERIS’s Pasadena, Calif., Get your FREE subscription at www.intl-spectrum.com offices: (626) 535-9658. 14 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006

[REVELATION TECH TIPS] Using thatTrigger

NOTE: With the recent sale of Spectrum Magazine, all of us at Rev- elation Software would like to wish Gus, Monica and the rest of the crew the best Understanding Revelation’s of luck and thank them for the years of FINGER great service and support they’ve given MFS Technology us and the rest of the MultiValue community. We’d also like to take this What is an MFS and An MFS, being a subroutine, is written in opportunity to wish good luck to Nathan what does it do? OpenInsight’s flavor of BASIC called Rector, Clif Oliver, and the rest of their An MFS is nothing more than a subrou- Basic+. In OpenInsight there are two crew in this newest endeavor. We look forward to working with them for a long tine that can view and modify data just sample MFSs provided, and online at time to come. after it has been read or just before it www.revelation.com there is an MFS will be written to disk. It is at a level so manual available for download. The idea of a trigger in a database has low that it is just above the Base Filing An MFS can do that work that it can been around and practical for many System (BFS) in the chain of access from years now. The basic idea of a trigger is because it allows a developer to modify the operating system. In fact, Revela- that if an action occurs, another action one or more of a number of primitive tion’s U2 Connector mentioned in an must take place, automatically, without operations,such as READ,WRITE,DELETE, earlier article is an example of a BFS. any input from the user. In many cases a LOCK, UNLOCK, and many others--a total trigger is used to automatically update Specifically, a BFS is a of thirty-four in all. information in a database: tagging a program or series of In an MFS a devel- record with who last updated a record programs that provide oper can choose to and when they did so, logging all users in the interface between a system, and encrypting data are just a have the primitive few examples of actions that could take the physical storage of work as normal, place as a result of triggers. In the the data and the Basic+ work in a modified Revelation world, we use something programs that make way, or not at all. called a Modifying Filing System (MFS) to the file I/O requests. A This ability is what create our triggers. In this article we will BFS constitutes a filing makes an MFS so explore the theory, creation, and use of system. powerful. Because MFSs in an OpenInsight-based application. An MFS is an extra of the nature of the While writing an MFS is not for the layer between Basic+ beast, every action meek of heart, it can be done fairly and the BFS.The MFS that happens to a easily. Like writing any critical piece of monitors files activity, table can be moni- software, a good knowledge of and then passes file tored or modified. OpenInsight and Basic+ routines will let I/O requests, along an experienced developer gain Once an MFS is tremendous control over a system, with any data used by installed onto a whether it be for audit, security, or that request, on for table, a user cannot protection. further processing. get around whatev- er actions are triggered by it,whether data FIGURE 1- The flow from a program is modified by the Editor,a data entry win- or window to the OS and back dow,or an update process. Even trying to

BY MIKE RUANE, REVELATION SOFTWARE

16 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 access the data from an external source, operations the developer want to hap- For example, on a delete, a developer such as ODBC or a .Net connector, will pen only the first time a file is accessed, can decide that only users logged in have to pass through the MFS.If the table this is the place to put that code. with a certain security level or user- is physically moved out of the system and name can delete records.The developer Next, the OPEN operation is called.The an attempt is made to access it, the lack can set an error status with a system rou- file is then checked to see if it has been of the MFS will cause all access to that file tine and the delete will not go through. opened before. to fail. Once an MFS has been written,it can be The LOCK is installed onto the file or files using the called next. SET_MFS command available at TCL. After the record has Before we start writing, let’s look at the been locked, the flow of an MFS. READ operation is invoked. When the Flowing through an MFS record has been modified, the user then FIGURE 2 - an Example of limiting saves it. The WRITE primitive comes Given that a developer has written an the DELETE primitive MFS with the functionality he or she next, and when it completes, the envisioned,and it has been installed onto UNLOCK primitive comes next. While the primitives mentioned above the file, we’ll discuss the flow through When you think about it, the primitives are simple enough to understand, some opening a record in the editor, changing are matching the steps that the develop- others are not necessarily so. Suppose a field name, and then saving it. er would follow if doing the same that you were writing a security MFS, and that this MFS let a user see only First, the very first time the file is processes. If the developer wanted to records that belonged to employees in accessed, a primitive called ‘INSTALL’ is do some work with any of these primi- their department. Rather than modify invoked. It is invoked only the very first tives, they would make the intercep- every report already in existence, or try- time that a file is accessed,so if there are tions at the primitive level. Continues on page 18

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 17 create a named common variable for use Using that in the program.Figure 3 shows our com- mon in the program. Once the common variable has been set up, we need to open the BOOKS_BAK file in the INSTALL.We’ll try to open the Trigger file,and if the open fails,we’ll just let the common variable be null. Figure 4 FINGER shows the code. Continued from page 17

ing to limit what the user For the purposes of this exam- could do from TCL, it ple, let’s assume the following would be far easier and requirements: more secure to limit the The MFS will be put on only access with an MFS. In this one file, named BOOKS. case, a developer would 1 need to work with the Every time a record in the SELECT and READNEXT 2file is updated, fields 7 and 8 primitives, making sure that the data of the record (named LAST_UPDATE_ FIGURE 4 - the code change around passed back to the calling process DATE and LAST_UPDATE_BY respectively) for the INSTALL primitive received only the data that should be must be updated. received according to the security set- Whenever a record is deleted, we tings. It requires more knowledge, but it Some observant readers no doubt saw will first copy it to a file named is very,very powerful. 3 two other primitives in the screen shot BOOKS_BAK, and if we can’t, the delete above, and noticed that in the INSTALL is stopped. there is a variable named STATUS that Writing your own MFS Looking at the requirements, it appears gets set to TRUE, and that in the other As mentioned above, OpenInsight ships that only two primitives will need any primitives the code executes a gosub to with two example MFS shells.The first, changes—WRITE and DELETE. However, a label called NEXT.MFS.What happens named MFS_SHELL1 is an example of a we will also need to modify the INSTALL in NEXT.MFS requires some explaining. drop-through routine. The second, primitive to set up some variables and When a file is opened,the system does a named MFS_SHELL2, is an example of a do some housekeeping. Let’s start with bit of processing and creates an entry in case statement. In my opinion the case the INSTALL changes. a memory-resident table named SYSTA- statement is easier to work with, and is what I have used as a basis for all the Since the MFS code is run by the system BLES with information about that file. MFSs that I have written. It will be used every time one of the primitive opera- Some of the information stored con- in the examples in this article. tions is called, it must be very efficient. cerns the directory where the file For example, we don’t want to have to resides, the type of file, the account or The first thing to remember when writ- open the BOOKS_BAK file every time application the table belongs to, the ing an MFS is that just put putting an we do a delete; it would be much more name of the file at the operating system MFS on a table, the developer takes efficient to open it in the INSTALL and level, and a list of MFSs and BFSs associ- responsibility for all of the operations that keep the handle available to us in a com- ated with that table. Figure 5 shows the the primitives perform. In other words, mon variable. So, the first thing we do is entry for the BOOKS table. make sure that you only modify the parts of the MFS that you care about, and leave the rest alone. FIGURE 3 - The common statement in the BOOK_MFS

18 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 and if that is successful, we allow the FIGURE 5 - DELETE primitive to be called. If it fails The SYSTA- BLES entry for we’ll generate a system error that will get the BOOKS file passed back to the user.Figure 7 show the simple changes needed in the code. And that’s it.All that’s left is to install the MFS onto the BOOKS file. That can be done by typing in the SET_MFS com- mand at TCL, which brings up the win- If we look at the values in field 4 of the So, back in our BOOKS_ MFS, when the dow seen in figure 8. In the window, entry, we see an @SVM delimited list of WRITE primitive is called, we want to Specify the Table upon which you want MFSs on the file.This is called the MFS update the LAST_UPDATE_DATE and to install the MFS, the name of the MFS chain. In this example, SI.MFS is used by LASTY_UPDATE_BY fields. All that’s you wish to install, and where it should secondary indexing, RIGHTDEX.MFS is required to do this is to modify the RECORD go in the MFS chain. In most cases, any used to maintain a sorted list of keys in variable that gets passed into the MFS auto- MFS you write should be added to the the file for quick lookup, BOOK_MFS is matically. Figure 6 shows that change. end of the chain. Continues on page 20 the code we’re describing now, and Finally,our last bit of RTP57 is the BFS used by OpenInsight’s tinkering in the MFS Linear Hash filing system. has to do with the When writing an MFS, there is placed delete. As specified upon the developer the responsibility in our requirements, to make sure that the next filing system, every time a record whether it is an MFS or a BFS is called is about to be delet- FIGURE 6- or skipped correctly. Knowing how to ed, it must first be Modification of control this flow is the most powerful written to the the WRITE primitive way of working. BOOKS_BAK table,

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 19 Using that By tracking changes at the field level, indexes are maintained automatically. Trigger Some practical MFSs for your own use may be one put on a source code file to automatically put a time,date,and version CREDIT CARD INTEGRATION FINGER Continued from page 17 stamp on the code. Another may be an encryption MFS, Seamless Integrations into POS, where the data Order Entry and e-Commerce stored on disk is Single or Multiple Merchants encrypted and TCP/IP - Secure Internet Single or Multiple Modems looks like garbage Your Clearinghouse or Ours to systems other VAR Partnerships than the one with the MFS, which Visa MasterCard AMEX would also han- Discover Diners JCB dle the decryp- Debit Cards Custom tion. There are numerous pos- FIGURE 7 sibilities, limited only by your imagina- tion and customer needs.

