CD ROM Paradise Collection 4/CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso/wp/rms32d.zip/SUMMARY.DOC

Text File | 1995-04-20 | 18KB | 385 lines

                                   SUMMARY


                     RMS-III: REFERENCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

                               III Version 3.2


                       A Personal System for Managing
                        Entry, Search, and Report of
                        Bibliographic/Reference Data


                            Mulberry Software,Inc.
                             234 Mulberry Place
                            Ridgewood, New Jersey


                          Program & Documentation
                Copyright (c) 1995 by Mulberry Software,Inc.
                            All Rights Reserved


             This is an introductory/summary of RMS-III. It is
             extracted from the RMS-MAN.DOC file to provide an
             immediate, uncompressed indication of the program.

             THIS IS NOT THE USER REFERENCE MANUAL - use the
             RMS-MAN.DOC file for that purpose as it contains
             many more details of actual operating procedures.


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                               TOPICS OUTLINED


    General Description               Database and Index Files

    Structure of RMS-III              Record Maintenamce

    System Requirements               Search Techniques

    Installation and Start-up         Document Generation

    Record Display & Structure        Utilities

    Data File Characteristics         Concluding Remarks



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                            GENERAL DESCRIPTION


RMS-III: Reference Management System provides an annotated menu driven
system for operations relevant to bibliographic reference handling: data
entry, viewing, editing, searching, screening, tabulation and reporting.
It provides data file compatibility with Borland's dBase III+ (R) so that
data can be easily utilized elsewhere. It also provides greater speed for
speed for many operations than is possible in non-compiled applications.

Reference material in files is managed as records which contain data
fields.  There are fields for author(s), title, source (publication,
volume, pages, year, type), key words, sponsor, language, comments,
special codes, and abstract.  A single record structure is used for all
source types; built in manipulations (and user definitions) provide for
treatment of different record/source types.

All fields can be searched by several techniques to find records of
particular interest.  Records can be indexed or sorted by various key
fields.  Duplicate records within and between database files can be
identified and eliminated. Individual records and subsets of the data-
base can be extracted to create new databases or reports; extraction
can be specified by any user-designated order or search match criteria.
Authority/topical and statistical data can be tabulated for independent
output and for access during entry and search operations.

Report content and format can be widely varied to accomodate many
different requirements: publication bibliography variations (APA, etc),
library listings, research notes, catalogues, card files.  Styles not
included can often be generated by user definitions.  Reports can be
stored to disk-file for incorporation into word processor texts, or
printed in hard copy form.

In addition to the basic data management, there are utilities for file
manipulations and maintenance such as create, erase, append, backup,
condense, and check status.  The utilities also allow data field
search/replace and re-numbering of record identification.  Limited
printer manipulation is also provided. There are facilities to import
and export data of different format types.

Background information is provided throughout the program, and individual
operations generally include online help and information items.


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

             STRUCTURE OF RMS-III: REFERENCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM


RMS-III is organized in five operating menus.  Each Menu and Sub-Menu
function is accessed by either (a) entering its number, 1-7, in a
highlighted selection box, or (b) using the corresponding function key.
The following table shows the menu structure.

                      System Outline, from MAIN MENU:

     1.          2.              3.            4.           5.
   INFO      UTILITIES        MANAGEMENT    SEARCH       REPORTS
   Terms     Information      Information   Information  Information
   Outline   File Status      Open File     Open File    Open File
   Notes     File Operations  Add Records   Scanning     Topic Freq.
             File I/O         Edit Records  Single Item  Topic Index
             User Definitions Scan Records  MultipleItem Lists/Cards
             Printer Set-Up   Check Dups.   Mixed-Logic  Word Proc.

Menu screens are numbered for easy reference. Primary menus includes an
information section which presents purpose and operation of the menu
items.  Additional "help" is available within many menu selections. The
utility menus open up sub-menus with additional options.  There is some
redundancy among menus to minimize switching.

The entire system can be reviewed, with the DEMO database, by scanning
the menus in default modes; this is recommended for a fast introduction
to the system.


________________________________________________________________________

                            SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

RMS-III runs on fully IBM compatible systems, from XT through Pentium(R)
types; it can run as a DOS application under MS-Windows(R). A fixed disk
is highly recommended; 1300Kb should be available for the program and
documentation plus whatever will be needed for your data files. (Without
the documentation files, only 980 kb is needed.)

The program can be run from high density floppies (720 kb and greater),
but the speed of many operations will be slow.  Operation from low
density floppies (360 kb) is possible but not advised.

