DataEase 4.01 INFO Oct 30, 1989 DataEase Int'l, Inc., ARTISOFT This product works correctly with LANtastic. Artisoft distributors report that problems running may be resolved by increasing the /F /L on the SHARE command line. User reports DataEase suggests /F:32000 /L:1000 and config files=255. 11/28/89 LKA. Note: The /F:32000 is probably excessive. (s0B5/9/91 TSE NOTE: User reports that the -M switch on command line [DE16M -M\DATA-DIRECTORY\DB-NAME] may solve some reported file locking problems (where two people can edit same record etc). This switch is not presented in their documentation. 9/19/90 CM/JCR The following information was provided by a DataEase Certified Consultant at on May 11-13 at a Dataease User's Convention in Boston. The following is recommended for Dataease and LANtastic: [6/3/92 TSE version of DataEase is unknown] Recommended for optimum performance: 1. Dedicated 386 server with => 4 mb RAM, 18 ms disk 2. 386SX workstation with => 2 mb RAM, 18 ms disk 3. Ethernet topology 4. DOS 3.3 or 5.0 (highly recommended) Configuration A. Server 1. CONFIG.SYS FILES=255 LASTDRIVE=Z BUFFERS=30 FCBS=16,8 SHARE /F:2048 /L:1000 B. Workstation 1. CONFIG.SYS FILES=60 (or higher, depending on application) BUFFERS=30 (or lower, depending on cache) 2. AUTOEXEC.BAT SET DENAME= [unique name] SET DEPATH= [network path where DENETWRK.OVL and PRINTERS.DAT files are located. CALL LOGIN.BAT C. DataEase 1. Select OTHER as network type. Turn off conflicting user messages. 2. Start DataEase with DEASE -M or DE16M -M (enables multi-user file and record locking features (undocumented in versions <= 4.24) 3. DataEase Database configuration (page 5) (1.) Shared (2.) None (3.) Shared (4.) Lock files (5.) Lock nothing DataEase Optimization 1. Ensure every form has ONE unique field (concatentate using JOINTEXT, if necessary), make it indexed and the first indexed field in the form. Ideally, it should be the FIRST field in the form. Index the link field in related forms. 2. Eliminate, as much as possible, virtual fields with SUM OF, COUNT OF, HIGHEST OF, LOWEST OF in the derivation formulas. 3. Ensure relationships have only ONE match field. 4. DQL WITH statements including multiple ANDed criteria should have the MOST selective field listed first; indexes on other ANDed fields in the WITH statement can decrease performance dramatically. 5. Ensure your forms are in 3rd Normal Form (3NF). 6. In system workstation configuration (page 1), set the default sort disk to a local hard disk [eg: c:\temp]. 7. Use Jada Tools to periodically reorganize your system files. 8. Have users log out when not using the application 9. Instruct users to F10 into all the forms they will be routinely using when they first login to DataEase. 10. Join a DataEase User Group in your area or subscribe to the TDUG Newsletter. Dataease 4.53 INFO Jan 25, 1993 DataEase Int'l, Inc., DataEase Consultant The following information concerning upgrading Dataease with LANtastic was sent to us by a DataEase Certified Consultant: Upgrading to a new version of software normally causes some apprehension. Whether your word processor, spreadsheet, or database, the chances are that something will have changed in the new version that will bring you grief and long hours of troubleshooting to rectify. While 4.53 brings such benefits as improved speed and excellent mouse support, a few things will change when you perform the upgrade. The following tips have been learned while upgrading several Lantastic networks. If you take the necessary steps, your upgrade should be relatively painless. Note that these tips refer to 4.53 Rev. 0, not the soon to be released 4.53 Rev. 1. Before installing the upgrade disks, copy your entire DataEase directory to another directory called \deaseold. Then make a copy of ALL of your applications, if possible. Don't rely on a DataEase backup. Instead, use PKZip, Norton Backup, PCBackup, or a tape system to make at least two copies of your applications. After you run 4.53 on your applications, they will be converted to the new version and not easily returned. 4.53 changes the encryption scheme and modifies the user????.dbm file where your usernames and passwords are. Perform the upgrade. DataEase 4.53 will retrieve your serial number and user counts from the old version. This is different from the 4.50 upgrade, but is consistent with how DataEase behaved in the past. Disregard the install question about keeping the old printer.dat file, 4.53 will install the new one regardless of which you select. (You can copy your old one over the new one later.) When the upgrade is finished, run the WHATVER program to ensure your user counts are the same as they were. The DataEase version should be 4.53 Revision 0 or Revision 1 for those of you who have waited for that revision. Now comes the important stuff you would normally not expect to have to do. 4.53 changes the attributes of all the *.exe and *.ovl files in the system directory to shared. If you don't make them read-only your users will get the message "Can't execute DE16M.EXE" or "Can't execute DEASE.EXE" when they try to login. To set the attributes to read-only type the following command at the \DEASE prompt (this assumes the DOS ATTRIB program is in your path): attrib *.exe +R [enter] attrib *.ovl +R [enter] then you must set the attributes of the DENETWRK.OVL to Read- Write by typing: attrib denetwrk.ovl -R [enter] Ok, now the file attributes for your system files are set correctly for network use. But, you're not done yet. In spite of what the quality assurance pamphlet says, you must also change the locking scheme for each of your applications by using the BUFSIZE command. The default is set to page locking and many, if not most, applications work better with record locking enabled rather than page locking. Read the manual for a full description of each. Type the following command from the DEASE directory for each of your application directories: bufsize [\directory] [database letter] 0 [enter] (zero not the letter O) This resets locking to record locking. The last step you must take is to modify the ZTERMDEF.DBZ file in your DataEase directory. This file controls many features of DataEase including the number of relationships which can be open at one time, forcing disk sorting, and also the speed of the cursor while in DataEase. Most of these features are normally changed by using DataEase Developer, but the cursor speed may be changed using DEBUG. This is stated in the Quality Assurance pamphlet, but not too clearly. Ensure you in the DataEase directory. Make a copy of your ZTERMDEF.DBZ file by typing the following command: copy ZTERMDEF.DBZ ZTERMDEF.SAV [enter] The type the following command (\DOS must be in your path) debug ZTERMDEF.DBZ [enter] e034a [enter] 01 [enter] w [enter] q [enter] This changes the ANSI compatibility back to the original way you expect it to be. If you don't do this you will notice erratic cursor behavior in most parts of your application. We're almost there! Now start up one of your applications using your normal methods. You'll notice a message is displayed after you enter your password that the application is about to be converted to 4.53 and you will not be able to run your application using previous versions of DataEase. Answer Yes and then explore the new features of DataEase 4.53. The first thing you'll probably notice is the little rectangle directly in the center of screen. That's a mouse dropping and may be moved anywhere on your screen by moving your mouse The next thing you may notice is the increased speed when moving between menus and doing other operations. DataEase now has a real snap to it and speed seems to have been improved about 20%. Screen redraws are particularly improved. Finally, there is improved color control. You can change your background color to blue (or green or red or magenta or..) and the entire screen, even that within menus, changes correctly. Look for a future article about using colors more effectively with DataEase applications.