1-866-796-7600 In Summary… [email protected] MFS, though simple in theory, are very www.TotaLinkcc.com powerful in practice.Writing an MFS, or trigger as they are known in other data- base technologies, can give a developer a tremendous amount of power,and can save huge amounts of work by doing that which a trigger is designed to do: take some action automatically as a ® PRC result of another action.Writing an MFS Get It Right From in a Revelation product is almost a rite the Source. of passage;nearly every top OpenInsight or Arev developer will have written one. Want control over the changes Hopefully, this article will whet your you make to your software? FIGURE 8 - The SET_MFS window appetite to have a go at it, or at least PRC can help you get it make it a bit less intimidating. Good right — and keep it secure. luck with writing yours! is For U2/MultiValue and At this point the developer should test SB+ environments the MFS thoroughly. We’ll leave that as an exercise for the reader. Problem Reporting MIKE RUANE is president Change Control Practical Uses of MFSs Project Management OpenInsight itself uses a number of Time Tracking and CEO of Revelation Software, devel- Test Management MFSs within the product. One used by every file, or rather dictionary, is called Deployment oper of OpenInsight. The company Rollback DICT_MFS and it does a tremendous Audit amount of work. can be reached at 800-262-4747 or SJ+ Systems Associates Another very useful and practical MFS is www.sjplus.com SI.MFS, a Revelation-supplied MFS used 954•796•9868 for OpenInsight’s Secondary Indexing. www.revelation.com.

20 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 Highlights from Spectrum

The 25th Annual International Spectrum MultiValue’06 Conference & Exhibition

variety of speakers. Tuesday through Thursday evenings had special events, including a trip to the Queen Mary for the 25th This was just one part of the buf- Anniversary Reception. But even fet. With the way this gang eats, do with all hard work that goes into you have any idea With twenty-seven vendors from which to of the challenge in planning, organizing, and choose, there was something for everyone. getting a picture accomplishing an event this large, with nobody in line? a conference like this would not arch 7th through the 10th, be a success if it were not for the M2006, the 25th annual vendors, speakers, and especially International Spectrum MultiValue you, the attendees and supporters Conference and Exhibition was of International Spectrum. held in Long Beach, California. Twenty-five years. That makes International Spectrum the longest running computer trade show in the United States. We

Grafting a monitor onto think you will agree that is some- a booth reps head seems a bit extreme, but you thing to be proud of. This year we have to admit, the eye had twenty-seven vendors exhibit- contact is compelling. Jeff Brady, one of our long-time ing. Tuesday through Friday, MultiValue friends (right, back turned) talks with another well there were sixty-eight known MultiValue personality, Ron Spencer. Ron is retiring, and conference sessions with a wide we will miss him. Good luck, Ron!

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 21 The 25th Annual International Spectrum Highlightsfrom Spectrum MultiValue Conference & Exhibition Continued from page 21 ’06

Stepping outside for a stroll, you were greeted by the MultiValue symbol shining down onto the deck.

From the content in Spectrum Mag- right, Monica azine, and adding more Giobbi, daugh- A conference educational sessions to ter Alex, son like this would the regional conferences. Paul, Paul’s To assist with the transi- wife Tiffaney, tion, Monica Giobbi will and the Godfa- not be a ther himself, remain on staff for a year, Gus. success if it and Clifton Oliver has accepted the position of were not for the editor of the magazine. Nathan Rector (left, like we had to tell vendors, Nathan thanked Gus for you that) and Gus Giobbi. his many years of hard speakers, and work in promoting Multi- Value, and then it was off he conference especially you, to the sessions. opened Tuesday T morning with the attendees Tuesday was a full day of the welcome address by conference sessions, thir- Gus and Monica Giobbi. and supporters ty of them, going until Gus gave brief history of 5:00 p.m.At that time, the how he had become exhibit hall was opened involved in the MultiValue market and for a sneak preview and welcoming in the origins of International Spec- party. It was a great time to reconnect trum. He then proceeded to make the with acquaintances from previous con- Big Announcement. After twenty-five ferences, catch up with old friends, and years, he and Monica had decided that make new friends. With food in one it was time to turn the reins over to hand and beverages in the other,people The MultiValue community someone else. International Spectrum roamed the exhibits planning their visi- may be losing Gus and Monica, had been sold to Nathan Rector of tation strategies for the next two days. but we’ve still got Paul Giobbi. Natec Systems. Wednesday started with a MultiValue Nathan took the stage and introduced breakfast, sponsored by Raining Data. the first phase of his vision for Interna- Then attendees had a choice from tional Spectrum. This included a fourteen sessions, many of them quite redesign of the Spectrum web site as a technical in nature.At noon the exhib- MultiValue portal, increasing technical it hall was opened.The afternoon was Continues on page 24 22 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006

sell the business and Monica along with it.That would have driven the ask- Highlightsfrom Spectrum ing price way too high.So we stole her. Introductions and ribbing complete, Gus came on deck accompanied by the theme music of The God- ’06 father. Funny, he doesn’t The 25th Annual International Spectrum look like Marlon Brando MultiValue Conference & Exhibition (see the pictures). After thanking everyone for a great, successful, and fun twenty-five years, he introduced the Giobbi Clan and had them come Long time Spectrum up with him: Monica, Magazine columnist, daughter Alex, son Paul Mel Soriano, demos software at his booth. and his wife Tiffaney. He What do you want to then asked the Rector bet it had something to Clan to join them for the do with that Web stuff? changing of the guard. Nathan’s lovely wife,

Tracey, was accompanied by his father- Nathan RectorWith the Giobbi clan at his side in-law Danny Passig, and, and, …, no (right), Gus introduces the Rector clan: Nathan’s Nathan. Nathan? Nowhere to be seen. It wife, Tracey Rector, and his father-in-law, Danny Passig. Nathan? Still on a tour of the ship. Timing seemed odd that someone would throw is everything at one of these events, or so in the towel on a new venture so soon. we are told. If you have been following Spectrum Our host, Rod Owens Magazine the last twelve months as we Continued from page 22 of Ashwood Computers, reminisced about the challenges of the spent speaking to the exhibitors, find- opens the transition previous conferences, you know that ing out about the latest technical inno- ceremony with a mini-roast something always happens that was not of Gus. Ron and Jeff vations available for MultiValue, and included in the plans. It was quickly dis- watching demonstrations of the new covered that the neither the Giobbi’s products. The day was topped off (no (at least we think he said “aft”) where 25th and last conference, nor the Rector’s pun intended) by an ice cream extrava- we were greeted by the Captain. Spe- first, would go without having at least ganza provided by Revelation Software. cial tours had been arranged for our one thing go sideways. It seems that The evening was left open for free- group that showed parts of the ship Nathan was part of the last tour group form socializing, private dining, and the not normally included in the usual and was not present, although account- inevitable after-hours technical confer- tours. (See? We told you folks in the ed for. So everything was placed on ences conducted in the meeting hall MultiValue community were special!) hold, and we make another circuit of adjacent to the hotel lobby. The tour groups were limited as to the the buffet.We thought about turning out The late night technical conferences of number of people that could be the lights and then yelling “Surprise!” the previous evening notwithstanding, accommodated at one time, so the rest when he walked in, but the crew of the Thursday morning started bright and of us waited our turns by feasting at ship started sweating about fire regula- early with a continental breakfast cour- the buffet generously provided by Ash- tions, insurance liability,and the like. tesy of Entinsik, Inc.Thursday’s format wood Computer Company. After suffi- When Nathan arrived, being the con- followed that of Wednesday, with the cient food and beverage had been summate professionals that we are, morning being filled with technical consumed,Rod Owens took the micro- everything was picked up where we sessions and the exhibit hall being phone to bid Gus farewell--and to fire a left off, and the official turn-over was opened at noon.When the exhibit hall few humorous shots across his bow.But completed without further incident. closed at 5:00 p.m., the festivities it was all in fun, and no offense was began. Attendees boarded chartered intended or taken. The new Spectrum The music then started, and the dance buses for the short ride over to the staff would like to make one clarifica- floor was open. Let’s just say that noting Queen Mary. Upon our arrival, Gus tion,however,Rod.Just because Monica the dearth of males out there, apparently directed us to the aft end of the ship is staying with us for a year,Gus did not the MultiValue community shares at least

24 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 one point in common with our rival data- base communities — geeks can’t dance. You might think that the Friday of a conference would be a horrible time to be scheduled to speak.The exhibits have been torn down the night before, it is only a half day, people are leaving to fly home, some of them across an ocean, and the blowout reception was the night before. You would be sur- prised.While the last twenty-five years of International Spectrum have de- monstrated that we enjoy our cama- raderie,have fun,and don’t always take ourselves seriously, we are serious about our commitment to the Multi- Value model and market.Friday offered eleven sessions. Sure, there weren’t as many people there, but take a look at the conference brochure and note the content. If you weren’t there, you missed your opportunity, not only for that information, but also to have a chance to connect with the speaker for a one-on-one conversation, some- thing not always possible in a crowd. So next year, think about that. Besides, flying on Saturday beats fighting the Black Friday business crowds and missed connections. We look forward to seeing you at the Regional Conferences and back at Long Beach in 2007. is Feedback What came first, the letters or the letters-to-the-editor department? We are making another change to International Spectrum Magazine— a Feedback Department, sometimes known as Letters to the Editor. We want to hear your comments, your reactions, your agreement or disagreement with what you see.Also, do not hesitate to let us know about things happening in the MultiValue Community we may not have heard about yet.