The recommended memory level is 512 kbytes, although as little as 490 can
suffice (e.g., if you are running in a window).  The config.sys boot-up
file must contain the lines files=25 or more and buffers=25 or more.

dBase-III or similar database software is not required. You may wish to
use such products to do operations that may not be offered in RMS-III.
Also, though not necessary, there are some dBase type commands that can
be utilized within RMS-III if you are familiar with the language syntax.


________________________________________________________________________

                       INSTALLATION & START-UP

Installation must be done using the RMS-III INSTALL program (with its
location set as the active drive/path).  This will de-compress stored
program files and provide options for type of disk set-up and selection
of monitor types.  All of the initial parameters can be changed within
the program. If you received RMS-III on a CD-ROM, you may have to copy
the files to a temporary disk or directory for installation (CD-ROM
procedures vary greatly).  More details may be found in other files:
VENDINFO.DIZ (if present), README's and RMS-MAN.DOC.

Most likely the program will need no further setup and can be started
immediately.  Simply switch to the drive and directory containing the
program files and type:
                            RMS <enter>

This will start the program.  A license notification will appear as the
first screen until your license number is activated.  The main menu will
follow.

 _______________________________________________________________________

                       RECORD DISPLAY AND STRUCTURE

Data entry and editing are done in a full screen display which presents
all the data of a record as well as some status and control information.
The full screen data display is used in several sections of the program
and is central to the system operation.

The main part of the display is the data presentation which shows the
complete set of data fields for the record.  Shaded areas indicate the
data fields and the size allocated for each. RMS-III uses 20 data fields
of fixed length and one memo/abstract field of variable length.  These
fields accomodate many types of data structures and output formats by
combination of built-in function operations and spill-over handling.
The defined fields and their lengths are as follows:

Field   Name   Length   Field   Name    Length  Field   Name    Length

  1   IDENT_NO     5       8   SOURCE     128     15   COMMENT    192
  2   INDEX_NO     5       9   VOLUME      10     16   LANGUAGE    10
  3   CODE_1      14      10   YEAR        10     17   TYPE        11
  4   CODE_2      14      11   PAGE_FRST    6     18   NREFS        5
  5   LST_NAME    15      12   PAGE_LAST    6     19   SPONSOR     32
  6   FST_NAME    10      13   TITLE      128     20   ABSYN        1
  7   AUTHOR_2    64      14   KEY_WORDS  128     21   NOTES    (memo)


_______________________________________________________________________

                       DATA FIELD CHARACTERISTICS

The Ident_No, Index_No, and Code_1, and Code_2 fields are provided for
general purpose identification and tracking based on user defined
schemes.  The Ident_no can provide a record identification (in addition
to the record number).  The Index_No field can be used to code in schemes
for rapid grouping or ordering based on general record content or class
of information (e.g., subject index); it is for user definition and has
no other internal purpose.  The Code_#'s can be used at will; they are
especially suited for publication data such as ISSN, ISBN, or DEWEY nos.

Authors.  Separation is made between first authors and additional authors.
The first author's first and last names are separate to facilitate certain
internal operations.  Other authors are included on a separate line. The
format of authors names is adjusted at time of output to meet different
requirements.  Name entries can be tested to check their correct handling.

Reference source, volume, year, pages, title, and language are all
obvious.  The source and title fields have been made long to accommodate
extended entries.  If they are not adequate in a particular case, you
might use the comment field for additional data.  'Nrefs' is used to
include the number of references cited in an entry, a data point that
can be very useful in expanding a search.

The 'type' field can have some obvious and not-so-obvious uses depending
on your purposes and possible interfacing to other applications.  Type
designations might include article, book, chapter, conf.proc., thesis,
video, record, etc.  These designations can also be used in some cases
to control output format.

Keywords and sponsors can include multiple entries if they are separated
with comma and space.  This will permit searching and listing based on a
series on entries.  Lists of key words and their use frequency in the
report menu (see topical lists).  Such lists can be accessed in the data
entry and search operations.

Comments can include up to three lines of whatever notes, annotations, or
comments you care to enter.  This area is included as a supplement to the
abstract area, the text of which is not presented on the main display
screen.  It is also used as a spill-over area for authors, title, and
source data that exceeds the normal field length.

The abstract field is special type of entry which is included as a memo
and has a different type of behavior.  As explained under definitions, a
memo field accommodates extended and variable length data entries.  This
can be an abstract or any other entry you wish to make.  From the multi-
item search menu, the memo field can be searched for words or phrases.
(You can import and export text files through the abstract editor.)


