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From: rnf@shumv1.uucp (Rick Fincher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Market Research
Message-ID: <1989Dec14.220143.18898@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Date: 14 Dec 89 22:01:43 GMT
References: <0.apple.net@pro-sol>
Reply-To: rnf@shumv1.ncsu.edu (Rick Fincher)
Organization: NCSU Computing Center
Lines: 31

In article <0.apple.net@pro-sol> done@pro-sol.cts.com (Don Elton) writes:

>On a related note, for each of the above two applications, what features do
>you think are needed that can't be had elsewhere (i.e. AppleWorks GS for
>example)?

I think the spreadsheet would need Macro capability and much better business
and scientific graphics.  Pen plotter output for the graphics would be great.
The ability to link spreadsheets or make them 3-D would add a lot to its power.

For the database relational capability (obviously) and the ability to calculate
running totals of a field for the whole database as well as up to that record
but not including values in subsequent records.  Also the ability to of a
number field to be based on the value in the last record.  This would allow
the program to generate invoice numbers, for example
 (Invoice# = Last Invoice# + 1). This would also be useful for numbering 
account transactions.

I don't really have a feel for which is more needed, a database or spreadsheet.
Whenever I work with either I wish it had some capabilities of the other.

A hybrid program that would combine the calculating, summing, and number
formatting capabilities of a spreadsheet with the searching, sorting, record
oriented format of a database would be great.

Maybe this could be something like the tabular form of the database in AWGS,
but you could do spreadsheet calculations on the data in that format, while in
the data format you could search and sort.

Rick Fincher
rnf@shumv1.ncsu.edu