Please send your comments by e-mail to: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 25 news Jane M. Christie Joins the ship and her company’s Mpower1 Group of Companies dominance in database development by naming Working with Mpower1 International, jBASE International and BlueFinity her “Person of the Year”. International as USA Sales Consultant Ms. Christie most recently held the position of Direc- Operations for First Data tor of Sales and Support for Resources Southern Cali- FusionWare Corporation. fornia Services Business in the mid-eighties, she was Ian Leeper, Director of 07 March 2006 - London, responsible for major Mpower1 International, UK and Portland, Oregon, account sales and was feels Ms. Christie’s experi- USA - Mpower1, an inter- a key member of the ence in the MultiValue national operation specializ- acquisition teams that industry will be an immedi- ing in business creation, facilitated strong growth ate asset to the company turnaround, growth and for the company. as they continue

makers development for software “I have been to expand the companies, is pleased to Ms. Christie very impressed group’s presence announce the recent then began her in the USA. with Mpower1’s appointment of Jane M. notable career “Jane understands Christie to Sales Consultant in the MultiVal- investment and the sectors we in their USA operations. ue market when commitment to are targeting she joined Gen- forward thinking and the products Ms. Christie will be eral Automation we market. She responsible for establishing products such in the late is well regarded new business opportunities as the jBASE 1980s, first as within the indus- for Mpower1 and its database Vice President try and especially subsidiaries, jBASE Interna- management of Customer by some of our tional and BlueFinity Inter- Services, then products and existing clients national. jBASE is a leading Vice President BlueFinity’s .NET which makes provider of database man- of Sales and development her an ideal agement products and soft- Services, and addition to ware development tools; tools.” lastly CEO of our team.” BlueFinity supplies leading- - JANE M. CHRISTIE GA and the edge .NET oriented soft- re-invented company in “I have been very ware development tools 1998, GA eXpress. She impressed with Mpower1’s and consultancy services to launched GA’s services investment and commit- the MultiValue database organization, doubled its ment to forward thinking and Microsoft developer revenues annually and products such as the jBASE communities. spent 15 years in executive database management products and BlueFinity’s Ms. Christie brings decades positions with GA eXpress, .NET development tools,” of business management including spearheading Ms. Christie said. “I am experience and a track several key acquisitions. excited to join the team in record of exceeding rev- In 1997, International bringing these revolutionary enue expectations to the Spectrum Magazine recog- products to the MultiValue group. As Director of nized Ms. Christie’s leader- marketplace.”

26 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 About Mpower1 International Zumasys Helps Financial Services Company Mpower1 is an international operation headquartered Achieve Disaster Recovery Goals in the UK and operating Using State of the Art Replication Technology from offices around the from Double-Take Software world specializing in busi- ness creation, turnaround, March 22, 2006, Lake Forest, CA - Zumasys, Inc. today announced that WCM Investment Management, a money management firm, contracted with Zumasys to growth and development. successfully move all of their servers to a hardened data center and replicate their Mpower1 provides an data using technology from Double-Take Software. Double-Take updates data infrastructure that incorpo- continuously at the byte level over a LAN or WAN connection and ensures that rates management, support, changed data is protected and can be quickly restored at all times. This new sales and all other aspects implementation provides WCM with 100% up time, regulatory compliance and of a successful business access to critical business applications over a secure, SSL-based browser connection. operation to companies WCM Investment Management provides innovative growth equity investment looking to expand into management services to corporations, private individuals, public funds, Taft-Hartley new markets, achieve plans, endowments and foundations. The primary goal of the project was to increase disaster preparedness and achieve regulatory compliancy. Additionally, exponential growth, con- WCM wanted its managers to have secure browser-based access to its SQL-based solidate an existing position CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, complex trading and financial or recover from an under services applications, as well as corporate email. achievement. Mpower1 “In our fiduciary role, it is imperative that we are able to manage our client’s money in calls upon a highly the midst of any disaster,” says David Brewer, Principal for WCM Investment Manage- experienced team of ment. “From the beginning, Zumasys took the time to understand our operations and directors, senior level applications and they responded with a total solution that met our business objectives. employees and its global We are very pleased with our decision to partner with Zumasys.” infrastructure to deliver an Zumasys relocated WCM’s primary servers to a data center to provide additional extensive knowledge of reliability and stability. The data center is a 100,000 square foot Telco-grade building, built to withstand natural disasters and an earthquake level 4. Next many international Zumasys implemented Citrix Presentation Server 4.0 and the Citrix Access markets, the experience to Gateway, a universal SSL VPN appliance, to provide users with fast, secure remote manage the unexpected access to all of their mission critical applications. Then a backup site was or unwanted and the established and all of WCM’s applications were consolidated using VMware ESX necessary network of con- Server, virtual infrastructure software for partitioning, centralizing and managing tacts around the world to servers. The two sites are kept synchronized with Double-Take which combines achieve accelerated growth. continuous real-time backup and automatic failover capabilities for disaster recovery, high availability, and centralized backup. For more information visit www.Mpower1.com. “The combination of these market leading technologies—Double-Take, Citrix and VMware-is allowing Zumasys to centralize, consolidate and virtualize applications in new and exciting ways and we are excited about the positive effect it is having on our customer’s businesses,” says Dan Putnam, VP Sales for Zumasys, Inc. For additional information About Zumasys, Inc. regarding: Zumasys specializes in architecting and implementing multi-vendor technology solutions that solve IT challenges. The company focuses on preserving and evolving BlueFinity International legacy systems and allowing remote branches and mobile users to connect to www.BlueFinity.com applications wirelessly. Zumasys applies its expertise with Citrix Presentation Server and Microsoft Terminal Server to create browser-based application portals that are jBASE International accessed over cellular-based mobile Internet connections (i.e. 3G Wireless). These www.jBASE.com Continues on page 44

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 27 New Products

UvSpoolerPlus™

Finally, after all these years, a generic PICK spooler that now runs on UniVerse.

Avoid being limited by the missing print spooler in Uni- Northgate Verse on NT. Information Avoid rewriting all the STARTPTR and SP-ASSIGN commands in your Solutions generic PICK software to SETPTR commands to run on UniVerse.

UvSpoolerPlus allows you to run your generic PICK software on is pleased to UniVerse using the generic PICK printer commands that are embedded announce in your software or that you use at TCL — e.g. :STARTSPOOLER, STARTPTR, SP-ASSIGN, SP-EDIT, LISTPTR, LISTPEQS, etc. — just like the availability of you do on your generic PICK database. Reality V12.0 UvSpoolerPlus will hold, print, hold-and-print and spool on-hold print jobs from designated print queues to designated printers when Reality Web Services those jobs are generated and/or when you want to print them. Offer secure access to And (adding a feature to the generic PICK spooler) you can config- your DataBasic routines ure each printer to the print characteristics of the assigned print over the Internet to queue when the printer is assigned to that queue, using printer driv- non-Reality applications ers that we supply and/or that you may write - which is the “Plus” in without having to modify “UvSpoolerPlus”. your code!

In addition, you no longer have to overcome the FILE-SAVE and Reality leverages Northgate’s Web Services ACCOUNT-SAVE tape format incompatibilities between UniVerse and Framework to expose most generic PICK databases when transferring your software. You can and existing DataBasic use our FileCaddy programs, TAPE.DUMP and TAPE.LOAD, to quickly subroutines as standard and reliably transfer the software and data files in each account from Web Services providing most generic PICK databases to UniVerse in just two steps. benefits, which include: The last barriers to moving your software to Universe have finally Greater efficiency: one been removed. The “PICK Flavor” on UniVerse is now complete. standard, one set of tools

There’s never been a better time to migrate your software to Uni- Greater interoperability: Verse. You can migrate your software yourself using our migration can interact with any con- sumer worldwide or locally tools or we can migrate it for you. Reduced integration Our migration package includes both UvSpoolerPlus and FileCaddy. costs: service all con- Special pricing for UniVerse is available as part of our migration sumers on any platform package and/or services. Reduced training To find out how easy it is to migrate your generic PICK software requirements: only need to a database that’s adding tomorrow’s features today, and that’s one technology supported by IBM, contact Dave now at Sysmark Information Simplified business Systems, Inc., 800-SYSMARK (800-797-6275), davet@sysmark- communications: one info.com or www.sysmarkinfo.com. service can be offered to everyone

28 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005 Responsiveness: Reality V12.0 introduces a using the Windows GDI • New Functionality -Verbs organizations can new backup method, (Graphical Device Inter- • ISELECT, ICOUNT respond quicker to which can reduce your face). This is a high level market demands current backup and printer-independent inter- • New Functionality - restore times by up to 30 face that translates the DataBasic Reduced maintenance: times, which can backup print data into a graphical • BREAK, EXIT, Web Services promotes running systems without format that can be printed CONTINUE (in loops), the use of clean interfaces affecting your active users. without further processing SENTENCE(n), Component re-use: by the printer. READNEXT KEY, Deploy your services to DataBasic Profiler READPREV KEY many applications Reality DR (Disaster • Enhanced Functionality Tune your application! See Recovery) Externalize business where time and system to EXECUTE (full Syntax) Offer greater protection by assets: integrate with resources are spent within • Enhanced Account maintaining a copy of your customers, partners and a DataBasic application. restore for mvEnterprise database on a remote suppliers and jBASE tapes. Capture a profile of any machine via a possibly Reduced costs: Uses DataBasic application and slow or intermittent com- • mvEnterprise and jBASE standard web communica- see the call path taken munications link. tape image compatibility tion technologies though the application • Number of Proc file with timings of how long System & Application and select buffers Service consumers: can each subroutine is taking. Alerts use any environment increased to which supports Web Profiles can be presented Provides a mechanism to • 47 in a graphical format for report a range of signifi- Services • New Platforms simple interpretation. cant events in real time to users over a choice of • Linux ES 4 XML Parser/Generator transmission mediums, DataBasic Stack Trace • Linux ES 3 (64 Bit) Simplify working with XML such as email, SMS text documents. View the DataBasic call messages and HTML For pricing, contact your stack as it changes, with pages. nearest Northgate Easily extract information details of the time taken to Sales office. Visit from XML documents with www.northgate-is.com/reality make each subroutine call. Striped Partition simple to define queries. Simplify the diagnosis of or email Filing System [email protected] The Reality high perform- problems with particular New higher performance ance XML parser is written ports. in C and accessed from file system for Windows DataBasic for superior and AIXÆ, Striped Parti- Contact Us CSV File Integration performance — faster than tion Filing System allows Further enquiries on Reality any solely DataBasic- Seamlessly read and you to tune system and can be made via the contact based XML solution. XML update CSV and disk caching to optimize details below tab-separated files, as if performance. documents are parsed U.K./World Wide into memory as a DOM they were native Reality Northgate Information Solutions tree. They can then be files within the Database. Database Isolation Boundary Way Hemel Hempstead queried many times with- No need for code, no Run completely independ- Hertfordshire HP2 7HU intermediate data! out having to reparse. ent Reality Databases on a United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1442 273758 Incorporate MultiValue single system, separate GDI Printer Support logs, license keys. Fax: +44 (0)1442 274516 data into XML documents Email: [email protected] using simple templates. Drive lower specification USA Compatibility WindowsÆ printers and Northgate Information Solutions Enhancements 65 Enterprise Fast Backup/Restore Pseudo printer drivers, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 such as PDF generators, Numerous compatibility Toll Free: +1 866 473 2588 Need to reduce your directly from Reality. enhancements to further Tel: +1 949 330 7850 system backup and simplify your migration to Fax: +1 949 330 7851 Email: [email protected] restore times? Running Set up Reality despoolers Reality: out of night? on Windows hosts to print