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                          DATABASE & INDEX FILES

Databases may be created in either the Utility Menu or in the Management
Menu.  There is no limit to the number of databases that can be created
and the number of records in a database is not limited (internally).
Database files can be opened in any of the primary menus.

Index files are optional; they control/modify the order in which records
are presented.  A database file may have several indices, each built on
different fields or combinations thereof (keys), however, only one index
can be active at any one time.  An active index is automatically up-dated
if records are changed.


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                             RECORD MANAGEMENT

The Record Management Menu provides for the primary record operations of
data entry, editing, viewing, scanning, duplicate checking and elimination.

Adding, editing, and viewing records uses the full screen record display
which shows all data fields (discussed earlier). In this display mode, the
F1 help/list feature can provide information on data entry characteristics
and lists of existing data for several critical fields.

Rapid Scan view options provide simultaneous display of multiple records
by showing only selected fields. One option displays a bibliographic type
format.  A second option gives a one line display of author, date, title,
and number, from which any record is readily displayed in full.

Duplicate record checking can be done within a database, or between two
databases.  Duplicates are marked, and deletion is done as a separate
step; this provides some safety as well as other operational uses of the
record marking feature.  There are options to view, select, de-select,
and transfer records which have been marked.


_________________________________________________________________________

                            SEARCH TECHNIQUES

Four search techniques are facilitated through the Search Menu:
view/search, unique item listing (single field), generalized multi-field
search, and mixed logic constructions.  The first is appropriate to
general viewing of single records, the others are appropriate to complex
searches, culling, or ordering of specific groups of records according
to user selected criteria.  The multi-field and mixed-logic searches
allow for Booliean logic search criteria, and control of searched fields
(including the abstract/memo field) and report output.


_________________________________________________________________________

                         REPORT/DOCUMENT GENERATION

Output of reference/bibliographic reports and topical list/index reports
is addressed in Document Generation.

Topical lists present special information based on single fields within
the records, e.g., subjects (key words), authors, sponsors, etc.  These
can be useful for checking the consistency of entries and in analysis of
the reference data.  Their most important function is in the help/list
operations of the data entry, editing, and search operations.  Topical
indexes identify specific records in which topic items are located. They
are similar to the lists, but they are not critical to other operations.

Reference/bibliographic reports can be prepared from either of two
internal formats (with many variations), or from external, user defined
style files, UDS's.  The internal formats are (a) line (linear) type
used for most bibliographical listings, or (b) card (block) type for
preparation of `file cards' of several popular sizes.  The external,
UDS files provide for styles approximating several common formats: APA,
Chicago A & B, Turabian.  Others can be defined as required.  Any of
these reports can be directed to a hard copy printer or to a disk file
that can be used as input in other operations, e.g., a word processor.

The internal formats provide no special attributes such as bold,
underlining, subscripts, etc.  If needed, these must be added with the
aid of a wordprocessor, or with the user defined styles.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             UTILITIES

The utilities provide system and file information, file manipulations,
printer setup, import/export, and user defined style (UDS) definitions.
Many of these items are essentially self explanatory e.g., list, create,
index, sort, import, append, erase, condense, renumber, search/replace.

There are some redundancies between the various utility menus and between
the utilities and other program operations.  For example, database files
can be listed or opened in several places.  Some printer controls can also
be handled in the report menu, and there are similarities between custom
export and user defined output style operations.

An add-in utility is available which expands the capabilities for import
and export of data.  This is the TSX translation module.  It can be used
to adjust formats of downloaded data.  It is not included in all RMS-III
distributions due to size considerations.  See README.TSX for details and
availability.

_________________________________________________________________________

                            CONCLUDING REMARKS

As noted earlier, the entire RMS-III system can be reviewed by scanning
the menus in default modes; this is recommended for a fast introduction
to the system.  Use the database named DEMO to examine the database
operations.  The DEMO file and the RMS-III help items (F1) include most
of the information in this summary file, as well as additional tips and
operational details.  The DEMO file abstracts also contain useful tips.

RMS-III tries to provide considerably flexibility in handling reference
data of many types. It is generally set up for bibliographic material from
books, articles, etc.  However, it has been used for many other forms of
data collection and reporting.  The guide lines outlined here are just
that - guides.  You should experiment to find what works best for your
materials, application, requirements, and work style.  There are many
possibilities.



END