~5 minute readTHE EXECUTIVE COMPUTER
A Flexible Database for Business
IF I have on occasion maintained that personal computers are pre-eminently executive toys, I have not done so to imply they are a waste of time but because they are -- or can be -- fun. Granted, these machines, especially when running poorly designed or even downright inhumane software, can also epitomize frustration. But what other tool can executives use to play endlessly with the numbers populating their domain?
Most of these executives are using their computers to run spreadsheet programs, which simulate the rows and columns of manual worksheets. These programs are essentially video games. They are, of course, important games in that they can help the business executive by allowing him or her to react appropriately to any given situation. It did not come as much of a surprise, then, to discover that Infocom, the originator of the software category known as interactive fiction and producer of such hit games as Zork, Deadline and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has released, as its first business program, a database system called Cornerstone.
From a marketing standpoint, Infocom's foray into the business arena could be considered a disaster. One of the secrets of successful business software is the user's perception that, as much fun as a particular program might be, no one in the business community is actually going to refer to it as a game. Thus Infocom's well-deserved reputation as a developer of sophisticated, cult-inducing games could well be counted as a strike against it in the world of commerce, where at least a facade of seriousness is mandatory.
It would be a shame if that were to happen, for Cornerstone offers some innovative features, many of which help to make it far easier to use than any other database package released so far. The program, however, also has its limitations. Indeed, it is not the database for everyone -- but it is one that is at least worthy of consideration.
Cornerstone ($495 for the I.B.M. PC family of computers and compatibles from Infocom, Cambridge, Mass. 02138, (617) 492-1031) is a relational database rather than a mere file management system. While many differences exist between the two, the main one is a matter of complexity and capability.
TAKE the common file drawer so often used as a physical example of an everyday database. A management system for that drawer would consist of numerous file folders. The software equivalent is simply called a file. There might be one file for purchase orders, another for accounts receivable and so on. Any of these files can be pulled out of the computer's memory "drawer" and called up on the screen, where data can be entered and altered.
The catch is that a file management system permits work on only one file at a time. But in the real world people often have half a dozen files piled on their desks at a time. This is where a relational database enters the picture. These databases can have the computer exchange information not only among various files, but among different databases, or whole drawers of files, as well.
Cornerstone provides for 120 files per database. All that is needed to select data from any one or any number of the files is a relational key such as a purchase order number, a telephone number or, perhaps, a particular item sold. The computer could sort through all the files in a sales database and extract all customers with monthly orders under $400 or all customers with an interest in a certain category of merchandise. A wine wholesaler, for instance, might find it useful to list every autumn all previous purchasers of Nouveau Beaujolais. Each set of files selected can then be automatically designated as a new, specialized database. That ability to sort and refine information can be a powerful tool for almost any business.
Normally, the obvious complexity of a relational database carries over to its use. To make full use of such a database, one must, for all intents and purposes, be a programmer. This is what Infocom has attempted to change. Cornerstone is advertised as "the first sophisticated database program for the non-programmer." Thus I was more than a little curious to see whether the promise was actually delivered in the product and to discover what problems the user might encounter with this new, freewheeling database.
The first difficulty awaiting me was a minor annoyance of modern packaging: I couldn't get the box open. This predicament seemed rather like that of a book reviewer having to admit that he couldn't open a book -- embarrassing, to say the least. However, I have since tried the fiendish blue box on a dozen people, none of whom could open it, and while it doesn't rank with Rubik's Cube, it seems an unnecessary challenge all the same.
On the other hand getting the program up and running on the computer is easy. If one's machine is equipped with a hard disk -- and after running Cornerstone for a while, I decided that a hard disk system is almost essential to its use -- the installation procedure even sets apart a special section of the hard disk for the sole use of Cornerstone. The user need know nothing about the computer's operating system or its disk partitioning, or any of the other computer esoterica most people not wedded to programming find forbidding. Cornerstone also allows complete loading to the hard disk. There is no need, as with so many programs, to put a systems disk in the floppy drive when starting up.
A complete set of manuals accompanies the Cornerstone software. Considering the arcane nature of the topic of database systems, these volumes are probably about as clear and self-explanatory as they can possibly be. Even so, a certain amount of needless confusion remains. For example, in the getting-acquainted section of the beginner's guide, the user is instructed to start the interactive tutorial with "Enter the DOS command: Lesson 1" - a statement the neophyte would surely find confusing. It's not really accurate, besides, because "Lesson 1" is not a true DOS command. The simpler statement "Type Lesson 1 and then press the enter key" would have eliminated at least one level of confusion.
In addition to the manuals, other paraphernalia adorn the Cornerstone package. Among the items are a quick reference card, a plastic keyboard template for the function keys (which, incidentally, does not fit the Compaq keyboard), a "Don't Panic" button bringing the game motif back in, and a good disk-based tutorial, complete with sample databases, that puts the program and its users through their paces. After the training session, one is left with a pretty sound idea of not only how to run the program, but how to use its features to their best advantage as well - which is a topic in itself.
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