Unibase-Q Allows Integration

Smooth integration into the Capture Operating Systems of the future as typified by Cornerstone's InputAccel document management system is assured with the new Unibase by DMAC document and batch queue subsystem - Unibase-Q.

Designed for automatic acceptance and output of image and paper based work (i.e. documents and/or batches from a variety of OCR/ICR, mainframe and manual batching areas), the flat ascii file based Unibase-Q features dynamic multilevel scheduling.

The work of individual operators upon logging into the Unibase by DMAC environment and completion of assigned work can be set based upon environment wide, job wide, or individual queues. Complete user controlled reporting allows feedback of environment operating parameters and status. Automatic output to other environments of documents or batches on an as completed, or time basis is provided.

Long 31-Character File Name Paths

Unibase by DMAC, Release 7.4i, addressing the current need of greater segregation and organization of client work into separate areas, now allows 31-character file name paths to the entire Unibase file structure in the UNIX, DOS, Windows and OS/2 environments.

Unibase by DMAC now easily allows up to eight-character DOS, OS2, Windows file names and fourteen-character UNIX file names preceded by as many subdirectories as desired within the 31-characters wherever a filename, index, batch, standard job, record format, or program name is required.

Service organizations can now organize their computer work by client by department in separate directories as desired. Unibase by DMAC release 7.4i creates the necessary directory structure and displays the appropriate information where needed.

Gives Better Memory Management

To allow for more verbs, check box edits, control functions, efficient reject repair and fuller featured data validation and verification capabilities, Unibase by DMAC, Release 7.4i, supports a better memory management approach for DOS, Novell, Windows and OS/2 operating environments. Unibase by DMAC release 7.4i still operates on an original 8088 personal computer workstation, but if two megabytes or more of random access memory (RAM) on a 80286 or better personal computer is available, then Unibase by DMAC uses the RAM in extended mode for code and data.

This full spectrum approach to adding the features for the future while still supporting the hardware in place today showcases the Unibase by DMAC product approach of evolving toward the future without requiring a massive hardware changeout to accommodate the latest software technology.

The Unibase by DMAC POSIX compliant ANSI C code brings this better memory management in release 7.4i for the DOS, Novell, Windows (3.1x, 95, and NT) and OS/2 versions of Unibase by DMAC. The UNIX version runs in a flat 32 bit address space. The Unibase Imaging image entry product still requires a PC workstation with four megabytes of RAM.

AID Program size Doubled in Data/Image Entry

All versions of release 7.4i have been upgraded to allow twice as much memory for the AID language in data and image entry. Now 130,000 bytes of AID language code can be used in field and file edits in data and image entry.

Over the past three years the number of verbs and control functions in the AID language have increased significantly. Users today appear to be writing long programs for more extensive edits on more and more concurrently open files.

Coupled with the new 31 character file name path and the new imaging verbs now being developed, the time had come for increasing this size limit. The new memory management techniques mentioned above are used to obtain the space required.

Menu Based Upgrade in Release 7.4i

A goal for the Unibase by DMAC environment is to evolve the service organization gradually into a fuller and fuller field dictionary based client/server image enhanced compound document processing environment without disruptive capital and labor intensive changes.

Unibase by DMAC, Release 7.4i, offers a menu driven conversion process for moving up to Release 7.4i from earlier releases of Unibase by DMAC.

The conversion menu enables a file by file conversion to the new release. The standard read-write libraries program and the standard rescue from previous releases, renamed for mutual use, are called to produce a flat ascii file in the temporary directory. This file is then read back into the appropriate directory using the read-write libraries program of 7.4i or the read standard job file program.

The advantages of this addition to Unibase by DMAC are twofold. First files and subsystems can be stored in older Unibase by DMAC formats and converted when and if needed. Second, since only one file is converted at a time, the disk space required for conversion is less.

The upgrade conversion menu subsystem supports wild cards so that the entire Unibase by DMAC environment can be switched to Release 7.4i with a single command if desired. A complete backup of the Unibase by DMAC environment before upgrading to release 7.4i is still recommended. Files are checked so that conversion is accomplished once and only once.

A complete log is created showing the conversion process activity. Future releases will be supported in this easy upgrade conversion path; staying current will be as painless as possible for Unibase by DMAC environment users.

Sort and Index Script Files Created

A service organization's need to document and preserve the fundamental business methods in the data capture process within the Unibase by DMAC environment led to two new script directory subsystems in Release 7.4i -- sort and index scripts.

These two new flat ascii file directory subsystems enable the cataloging of the sort program name, key length, key type, key order, work file names and index (or sort) name into a script file for easy access upon building or rebuilding an index or sort file. In older systems this data was stored outside of the data capture environment.

More Job Image Parameters Stored

The Image parameters for the four screen pixel densities and character sizes can now be specified by standard job in addition to the default sizes being specified throughout the Unibase by DMAC environment in release 7.4i.

A:setup  Installs DOS, in Windows (3.x, 95, and NT), OS/2

Unibase by DMAC, written in Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) conforming American National Standards Institute (ANSI) C language.  Unibase preserves its character based speed and memory management techniques in the DOS, Windows (3.x, 95 and NT), and OS/2 operating system environments. In response to the numerous stand alone at home users of Unibase by DMAC the familiar A:setup approach for installation under DOS, Windows and OS/2 has replaced the current A:dosinst installation procedure.

The Online help supported Menu User Interface (MUI) of Unibase by DMAC is still preserved under Windows and OS/2 Graphical User Interface (GUI). Users can take full advantage of the speed, accuracy, keystroke macro, menu driven approach to feeding data to computers.

Over a dozen other features were incorporated in Unibase by DMAC release 7.4i.  These features are described elsewhere in this and the next issue.