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005 29 mvCMS Open Source Backed by MultiValue Technology BY CHARLES BAROUCH

pen Source used to be a Instead of just using exist- ing open source tools, Omarginal concept. Now most which meant continuing to host a MultiValue site MultiValue systems can run on Linux. on a non-MultiValue data- base, we chose to build So, even if you never contribute to an open source site man- ager, named mvCMS (pro- the movement, never download a nounced moove C-M-S). single piece of GPL licensed soft- Before we can discuss the structure of SIMPLE EXAMPLE mvCMS, we need to cover a core Syd is browsing a site and wants to see ware, you are, to some degree, in the object-oriented concept. You see, the calendar entry for June 3rd. She unlike the traditional MultiValue world, clicks on a link which triggers a CGI Open Source movement. We all are. where code tends to be tightly bound, script.That script can be written in any often with all the major functions held language and we refer to it as an Some of us are embracing this move- in a single program, the web is more mvProducer (if it displays results) or an ment in a very direct way, by contribut- object oriented. For those who don’t mvManager (if it also allows you to ing. Examples range from Maverick, work with object-oriented technolo- update the information). Bart, Winter, and OpenQM — all of gies, simply replace the word “object” The mvProducer,in this case,is written which are MultiValue database imple- with the word “fragmented,” and all in PHP and it is responsible for deter- mentations — to tools that work within will be clear. Good OO technology is mining the look of the data (font,color, our existing systems, like mvCMS. This fragmented into clean, well delineated etc.) This site displays calendar pages article is about a project which I’ve parts, all of which encourage reuse in as a table that is two columns wide, directly contributed to, mvCMS. other projects. While not all OO is with one row per entry. The left col- good, all OO is fragmented. When the International U2 Users Group umn has the start time and the right decided to overhaul their web site, we If you want to understand the deeper inner column has the short description. June faced a challenge. As a zero-income workings of mvCMS, they can be found at 3rd has one entry, starting at 8:00 PM group without the legal standing to even http://u2ug.keyally.com/mvcms.html. and holding a description of “Party!” accept a cash donation, everything we This article is more focused on the The way that data makes it back to the use had to either be free or offered freely. logical flow. mvProducer from the database is obvi-

30 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 ous once you look at the diagram.The go through another step called an The mvSection passes the specifics of mvDialect is a bridge that makes the mvSection.This is not just an aggregator. the request (in this case, the date June mvFramework look like PHP to the The purpose of an mvSection is to con- 3rd) to the mvProducer in charge of PHP code, and it makes the PHP look trol the overall format and layout. Like displaying calendar data. like a UniObjects call to the database. the mvProducer and mvManager, the So, Syd clicks the browser link marked mvSection can be written in So, Syd clicks the browser June 3rd,and the browser displays a page Eventually, any language. So, recasting link marked June 3rd, the which includes the calendar information. our last example with an CGI (PHP) calls through mvCMS will be mvSection, we see this: the mvDialect and pulls HOW CAN YOU FOLLOW OUR the data from the data- handled as a Syd is browsing a site and PROGRESS? base by calling the mv- SourceForge wants to see the calendar Eventually,mvCMS will be handled as a Framework API called entry for June 3rd. She SourceForge project. Meanwhile, it is basicCalendar. The mv- project. Meanwhile, clicks on a link which trig- being conducted on the u2-community Framework returns the it isbeing gers a CGI script. That e-mail discussion list. To subscribe to values to the mvDialect, script can be written in the list and follow our progress: visit which makes the data conducted on the any language.We refer to it http://listserver.u2ug.org, enter your look ‘right’ to the PHP as an mv-Section. In this e-mail address, and ‘browse all’ lists code, which formats the u2-community case it is written in PHP. to obtain your access. We have data into a table and push- e-mail The mvSection knows other lists there which may also be es the results back to the where each part of the page of benefit to you. browser as a new page. discussion list. comes from (mvProducers, mvManagers, plain HTML, HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED? COMPLEX EXAMPLE etc) and knows how to apply cascad- We are always looking for participants. If you want your CGI to do multiple ing style sheets and other thematic You can get involved by contacting us calls to the mvFramework, you need to elements. at [email protected]. is

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005 31 Interview with Mr. Robert Nagle, Vice President of Software Development, QInterSystems Corporation.

At& the 2006AInternational Spectrum Conference in Long Beach, California, Spectrum Magazine had

the opportunity to sit down and talk with Mr.

Robert Nagle, Vice President of Software

Development for InterSystems Corporation, the

ROBERT NAGLE makers of the Caché database. A new player in the Vice President of Software Development, InterSystems Corporation MultiValue market, we were interested in what

they were doing and what they saw for the

furture of MultiValue.

32 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 a sudden all their data got projected Thank you very much for and integrity of that data. Our view of a out as XML. So that was kind of the universal data architecture is that you talking with us. Q vision [we had].As technology changes can access your data through globals, we do the heavy lifting you can access your Would you start by giving us a to let them deploy Java, data through SQL,or brief history of InterSystems to let them deploy .Net, you can access your Corporation, the Caché database, to let them use Pearl, or Their vision data through objects, and how that has brought you Python, whenever it is all concurrently, and into the MultiValue marketplace? they want to use. is to move all the that’s what Caché has been, until now. Why did we attract your And what we’d like to PICK code and the attention? do is to offer some of What we have add- that rich set of capabili- ed is the ability to ANSWER:InterSystems ties to the MultiValue old MUMPS code have MultiValue style has been in business for almost 30 developer community. access—opens,reads, years. Our focus has always been on Retain all the benefits all onto our and writes to files. providing the best possible technology that you have of PICK- So you can access for professional application developers. style access to data using integrated your data, which is Originally, our roots are in the MUMPS files, using Query or stored in our glob- market, and we were one of the early Access, whatever name framework and als, using reads and and largest vendors in that space. it goes by,the query pro- writes from MV In 1997 we introduced Caché as a path cessing that has made allow the BASIC, just as you to the future for MUMPS application lots and lots of PICK would in any PICK developers. We wanted to provide applications so success- pieces to work format. You’ve got technology and tools that captured the ful because of ease of an amazingly reli- best features and characteristics of reporting and rapid together as able storage engine MUMPS development but allowed peo- queries. We wanted to underneath you that ple to build contemporary applica- provide that, but also components. has 25 years of devel- tions. What that means changes every allow you to see your opment underneath two to three years as new waves of data as native SQL,native it, so it’s got high technology roll through. But that’s part objects, and to use all performance, extreme of what we wanted to enable, to give the other features of Caché. reliability,and ease of management. But that’s not what’s important.The key is people a platform for the future. We How exactly does MultiVal- knew that being a full native object that from an architectural point of ue fit in with Caché? Most database was important.We knew that Q view, your data is stored in globals, but having extremely high performance of our readers are familiar with you see it just as you would with a nor- SQL access was important. And we MultiValue resting on top of a host mal file, just as SQL access sees it as tables, and object access sees it has wanted to retain the rapid application operating system. So does objects. So now you have four ways to development and extreme scalability MultiValue rest on top of Caché, or access your data, whether it’s for which were the hallmarks of the is it embedded within it? inserts or updates.That’s the data stor- MUMPS style of development. age portion of it. So Caché blended together the best ANSWER: Additionally, from the language point features of MUMPS with native objects That’s a very important question, so let of view, we have a high performance and SQL. That allowed the MUMPS me talk about the overall system archi- virtual machine that up until now has application vendors to host their appli- tecture of Caché. supported two languages: Object cations on Caché and start to develop Script. Which was our first language new forms that had SQL access that At the heart of Caché, and what makes and Basic, which is something like VB got exposed as objects, initially Caché the blindingly fast, scalable data- Script, and what we have added is sup- through Visual Basic, and then it base that it is, are what we call multidi- port for MultiValue Basic, as an equal became Java,became .NET,and now its mensional arrays-globals. These are partner. All three languages get gener- web services. XML became important sparse multidimensional arrays that ated down to the same byte-codes and for people.They were able to just use allow very flexible storage formats, and execute against the same virtual our object model and say,“I want this we have a highly optimized transaction to be an XML enabled class,”and all of engine that deals with all the persistence Continues on page 34

