This chapter should give a quick overview of what Alventis is capable of. Some features pertain to Alventis Designer or Server and are therefore only available in the Professional or Enterprise editions. We'll indicate this as we go. To keep it short, we are omitting lengthy explanations, so this introduction may require some background in Windows applications and databases.

 

Alventis supports the following elements typical of most database applications:

•Tables, including relationally-linked ones
•InfoView forms based on Tables (Data-entry forms to old-timers)
•A broad array of field types, including Pictures and rich-text Memos
•Queries using a subset of SQL-92
•Fully customizable Reports based on Queries
•Local or Client-Server modes of operation

 

The central feature of Alventis is Search:

•Searches are performed across all selected Tables regardless of their structure
•Searches rely on full-text indexing to almost instantaneously find all records that meet the search criteria
•Usually, all textual fields are searched, Memos included (the exceptions are fields specifically excluded from searches by the respective Table's designer)
•Searches can use complex expressions and Boolean logic
•Search results from all Tables are presented in a single cumulative list
•You can open records directly from this Search Results list by simply double-clicking them

 

Alventis Professional adds a "structural editor" called Alventis Designer which extends the above features by providing the following capabilities:

•Create Tables from scratch with unlimited number of fields, and modify existing Tables
•Create InfoView forms from scratch and modify existing ones
•Implement sophisticated InfoView layouts
•All of the above is performed with absolutely no coding or scripting: just drag-and-drop and a few mouse clicks

 

Alventis Enterprise adds the following features to Alventis:

•Database Server itself, which is a compact standalone application
•Administration of the Servers
•Control over multi-user security, rights, and access privileges

 

It may not be immediately apparent from all the features listed above, but Alventis is also quite unique in its ability to concurrently and seamlessly integrate multiple sources of information. This means the following:

•Unlimited number of Tables per Database
•Unlimited number of Databases per Server
•Unlimited number of Servers

 

All of the above is transparent to the data operations, such as searching, viewing, editing, and reporting. In particular, a single list of Search Results may include records from all of the above sources, perhaps even different Servers.

Note that "Server" in the above discussion means either a real Remote Server (a separate application running on some computer) or the local "pseudo-server". This is explained in more detail at the beginning of the Database Explorer chapter.

 

 

We will now discuss the available Alventis editions and what each of them offers you.

 

•Alventis Standard. This includes just the Alventis application itself. You can work with all the existing Tables and InfoViews (together referred to as InfoSets) viewing and editing their data. Aside from these "database user" activities, you can create Queries and base Reports on them. Default Queries are provided for users who don't know SQL. Designing a Report is about as easy as creating a document, while still offering full flexibility: sorting, multi-level grouping, etc.

 

•Alventis Professional is essentially Alventis Standard with the addition of Alventis Designer, which is a standalone application. With both tools at your disposal, you can redesign or create from scratch absolutely everything Alventis has to offer, including Tables and InfoView forms. This amounts to a complete development package with results that can rival those of "heavyweight" DBMS platforms.

 

•Alventis Enterprise is comprised of the Alventis application with Administration capabilities described earlier, the Database Server application, and Alventis Designer. An enterprise-level multi-user installation of Alventis could therefore consist of a single copy of Alventis Enterprise for the Database developer and/or administrator plus the required number of Alventis Standard or Professional copies, one per database user.