The CICA Windows Explosion!/The CICA Windows Explosion! - Disc 2.iso/demo/pg-demo.zip/README.TXT

Text File | 1994-06-01 | 11KB | 263 lines

                      Power Graph v1.0 for Windows
                Queries and Charting for ODBC Databases
=======================================================================
              DEMO Release README.TXT file

Installing the Power Graph DEMO
-------------------------------

To install the ODBC demo version of Power Graph for Windows, create a
PGRAPH directory on your hard drive and change to it.

From the DOS prompt, type:

    MD  \PGRAPH
    CD  \PGRAPH

Then unzip the contents of PG-DEMO.ZIP into the PGRAPH directory
with the following command:

    PKUNZIP  PG-DEMO

... where PG-DEMO is the full path and file name of the ZIP file
that you have downloaded.

For example:

    PKUNZIP  C:\QMODEM\PG-DEMO

The demo version of Power Graph is now ready for you to run. Within
Windows, select Run from the File menu, and specify \PGRAPH\PGRAPH.EXE.
You can run the demo program from DOS by typing:

    WIN  PGRAPH.EXE

The remainder of this file contains a tutorial on building a query and
creating a graph within Power Graph. Print this file in order to follow
the tutorial.  Order information can be found at the end of this file.

==========================================================================

Building Your First Query
-------------------------

Once Power Graph is loaded, select Create New Query from the File menu.
This command takes you through the query creation process, so that the
desired database data can be selected.

Power Graph first asks for the ODBC data source to be connected to.
With this DEMO version of Power Graph, the sample Xbase databases are
the only databases that you can use.

Next, you must select the table in the connected database that you wish
to query.  Select the SAMPLE1 table. You must then click on the type of
query that you wish to create, a normal query or a statistical query.
Click Generate Query, which issues a normal query upon the data, in order
to view all the values contained in the database.

A list of all the available columns will display.  Click the Select
All Columns button to include all columns in the query.  No filters
or sorts will be added at this time.  By following these steps, the
entire contents of the table will be displayed.

Click Done to proceed to the query result window.  A spreadsheet-like
grid will be displayed, showing all the data contained in the SAMPLE1
database.

Building Your First Graph
-------------------------

Select the Define Graph button from the query result window to define the
portions of your graph.  This dialog box allows you to identify the desired
chart type, data columns to graph and the legend column.

The first combo box allows you to select any of the available graph
types.  Select the Bar Chart option.

The second combo box lets you define the column to use for the chart legend.
Select the STATE_NAME column.

Next, click the Choose Graph Data button to select the columns you wish to
graph.  A window will display all the columns that are numeric in nature
and can be graphed.  Click the Add All button to highlight all of the
graphable columns.  This will give us 12 months of data to graph.
Click the Done button to return to the Define Graph window.

Click Done to return to the query result window.

Selecting Rows to Graph
-----------------------

To include a row in the graph, click on the row number, which will
highlight that particular row.  You can select up to 12 rows to graph.

Click Create Graph to create the graph with the selected attributes.

Manipulating Your Graph
-----------------------

Now that the graph is displayed, you can modify the graph in any way.

To change the graph data that is displayed, select the View Data menu
option to return to the query result window.  From there, you can
modify the rows and columns that were graphed or the database query
itself.

To modify the query, click the Edit Query button.  To modify the graph
attributes such as the graph legend, graph data columns or graph type,
click the Define Graph button to return to the graph setup window.
To modify the rows being displayed, simply select new rows or unselect
currently highlighted rows by clicking on a particular row's number.

Clicking Create Graph will recreate the graph with the new data that
you selected.

Modifying Graph Text and Fonts
------------------------------

To modify the titles on the graph, select Graph Titles under the Text
Labels menu.  The main graph title, the X-axis and the Y-axis titles
can be modified from this window.  After making your changes, click
Done to redraw the graph.

To modify the data (X-axis) column labels, select Data Labels under the
Text Labels menu.  You can modify any of the data column labels from
here.  Click Done to redraw the graph with the new data labels.  If you
wish to change the legend texts, select Legend under the Text Labels
menu.  Change any legends you wish to, perhaps changing the full state
names to an abbreviation.

To change the font of any text displayed on the graph, select Set Font
under the Text Labels menu.  Power Graph allows you to use any font that
you have installed in Windows.

To add a date/time stamp to the lower left-hand corner of the graph, select
User Options under the File menu.  Enable the date/time stamp and click Done
to continue.  The current date and time will now be displayed on the graph.