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 33 At the last Spectrum in San QDiego, about a year ago, if Interview with Mr. Robert Nagle, my memory is correct, was the Vice President of Software Development, first time InterSystems came out InterSystems Corporation. and strongly said, “We are coming into the MultiValue marketplace.” If we view that as the announce- Q ment of, “We’re here; we’re a play- er,” what would be your message to the MultiValue marketplace this Continued from page 33 year? What’s transpired over this last year; what’s changed in your more recently they moved a lot of that machine, so they’re all equally fast.AndA software; how are you different &code, a lot of that logic, to our new you can call back and forth between today than when you first made them, call them directly as routines, product, Ensemble, which is targeted your announcement? from one to another, or you can have at enterprise systems services. What they wanted to do was consolidate all objects that are written partly in Basic, ANSWER:That’s a good the decades of applications develop- partly in MultiValue Basic, partly in question. Last year we wanted every- Object Script, and mix and match. ment in a single platform and to be one to understand that we were seri- What you get to do is leverage all the able to reuse different components ous about building new technology to library of classes we’ve already devel- for registration,for lookup,and for bal- make MultiValue development excit- oped and provide as part of Caché. So ancing accounts. They wanted to be ing, and to grow. But to be honest, we the two components are the storage able to mix and match between com- didn’t quite have all the pieces figured and the language runtime. ponents that are being built in Caché, now written on Ensemble, and all the out. I mean, the environments that you We’ve also added, just as a side note, PICK-based code that has been under run in, they’re complicated. And we support for PROCs.They actually com- development for thirty years, so it’s a don’t pretend to have all the answers. pile into the same byte-codes. That’s pretty massive application.It’s used by We didn’t pretend to have all the mostly to make it easy for people to two of the top five stock brokers in answers then, and we’re still learning a move their applications across. We the United Kingdom.They wanted to lot. So it has taken us some time to fig- don’t expect that many people are have an integrated technology base ure out what we think is a good prod- writing new PROCs today, but it’s that became more focused on applica- uct vision.What we want to talk about important for lots of older applications tion integration. So their vision is to in 2006 is that product view, and we to get their code running on Caché. move all the PICK code and the old want to show people that product. We Can you give us any success MUMPS code all onto our integrated want to give people that product. And framework and allow the pieces to we want them to experiment with stories of customers who Q work together as components. building new applications, using all the have already migrated from They’re here, and they’re going to talk code they still have, XML enabling their another MultiValue platform, and about their experiences at moving applications, integrating with our Java what their experience was like? object implementation, working direct- across. I think they’ve had a positive ly with .NET, creating web services; we experience in terms of working with ANSWER:Sure. One of want to deliver that product to people. the more interesting stories is a com- us. One of the things that InterSystems pany called Rhyme Systems from the prides itself on is that we try to work Last year we were talking about,“We’re United Kingdom. Rhyme is an interest- very closely with partners, especially here.We’re really making a serious com- ing company because they have had people who are posing us new chal- mitment to this market. We want to build something exciting.”This year,we applications that were written in lenges.We like to respond to challenges want to say,“Here it is; come try it.” We MUMPS originally and applications that and help application developers get to may still have some rough edges to figure were written in PICK. Their applica- a new and better environment, so out.We’re still learning things about the tions are in the financial services space. we’ve worked very closely with them, MultiValue market, but we think we’ve Several years ago, they moved their and I think they’ve been very pleased got something that’s pretty cool, pretty MUMPS application to Caché, and with the outcome. fast, pretty exciting.

34 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 You say that you’re still Qlearning the MultiValue market. As a relative newcomer to our marketplace, and looking at Viságe things with new eyes, how you see the MultiValue market as far The Most Modern and Cost Effective Tool as where it is going, of how InterSystems can help expand Available in the MultiValue Market the MultiValue market?

ANSWER:That’s a com- plicated question, I think. In some respects, there are parallels between the MUMPS market and the MultiValue market. But in many respects they are Choose the MultiValue different, and lots and lots of the Development Environment details are profoundly different. So I That Has All The Tools! don’t want to stress that analogy too much. But what we would like to offer • Rapid Application Design is some exciting new technologies.We • Business Intelligence think that there is some great applica- • Report Generator tions written in MultiValue. We know • email Processor that. We know that there lots of great • Forms Generator MultiValue programmers out there. And what we’d like to do is invigorate • Fax GatewayContinues on page 36 all those people with some new opportunities to build applications more quickly and have them scale in extremely radical ways.We very proud of our performance, very proud of our e scalability, very proud of our database reliability.What we would like to try to g offer to the MultiValue development Take a FREE Viságe community are those things from a á Test Drive Today at run-time perspective, but also some s www. stamina.com.au excitement on the development front. i So you are trying to Qintroduce the MultiValue V development community to the Caché implementation of the technologies that have proven stantly.We went through the example, space. Who knows what’s happening successful for them and then add six or seven years ago. Everybody was outside me?” an entire set of technologies to still trying to build thick client applica- Part of what we want to do as compa- tions.And then there became sort of a help them expand their ability ny is, we want to do all of that sort of backlash against that and people were to compete? plumbing for you. If you decide, “I’ve moving to the web. You have the been working on this path, and now I ANSWER: Exactly. We waves of J2EE development and.Net need need to change to that path,” want to retain what’s good, and what competing with that, and how do you we’re going to make that possible for works, and what’s work for decades. reconcile between those two choices? you.We have done that with our appli- It’s important. But the world of appli- Or do you become agnostic and say, cation development is changing con- “I’m just going to play the web services Continues on page 45

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 35 [ SPECTRUM SPOTLIGHT]

BY ROBERT HOUBEN Middleware Metadata

FusionWare Corporation has a

long history of developing middleware for MultiValue systems. This middle- MultiVal ware typically leverages mainstream &Business Intelligence (BI) Enterprise industry standards, and FusionWare Application Integration (EAI) and has a tradition of involvement in these Web Services initiatives. standards bodies. As a result, Fusion- This evolution can really be summarized Ware has consistently delivered mid- around the issue of metadata. This dleware that has enabled MultiValue article details this relationship and users to extend their applications how it has affected the industry. It with the least risk, the greatest reuse also shows how recent changes will and leverage of standards and the most affect the ability of MultiValue systems complete integration into industry to easily integrate with other systems. standards.

FusionWare has watched with interest THE EVOLUTION

as the mainstream computing In the Beginning The first real database standard was Open community has evolved its middleware DataBase Connectivity (ODBC). This was an industry initiative by a lot of companies, practices over the years, especially as including Microsoft, who released ODBC as part of their platform in 1992. this evolution has affected the ability ODBC made the assumption that your data for MultiValue data to participate would be accessed using ODBC’s slightly extended flavor of ANSI SQL syntax. For true in mainstream interoperability it was critical that drivers

36 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 supply metadata that described data ships of fields that actually contain When FusionWare released the Rela- from the perspective of an SQL archi- multivalues, let alone subvalues. tional ODBC Driver Edition, it was the tecture. The interesting problem here first ODBC driver outside of the ones This necessitated a costly data explo- for the MultiValue community was supplied by Microsoft. With the ration, mapping, validation and cleans- that their data was not first-normal- release of this driver in 1992, MultiVal- ing cycle that was typically iterative. form, let alone relational. As a commu- ue data is made available to main- Those who stayed the course and nity, we broke the first few “rules” of stream Windows applications. Some of spent the time were rewarded with the relational model, and the rest was the familiar applications are Excel, systems that would enable them to simply a moot point! Access, Word, Cognos, Visual Studio, work with the latest tools and tech- PowerBuilder and Brio. With these This meant that in order to properly nologies from a large assortment of tools and many others you are able to expose MultiValue data, you had to vendors, but this exercise was not for extend your MultiValue data and appli- “map” your MultiValue structures to the faint of heart. cations to your developers, users, cus- something that looked like it was ANSI As a sidenote, some products provid- tomer and partners.The ODBC Driver SQL compatible. ed on-the-fly mapping. The problem Edition provides a comprehensive In most real-world with this was that if you included a mature set of tools for enhancing your scenarios, this pre- multivalued field with three multival- business agility. sented some inter- ues, you would get three rows. If you esting challenges. skipped the multivalue,you would get JDBC one row. Data analysis tools were alue In each of their ODBC For those who wanted to access data releases, Microsoft talked about their making assumptions about cardinality from Java, the JDBC specification pro- vision for the future roadmap of data that fell apart in these situations, vided an API that followed not only the connectivity. Each time they would talk resulting in incorrect results. Basical- original SQL Access Group’s (SAG) Call about how more than 80% of all data ly, there were no real short-cuts to Level Interface (CLI) but actually lever- mapping, not if you wanted to be able was in non-relational data stores and aged the success and maturity of to really leverage all the BI tools that how they had a vision for how you Microsoft’s ODBC specification. It was were springing up around ODBC. would be able to get to it without hav- really a Java clone of ODBC and ing to go through this relational map- required the same metadata and the ping exercise. Mapping Wizards After doing a large number of these same ANSI SQL compliance. Meanwhile, a whole list of tools came mapping projects for customers, we With the release of the FusionWare out to enable such useful Business began to realize that there was a com- Relational JDBC Driver Edition in Intelligence exercises as ad hoc monality to what worked, so we cre- 1997 our customers were then able to reporting, data mining, data staging ated an ODBC mapping wizard that and warehousing,and many others. All implement the “write once, run every- would run through both your diction- of these tools leveraged the fact that aries and your files and come up with where” economy of Java-based appli- they could count on asking for, and a best-first-guess for you of what was in cation development and maintenance getting, consistent metadata. the file. Our customers loved the new to any MultiValue system.The Fusion- Every developer tool that has ever wizard. The new feature saved time, Ware JDBC Driver Edition is a pure been developed to enhance a develop- made it easy to map and accuracy was Java level 3 driver (not simply a bridge er’s experience or an end user’s ability increased. to an ODBC driver) that provides a to create reports on the fly counted on You could then fine tune this selec- platform-independent interface from this but was also limited by assump- tion, choosing between multiple defi- any Java-enabled environment to any tions about the state of the metadata. nitions for a field until you got the one MultValue database. The problem for most MultiValue users (or ones) that worked. I said “or ones” was that the closest they had ever because there were times when a OLE DB come to actually having metadata was field, dependent on context, might OLEDB was the first database access the list of dictionary items on their sys- have either a date, for instance, or a standard that allowed access to non- tem. These, unfortunately were not text string. The only way to work relational data sources. I say standard enforced, not required, and typically with this from an ANSI SQL point of because, in practice, anything that not completely accurate. What’s more, view was to map it as two fields. You comes from Microsoft becomes a stan- for most users, these did nothing to can’t change a data type in midstream. dard much more quickly than things define actual structure and relation- That just doesn’t work! Continues on page 38

