Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!amdahl!howard From: howard@amdahl.UUCP (Howard C. Simonson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Icon Review Winter Catalog / Can you say Vaporware? Message-ID: <4386@amdahl.UUCP> Date: Sun, 30-Nov-86 05:28:41 EST Article-I.D.: amdahl.4386 Posted: Sun Nov 30 05:28:41 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 30-Nov-86 19:41:23 EST References: <93@colossus.tc.fluke.COM> <1106@tekig4.UUCP> <9579@sun.uucp> <4723@ism780c.UUCP> <323@net1.UCSD.EDU> Reply-To: howard@amdahl.UUCP (Howard C. Simonson) Organization: Amdahl Corp, UTS Products Group Lines: 57 In article <323@net1.UCSD.EDU> graifer@net1.UUCP (Dan Graifer) writes: > > 1) I got my copy of Reflex from MacConnection: Good Price, Fast Service, no > problems: 1-800-622-5472. They advertise in MacWorld So did I, what a coincidence. Ditto on the comments. Between Icon Review and Northeastern, MacConnection seems to be the only reputable mail order house for Mac software. All this and good ads... > > 2) Reflex: > > Reflex really is an astonishingly cheap way of setting up really elaborate > relational databases. The report writing features are very flexible. It > seems fairly fast. It isn't copy protected. Agreed. Dan then goes on to gripe (justifiably) about the forms entry side of things. That's Dan's gripe. Mine is in reporting, or documentation, whichever is keeping me from producing the report (query) I need. Here's how it goes: The wife and I said last year: next year we're gonna be better about those last minute holiday card mailings; so we bought a box of Avery labels and said next year, Mac is gonna produce the mailing. Well, here it is, next year. Haven't mailed a card yet BUT, we got Reflex, produced a database design, and filled it with the necessary data. In fact I have been able to produce a report that will generate and print the mailing labels. Hallelujah! Reflex has practicaly paid for itself. We may even get cute and put a little graphic tree or snowman on the edge of the label. But, I now find I want more than a label report. The database design is done in two files: Rolodex and Persons. The links are Many to Many on both sides of the fence. What I haven't benn able to do is create a report that is an agregate of the two files. For example: Rolodex holds mailing addresses for households and links to the Persons file; and the Persons file includes birthdays and anniversaries. How can I generate a query/report of mailing addresses (for labels, we're getting real daring) for all those people who have birthdays in January? Any Reflex guru want to try and tackle that one? Besides that and the fact my Font menu is ALWAYS grey, its a pretty good product. At least I haven't seen a bomb yet (knock on coax). P.S. If anyone is interested in my database design, send me mail. Enough interest and I'll post it. -- "What it boils down to is that when Howard C. Simonson you have a problem you want a solution." ...{hplabs,ihnp4,nsc}!amdahl!howard (very profound guys, now mug for the camera...) [ A disclaimer for this messages is on file in my elevator and may be viewed Monday thru Friday between the hours of 9-5 and between floors 3 thru 11 ]