Changing Chart Styles
---------------------

Each graph type has multiple styles that can be selected.  To change the
styles of the current graph type, select Bar Chart under the Chart
Options menu.  It will have a check mark next to it, indicating that it
is the chart type of the graph currently being displayed.

This displays a window of all different bar chart styles and attributes.
Modify the chart any way you like, such as making it a 3D bar chart.
Click Done to redisplay the graph with your new graph styles, or click
Cancel to discard any changes.

To display the graph using other graph types, simply choose that graph
type from the Chart Options menu.

Let's change our bar chart to an area chart by selecting Area Chart under
the Chart Options menu.  Select the area chart options, such as making it
a 3D area chart.  Click Done to redraw the graph in the new chart type.

Using Your Graph
----------------

Once you are satisfied with the entire graph (data, text, chart type,
and style), there are 3 ways to utilize your graph: you can print the graph,
save the graph to disk, or copy the graph to the Windows Clipboard.  None
of these are operational in the DEMO version of Power Graph.

If you wish to print the graph, select Print Graph under the File menu.
This will allow you to print your graph to any printer set up in Windows.
You can also setup the number of copies to print, as well as portrait or
landscape printing orientation.

If you wish to save the graph for future use or viewing, select Save Graph
under the File menu.  This will allow you to save the graph as a Windows
bitmap file.  The saved file can be directly inserted into any Windows word
processor or painting program.

If you wish to copy the graph to the Windows Clipboard, select Copy to
Clipboard under the File menu.  This will allow you to directly paste
the graph into any other Windows application that supports graphics.

Your query can be saved by clicking on the Save Query As... menu option
under the File menu.

Building Statistics
-------------------

Now that you are familiar with building queries and the subsequent creation
of a graph from that data, let's cover the other type of query possible,
statistics.

We will create a statistical query from the SAMPLE2 database, which looks
like this:

Column Name                                     Description
----------------------------    ------------------------------------------

BUSINESS                        Area of business, broken down into several
                categories.

ACTIVITY                        Activity of data, broken down into Sales,
                Marketing, and Profit.

MO_JAN,MO_FEB,MO_MAR,MO_APR,
MO_MAY,MO_JUN,MO_JUL,MO_AUG,    Monthly data.
MO_SEP,MO_OCT,MO_NOV,MO_DEC


Select the Create New Query menu option to query a new database.  This time
select the SAMPLE2 table for the query.  Click Generate Statistics to
continue, in order to query statistical information from the database, such
as the sum, average, minimum or maximum value for a particular column.

This brings up the Build Statistics window.  Let's generate the sum of all
months grouped by their specific activity (Sales, Marketing or Profit).

Select Sum of Column as the statical operation.  Next, click the column you
wish to generate the statistic from.  Click the MO_JAN column, since it is
the first column of data.  Then, since we wish to group the data according
to activity, select the ACTIVITY in the Group By column list.  Click Add
Statistic to add the statistic to the query.

Add the rest of the month columns by clicking the appropriate column
(MO_FEB...MO_DEC) and clicking Add Statistic to add the statistic to the
query.  You do not have to click the Group By column again, as once a
Group By column is selected, it will affect all statistics generated in
that query.  Once all the statistics are entered, click Done to process
the statistical query.

Since we grouped our statistics by the ACTIVITY column, our result data
will consist of three rows, with each column of monthly data being
summarized by Marketing, Profit and Sales.  A variety of other statistics
can be generated, such as MAXIMUM, MINIMUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT.  The result
data can be graphed the same way as in the first example.

==========================================================================

Power Graph is exclusively distributed by Mojahmbee Ltd. for $99.95 for
the single user version, or $249.95 for a five user network version which
allows concurrent database access.

Site Licenses are available upon request.  Prices are listed in US currency.
Customization is possible on a case-by-case basis; contact Mojahmbee Ltd.
for more information.

Power Graph supports any database that has a "level 1" or higher compliant
ODBC driver.  Most PC and mainframe databases have ODBC drivers available
from a variety of sources.  Any application that uses these ODBC databases
can utilize Power Graph.  Contact Mojahmbee Ltd. to recieve a complete
list of sources for available ODBC drivers and other available ODBC compliant
applications.

Thank you for trying the demo version of Power Graph.  Please feel free
to send all orders, questions or comments to:

MOJAHMBEE LTD.                          [phone]  voice / fax
Software Development                    Internet email:
1630 30th Street #474                      [e-mail]
Boulder  CO  80301
U.S.A.


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