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 37 standards based data access products, Middleware Metadata and MultiValue we have developed a true managed Continued from page 37 code provider which supports Visual Studio 2003 and 2005. It leverages the full capabilities and comprehensive inte- that come from bodies like ECMA or getting your data into a standard SQL grated development environment of W3C, except when the latter are sup- database. Visual Studio .NET. The FusionWare ported by reference code from Direct ADO.NET Provider has no propri- Microsoft. OLEDB allowed for two important innovations: etary binding objects layer so it will FusionWare Direct OLEDB Driver was work exactly as the .NET developer released in 1996. This product deliv- Your data did not have to be expects. The .NET developer can use all ered a high-performance development viewed as “flat” data. the methods and best practices that they environment for MultiValue to Win- You did not have to support have been trained to use to create appli- dows applications that retained the ANSI SQL. cations with Visual Studio. For the Mul- MultiValue data’s hierarchical nature. tiValue programmer trying to move to The OLEDB Driver lever- Microsoft was finally .NET, FusionWare includes methods for ages FusionWare’s pow- supporting the notion easy conversion of MultiValue BASIC erful Direct Data Access The problem of non-relational data programs to the .NET framework. Multi- Server which also pow- sources in a real way. Value programmers will find it easy to ers both the FusionWare for most While you have the use these methods both to port existing Java Adapter and our option to nest data to code and to write new code within the newly released Fusion- an arbitrary depth, you .NET framework to access their Multi- Ware Direct ADO.NET MultiValue users are still required to Value systems. providers. Building with decide if a field is text, numeric, decimal, date, As noted above, this technology lever- our Direct Access Server ages FusionWare’s powerful Direct Data reduces your depend- was that the or time. You simply Access Server. The Direct Data Access ence on a single technol- have to choose a data Server also powers both the FusionWare ogy stack and increases type. This is OK, since Java Adapter and OLEDB providers. your options for future closest they had you can always repre- project interoperability. sent it as a textual field. Leveraging our experience working with the Relational product line, we During this evolution ever come to The only issue was that have created a mapping wizard that will we had many customers most, if not all, vendors analyze your dictionaries and data and creating data warehous- of products for Business actually having do a first-pass mapping of your MultiVal- es mostly with SQL Serv- Intelligence (BI) purpos- es still required ANSI ue data,which you can then tailor to suit er. At FusionWare we SQL compatibility in your needs. Both the OLEDB Direct Dri- decided to introduce a metadata was the order to work with the ver and the Direct ADO.NET Providers new addition to the Data data, so the victory only allow for unmapped direct access to Access family of prod- helped you if you were MultValued data.The optional MultiValue ucts called Direct list of dictionary working with a web or BASIC compatible methods that enable mv2SQL. This product client app. BI tools still MultiValue developers to jump-start their made it easy to export items on their weren’t in the fold. move to .NET makes this move easier data from your MultiVal- than ever. ue database directly to ADO.NET SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 system. ADO.NET, while it only SQL Server Reporting or mySQL. FusionWare subtly changed how Services Direct mv2SQL was the nested structures worked, actually designed for use with complex mulit- Probably the most exciting recent made it easier and more reliable to work value and subvalue data by automati- innovation has been the release of with, as well as moved it more into the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Ser- cally normalizing the data as it passes mainstream. With ADO.NET it finally vices. Initially released as an add-on to to a SQL application. All the required feels like Microsoft got the model right. SQL Server 2000, there is also a new views are created for each level of version of Reporting Services for SQL data. This technology eliminated the In keeping with our expertise in creat- Server 2005. need to flatten (normalize) the data so ing middleware for the MultiValue com- the performance increase was signifi- munity, FusionWare is excited to In keeping with FusionWare’s ongoing cant. This product built on the meta- announce the release of the FusionWare commitment to the MultiValue com- data that the mapping of your data Direct ADO.NET Provider. In keeping munity, we are excited to also provides, to give you a default path for with our development vision of creating announce the release of the Fusion-

38 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 Ware Reporting Services Provider. This data. Microsoft meanwhile saw the NEEDED technology leverages the FusionWare promise of providing access to 80% of ADO.NET Provider and seamlessly the world’s business data, which was makes MultiValue data available to previously inaccessible, and they made PICK PROGRAMMERS Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Ser- it available! We have a number of requests for programmers with experience using vices. The FusionWare Reporting Ser- They way they did this was first to rec- PICK, Universe, Unidata, SB+, jBase vices Provider is designed to be easily ognize that the flat relational con- or Advanced Revelation from client implemented and takes very little straint was artificial and counter- companies nationwide. developer time to make the MultiValue productive to developers building data available to the data consumer. applications. MultiValue developers Email your resume to: Chuck Okeson at This technology is built on proven have long realized the benefits of [email protected] robust technology that provides for being able to manipulate a single very fast and easy data retrieval and is a object that included header and detail 800-949-5423 x203 true 100% compliant provider. data. Microsoft made this available You can easily take reports that are through OLEDB as well as by its broad generated using LIST or SORT state- adoption of XML across its offerings. ments and publish them for access The second way that Microsoft realized Have a new software through SQL Server reporting services. this goal was to recognize that the ANSI product for the SQL requirement was also an artificial Because it supports both SQL Server constraint. Microsoft deserves credit MultiValue market? 2000 & 2005 Reporting Services, with for this since they are a major SQL data- Combine the power of your AD in FusionWare Reporting Services Pro- base vendor. They still do an excellent Spectrum magazine with a marketing vider, you now have the ability to build job of supporting both their own SQL campaign to one of our qualified email lists! reports that incorporate data from mul- database along with IBM, Oracle, and tiple data sources. Reporting Services anything else that supports ANSI SQL, It’s more affordable than you think. includes a full range of BI tools, includ- but Microsoft now allows non-SQL ing Analysis Services, web access, compliant data to participate, opening Call 720-259-1356 report management and other enter- opportunities that are much bigger for a free quote today. prise-class features. than just the relational opportunities. Because of how Microsoft implement- For those of us in the MultiValue com- critical developers working with .NET ed this technology, and because of the munity, this is a huge win! It means and Java developers with one product availability of the FusionWare Report- that we can simply focus on metadata supplier for your integration. ing Services Provider, all of this rich definition. Forget about mapping your functionality is available for non ANSI MultiValue to separate SQL views or FusionWare’s core competencies of SQL Compliant data sources. This layering expensive SQL engines onto accessing MultiValue databases, devel- means that your MultiValue data is a your lumpy data. You can simply map oping middleware tools and enabling full participant. Not only can your web your data for what it really is, multival- Service Oriented Architectures, afford and client applications directly access ued and subvalued data, and you then us a clear understanding of the issues the full richness of your MultiValue work with it directly. facing you. Our ultimate goal is to pro- data, without requiring an expensive vide you with the best options to and potentially cumbersome mapping Having mapped this data, you can then address your changing business needs, process, but you can now do BI access this for web pages, web servic- while retaining the MultiValue applica- Busines Intelligence activities against es, mobile device, client applications tions and business logic that have been your MultiValue data. or BI purposes. running your business for years. Our new direct data access providers What does it all mean? We all want to be successful and rapid- ly take advantage of the new business enable this in new and powerful ways is Microsoft has often been a company opportunities in today’s competitive not previously possible! that although recognized an opportu- marketplace. Organizations need to nity,it has resisted many non-Microsoft extend information beyond the walls of initiated engineering trends. You may Contact [email protected] their enterprise and seamlessly interact say that they are mercenary in their with staff, customers, partners, and sup- intent, but the fact is, that without pliers in real time.With the combination to learn how FusionWare can them, many of today’s software innova- of FusionWare’s data access products, tions would not be available to us. services, expertise, with Java or help you reach your business In the case of BI and data sources, ven- Microsoft technologies you can now dors would have simply gone after the increase your business agility. You can low-hanging fruit of ANSI SQL compliant now seamlessly have MultiValue mission performance goals faster.

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 39 BY CHARLES BAROUCH Inventory for Programmers (Part I)

PROGRAMMING, as a profession, has two Inventory Adjustment. No matter how good your computer sys- tem is, at some point, someone needs to very different parts. The first part is knowing how roll up their sleeves and hand verify the inventory.Shrinkage (damage and theft), expiration of perishables, all sorts of to make the computer do things. The second part is events can trigger variances between physical goods inventory and the book (computer) inventory.A good inventory knowing things worth doing. This series of programmer makes sure that the system does two things related to large scale inventory adjustment: (1) the system should help workers to prepare for man- articles is not about the first part. The rest of this ual counts, and (2) the system should make reconciliation easy. Preparation includes things like the abil- magazine does a great job of keeping track of new ity to print tags for marking which goods have been counted, which goods are DNI (do not inventory), and which technologies and discussing them. This corner of goods are found to be bad. Other good prep tools are the ability to print tally sheets (if you are doing a true manual Spectrum is devoted to the second part. inventory), the ability to set up scanners with the correct information (if you are doing a scan inventory), and the ability to handle transactions during inventory. hese installments are about invento- That last one is often overlooked.Unless Try. Understanding inventory is key you have a very small area to check, or a to programming activities like BOM (Bill massive workforce, the odds are that of Materials), MRP (Materials Resource someone will need to either receive in Planning), Stock Ledger, Model Stock, or ship out some goods during the and hundreds of other practical busi- inventory period.You should always try ness applications.A good place to start is to develop systems that do not interfere one of the hardest aspects of inventory: with the company making money. One

40 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 way to achieve this task is to create a language in your reports, updating report on a single style or class of goods. temporary warehouse that can hold tools, and menus. Often, targeted inventories are done goods to be shipped, and can receive Make sure that your reporting tools with an eye toward closing out a prod- goods. Keeping the goods separate will uct. In this case, an inventory valuation use the options that your users keep them excluded from the inventory 4 (not just number of units, but cost of expect.For example,if they make exten- process. For example, you might want to units and potential sale value of units) sive use of bar codes, let them shoot the lock the door between the loading dock may need to occur. Once you are pro- tag to update the correct product.Why and warehouse, keeping the loading gramming inventory valuation, you have force them to key all the codes in the dock area as your temporary warehouse. to think like a financial programmer. reconciliation if they don’t have to enter Inventory programs can get away with To meet the second need,reconciliation, them anywhere else in the system. rounding and other ‘close enough’ meth- you need to have excellent reporting Another major thing to remember about ods. Financial programs can affect tax fil- and excellent update tools. Here are mass Inventory Adjustment--since they ings, stock prices (if you are publicly some basic ground rules don’t do it all the time, traded), and other systems of record that for this part of the process: the need for simple extend beyond the gates of your company. processes and excellent Always keep the frozen Use the correct Before writing or updating an inventory documentation cannot 1(computer inventory) system, take the time to understand the be overstated. When separate when doing terminology. We company and the industry with whom you do something every counts. You’ll need to for you are working.There may be specific day,you tend to remem- comparison to the new legal standards in place with which your all wince when ber all the steps. When values. system must comply. Also remember you do something once that some inventories explode, burn, or Use the principles of a year,under pressure to users use otherwise punish people for mishan- exception reporting. get it done fast, you for- 2 dling them.Your process has to take into Don’t report every style, get steps and you make computer terms account safe practices. color, and size, just report errors. Anything you, as the mismatches. Another the technical person, On a final note, consider new technolo- good rule of thumb is to without can do to help the users gies. One of the new hot buttons in allow the users to set a cut is worth considering. inventory is RFID. Companies like Aire- off,so that they can report understanding space make monitoring systems that can the biggest variances, deal Now, a good Inventory tell if inventory is walking out the back Adjustment system isn’t with them,and then move door, has ended up on the wrong truck, just for mass changes. down to the next biggest. what they mean. or has been put on the wrong shelf. Your warehouse man- For example, create a There are companies making voice sys- ager may do partial report of just the one hun- Well, the tems for inventory tracking in cold inventories, ‘hospital’ dred biggest differences, rooms.Some people may need technolo- inventories, and any in descending order.Add a gies for inventorying things that can’t inventory people number of other, smaller footer to the report telling simply be scanned or eyeballed, like corrections to the counts them how many more cubic volumes of gas or liquids.We have throughout the year.Mak- variances exist, so that feel the to move with the times and we shouldn’t ing your system serve they can see progress.Your hesitate to present our clients and both purposes (mass and top one hundred report same way when employers with a full range of options. targeted) results in two will only be a few pages,so benefits: In Inventory for Programmers (Part II), it will be easy to work we misuse we’ll discuss the differences between raw with, and, when they (1) you get to write and materials, finished goods, and imports. resolve them, the next maintain less code, (2) biggest automatically fall their terms. the inventory people A glossary of inventory terms can be is into the top one hundred. don’t have to learn two found at BusinessTech.KeyAlly.com. systems. Both of these advantages also Use the correct terminology. We all result in a third advantage:reduced errors. CHARLES BAROUCH is the CTO for 3 wince when users use computer Key Ally, Inc. and Mount Olympus Systems, terms without understanding what they Targeted inventory has its own consid- Inc. He is also President of the U2UG and a mean. Well, the inventory people feel erations. For example, in a mass invento- regular Spectrum Magazine contributor. the same way when we misuse their ry,you are looking for differences across Charles Barouch [email protected] - Consulting terms. Find out what the target compa- all the products you carry. In a targeted [email protected] - ETL/Migration/Integration ny uses conversationally and use that inventory, they will more likely need to (718) 762-3884x1

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 41 International Spectrum’s MultiValue Application Database Challenge BY CANDI HART

The second annual The Scenario ing the boss how much more they can MultiValue Application The GM for the company you work for is a big NFL foot- do with the data in a Multi- Database Challenge was ball fan. For many years she played in Value database rather than in Excel. the office football pool but never won! The spreadsheet contains all the scheduled to be held Although she reads the information on games each team has played in order, Monday, March 6th, the nfl.com web site, she wasn’t able who they played, the scores, and the to get a consolidated view of all the win loss record.As the season draws to prior to the opening of games each team has played during a close, she was able to show each the year, so she developed a spread- team by conference (AFC versus NFC) the 2006 International sheet to keep track of the information by division (North, South, East, West) she wanted to review before making Spectrum Conference showing their win-loss record (which her picks. Halfway through this sea- goes toward their standing within and Exhibition. Unfortu- son, she won the pool. Everyone is ask- their division). ing how she did it. She has agreed to nately, the challenge provide her spreadsheet to her pro- You will need to develop the database grammers so they can build a data base then load the data from the spread- was canceled due to a to better enter and store the data.The sheet into it. Then you will need an lack of participants. programmers are excited about show- input screen so that the GM can have

Several of the teams

that did sign up, however,

expressed an interest in

seeing the challenge

specifications. We were

excited by the specifica-

tions that Candi Hart

wrote, and we wanted

you see them. Perhaps

this will encourage you

to sign up for the 2007

challenge at the confer-

ence in Long Beach.

42 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 the receptionist (who has too much lost to.The team may have a good win- The GM realizes that if everyone has this time on her hands) enter the results of loss record so far,but they’ve only beat information, her odds of winning will all games each week. It must be user- some of the worst teams in the league. decrease,but she has always tried to pro- friendly because the receptionist Reviewing this information can help a vide a fair working environment for her knows nothing about football at all and player make better decisions about employees as well as opportunities for is challenged to just transfer the phone who will win the next week. them to increase their education. is to the right party.Actually, it would be best if there were a form (or listing) that shows each team and a line upon SPECIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS which the GM could enter who each You must be able to load the data from the Excel spreadsheet team played and the final score. The into your database. GM would be happy to write down the We expect at least two input screens: scores of all games while she watches 1. Input of Team information the games on Sunday so she can bring 2. Input of games and scores each week the form back in to the receptionist to do the data entry. We want two ‘reports’ to the screen: The players in the pool will receive a 1. Show all teams by conference by division, and their win-loss record, in order of most wins. report each week that should look 2. Allow lookup by team to show the history of the games played by similar to the existing spreadsheet. week. Should show who they played and the score, with wins in one This report makes it easy to see column and losses in another. Should be able to see which week was whether the most recent games have the bye week.This report should look much like the existing spread been wins or losses (a 6-4 record is not sheet. (no need to get creative here; your GM likes the way her spread such a good indication of strength if sheet looks). the losses have been the last 4 games). List or be able to discuss the advantages of having this data in a You see at a glance which teams a MultiValue versus an Excel spreadsheet. team beat versus which teams they

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 43 Take delivers unparalleled data protection, centralized back-up, high newsmakers availability, and recoverability. It’s the Continued from page 27 solution of choice for thousands of 3G Wireless application portals ulti- Continental Lab Products in 2005). customers, from SMEs to the For- mately lower costs, increase pro- Zumasys is a Microsoft Gold Partner tune 500 in the banking, finance, ductivity and ease application and holds reseller agreements with legal services, retail, manufacturing, deployment. Zumasys’ 3G Wireless Cisco, Citrix Systems, Good Tech- government, education, and health- initiative and national Wireless WAN nologies, HP, IBM, NetMotion Wire- care markets. Double-Take is an seminar series have attracted wide- less, Panasonic, Sierra Wireless & integral part of their disaster recovery, spread attention and accolades from SonicWall. Zumasys is headquar- business continuity and overall customers, vendors and press alike. tered in Lake Forest, CA. For more storage strategies. Double-Take Its wireless deployments have been information, visit www.Zumasys.com. Software is privately held and featured in publications including headquartered in Southborough, Computerworld, Network World, About Double-Take Software MA. For more information, please Computer Reseller News and The Double-Take Software, formerly visit www.doubletake.com. Washington Post. Zumasys known as NSI Software, Inc. provides appeared on D&B’s 2004 Hot 100 the world’s most relied upon solution Zumasys, Inc. List of America’s Fastest Growing for accessible data protection for 20472 Crescent Bay Drive New Businesses and Computer Microsoft Windows applications. The Suite 104 Reseller News 2005 List of Fastest Double-Take product is the standard Lake Forest, CA 92630 Growing Solution Providers and in data replication, enabling cus- the company is the only two-time tomers to protect business-critical Tel. (949) 334-0287 winner of QUALCOMM’s CDMA data that resides throughout their Fax (949) 334-0287 [email protected] Wireless Innovation Awards (for enterprise. With its partner programs Momentum Group in 2004 and and professional services, Double-

44 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 Continued from page 46 Interview with Mr. Robert Nagle Continued from page 35 And that’s where it Qcation developers in the past, people we work with people.We have a long Clif stayed for years, at who had green screen applications tradition of partner-based success. Notes degree two, many and wanted&A to go to thick client, or More than 80 percent of our revenue times over, until the people who had thick client applica- comes from ISVs and VARs who are 2005 International Spec- trum when I was one of the judges for tions and wanted to build light weight building applications, so that’s how the Database Application Challenge. It web-enabled applications;people who we’re used to working with people. was because of that last degree, the had great business logic and wanted to We have good models for sales and direct connection, that when Nichelle find some way to project that out of pricing, and we’re responsive to peo- Johnson resigned as editor of Spectrum web services. All this is possible with ple as they want to put together busi- magazine, Gus and I started talking Caché, with people building applica- ness opportunities. about the possibility of me stepping into tions in C++, using Java, using Python, that role.After a couple of months, I was using Pearl.We’ve got people building We also have a great support organiza- invited to meet with him and Monica to native Caché server page applications, tion. For applications to be successful, discuss the offer of the editorship of the which is one of the fastest kind of they have to have great levels of sup- magazine… web-based application development port. Our world-wide response center you can do, and we’re developing on works 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. …where I met Nathan and found out all those fronts. I think one of the key We have some very high standards that the company had been sold. I could things that we can offer is that were we achieve within that organization.We have sworn I heard a chorus behind committed to pushing forward all believe that a person should answer the office partition singing, “Hooray these frontiers continually. phone calls all the time. There’s no for Captain Spaulding,” though I was muzak; there is no going into queues. probably imagining it. Those sort of We’re also committed to huge invest- You need to talk to engineers instantly hallucinations are not uncommon ments at the kernel of Caché.We intro- if you have a problem, and that’s what when you’re going into shock, duced some radical improvement in we strive to do. We let customers set although for all I know Gus may have the runtime environment over the last priorities; we don’t tell them what the known Groucho; I wouldn’t put it past five years. We have new distributed priorities are. Only a customer can him.(I wonder what the average age is database technology that is giving peo- close a problem that has been opened of those readers who are entering a ple great scale out options.That’s what in support.We can never clear or close Google search at the moment. Those we want to do. We want to keep a problem until the customer says it’s old enough to have recognized the ref- enabling applications to be bigger.We closed.Our support philosophy,I think, erence without the aid of a search want to allow people to have freedom is something that is important for peo- engine are going to be cussing me the of how other applications integrate ple to understand as they contemplate rest of the day because of that tune with the outside world. doing business with us. running in a loop inside their head.) I now start at Spectrum with the first Is there a particular name And finally, does InterSys- degree of separation firmly established or branding that you have Q Qtems have any reaction to with the Chairman.At least this time I given to MultiValue on Caché? the changes that are going on at can look forward thirty years and see Spectrum? myself saying,“Yes,I’ve known Nathan ANSWER:The MultiVal- for almost thirty years. I wonder how I ue features that are part of Caché are ANSWER: slipped to four degrees?” part of the standard,to be released,ver- sion of Caché. Every release of Caché Well, we’re still really trying to digest So Gus,when some folks say,“Don’t let will have these features in them.That’s that. Spectrum has played a huge role the door hit you on the way out,”they generally been our philosophy; there’s in the evolution of MultiValue, and we usually don’t mean it in a kind way. hope that it continues to play an no special version.It is part of standard When I say it, it’s because I just got important role.We’re here, however,to Caché.There is no add-on cost. It is just through the door jam and it hurts to support the MultiValue community, to how Caché works. get hit in the head by a swinging door. offer our products to the community. Good luck, Gus. Best wishes in your Is there any thing else you We’ll respond to however the Multi- new ventures. And thank you. It’s would like to add? Value community views Spectrum as Q almost been a good thirty years. an entity going forward. Our goal ANSWER:One of the though is to use this as a place to Hm.That didn’t come out quite right… things that we’re proud of is the way come and talk to people. is is

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 45 Subscribe on-line at Continued from page 47 www.intl-spectrum.com Clif even have e-mail. As or difficult as it might fax this form to (603) 250-0664 Notes be for some of you and keep Spectrum magazines younger techs to believe, coming FREE for 1 year!! they built most of these connections using the phone and face-to-face con- tact. Dick Pick is reported to have once NAME TITLE said that a big difference between him and Gus was, if he wanted to meet the COMPANY President of the United States, he would have no idea how to go about it. Gus ADDRESS would just pick up the phone. With hundreds (or more?) of connec- CITY STATE ZIP tions in the MultiValue community,it is not surprising the number of people PHONE FAX who want to wish him farewell, one way or the other. And many people E-MAIL WEB SITE will then launch into the story of how they met Gus. I figure this is my last SIGNATURE DATE opportunity to do that myself. (All questions must be answered. Incomplete forms will not be processed. Complimentary subscriptions are limited to U.S. addresses.) I’ve almost known Gus for thirty years.

1. What is your job function/title? No.That is not a typo or a grammatical Principal/Owner Sales/Marketing boo-boo. I did not mean to say I have President/GM/CEO Programmer/Analyst known Gus for almost thirty years. I mean, I have almost known him for MIS/DP Manager Purchasing thirty years. Controller/Financial Consultant VP/Department Head Other ______When Gus was at Dynamed, I worked for an ambulance company that was 2. Is your company a (check one): one of their customers. We both had Computer System Supplier Dealer/OEM/VAR Software House Microdata Reality computers, among Consultant End User Other ______the first ones sold (I think mine was serial number 39, or there about). Of 3. What MultiValue Databases does your company use? (check all that apply) course, at that time there was no user D3 Native MultiValue Reality Other______group, local or national.There was no Spectrum. Yet there was the local jBASE uniData UniVerse uniVision Microdata VAR. So I guess we moved one degree closer. 5. What major business/industry most clearly describes your company? Accounting Medical Direct Marketing Legal And so it went through the years,slow- Banking/Finance Dental Construction Retail ly getting one degree closer.ADDS, the company who produced the Mentor Education Insurance Other ______system, was one of my customers. I reported to Joe, who reported to 6. What are your firm’s approximate gross annual sales? Robin White, who knew Gus.That put Under $500,000 $500,000 - $1 million me at degree three. I worked for Jim Over $1 million - $5 million Over $5 million - $10 million Whalen at Devcom. Jim ended up at Over $10 million - $25 million Over $25 million - $100 million Fujitsu,then a PICK licensee.Jim knew Over $100 million - $500 million Over $500 million Gus.Ah, hah. Degree two.

IS 3/06 And at that point it ended, like that FREE SUBSCRIPTION retractable cord that rolls up until it stops--two inches short of fully retracted. 46 INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 Continues on page 45 Clif Notes Hello,I Must Be going BY W. CLIFTON OLIVER, CCP

’m sure that you have heard the news about the worked its way into popular culture and is the basis of such Internet social change in ownership at Spectrum. If you were networking sites as LinkedIn, Friend- ster, and the like. (The Freudians, on not at the conference in Long Beach where it the other hand, are still debating the I significance of targeting the wife of a was announced, you may have heard about it divinity student.) from someone you know who was there. Or from That’s why I assumed you heard the someone who knew someone who knew someone news. In case you haven’t, because you are not connected at all or you read who had gotten an e-mail from someone who knew magazines backwards and didn’t see it mentioned several times on your way about it. This “friend of a friend of a friend” thing is to the back cover, I’ll summarize. Gus called “degrees of separation.” Giobbi is retiring from the MultiValue world. International Spectrum has been purchased by Nathan Rector. The idea of degrees of separation same. What this and subsequent stud- came from a study done in 1967 by a ies discovered was that most of the let- It was interesting talking to people at social psychologist at Yale by the name ters that actually got delivered went the 2006 International Spectrum Multi- of Stanley Milgram. Social psycholo- through an average of only six inter- Value Conference in Long Beach after gists study how individuals are effect- mediaries, or six “hops,” as we like to the announcement was made.The reac- ed by the presence of others and how say in the computer biz. (In 1967, tions were predictably varied. Some individuals interact with others. Anti- however, we had not yet appropriated folks are very fond of Gus. Some folks, social psychologists work in isolation the term “hops” from the brewing not so much.After all, a person cannot and are only interested in what you say industry.) Thus the term “six degrees try to do Big Things and expect to be when you’re talking to yourself. They of separation,” the first degree being universally liked. It can even be argued are called Freudians. directly knowing the target person. that if you don’t have at least some Some computer engineers refer to it detractors,you aren’t really doing much What Stan did was to get about sixty as five degrees of separation, zero- in life. But one thing becomes very volunteers in Wichita, Kansas. He sent based indexing, but we tend to ignore clear when you talk to people. each one a letter and asked them to for- people like that; they’re used to being ward it to a person they knew on a Everybody knows Gus. ignored, anyway. first-name basis who they thought Gus and Monica did not build the might be able to forward the letter to Although there have been a number of longest running computer trade show in the wife of a particular divinity student objections to the experimental design the United States by avoiding people, sit- in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The per- of these studies and to the way in ting in an office,and just sending e-mails. son to whom they forwarded the let- which the results were reported, the Heck, twenty-five years ago we didn’t ter was then instructed to do the concept of degrees of separation has Continues on page 46

INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM MARCH/APRIL 2006 47