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OS/2 Help File
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1993-06-18
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Welcome to Personal AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Welcome To The World of Personal AS!
The world in which data is organized and retrieved in exactly the way you want
it to be.
The world in which you can create your own application, to suit your own
requirements, or use the ready-made solution that Personal AS offers.
Personal AS is a decision-support software product specifically designed for
desktop computing in business. The latest version, Version 3, fully exploits
the OS/2* Workplace Shell and OS/2 features such as 32-Bit Addressing,
Multitasking, Dragging and Dropping, and Dynamic Data Exchange.
Personal AS can be used as either:
An individual product installed on a standalone computer
Or
A multi-accessible product for use in a Local Area Network environment
From one workstation, you can have a single connection to an individual system,
a departmental system, a corporate system, and a world-wide system. In this
way, you can create data using Personal AS installed in your machine, then
transfer the data across to Local Area Network users. You can then send the
data to a mainframe computer and allow many users world-wide to use that data.
It can be run under either:
The Operating System/2* (OS/2) Presentation Manager* environment
Or
The Disk Operating System (DOS) Windows** environment
To see the next section, double-click on: The Customizable Solution.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. The Customizable Solution ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS - The Customizable Solution
Consider the following applications, which were created with the specific data
needs of very different organizations in mind. To read more about these
examples, double-click on their titles:
o The Drill View application - A graphical interface for data retrieval and
display
o Structured Information Retrieval - An easy-to-use application for fast access
to data from different sources
o A Management Information System - An application to integrate workstation
components, using Personal AS as the interface.
Are your data requirements unique to the complexities of your business
organization?
Would you like to create applications like these, tailored exactly to your own
requirements?
Then Personal AS is the application for you.
To see the next section, double-click on: The Ready-made Solution.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. Example 1. The Drill View Application ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Example 1. The Drill View Application
The Drill View application uses a graphical interface. Data is accessed by
dragging graphic representations of the type of information required, and
dropping them onto a map to indicate the source of the information.
The small dots by the area names indicate the availability of further
information.
The four icons at the bottom of the screen are used to specify the type of
information required:
o The chart icon is used to display a chart
o The report icon is used to display a report
o The magnify icon is used to display the source data
o The drill icon is used to drill down to the next geographic level
To gain further information, the user has to simply move one of the four icons,
and place it over a dot at an area. For example, to see the states in the USA,
the user must place the drill icon over the dot by US States. To see the result
for yourself, double-click on the drill icon beneath US States in this picture:
To see a chart of the results for Colorado, place the chart icon over Colorado.
To see the result for yourself, double-click on the chart icon covering
Colorado in this picture:
The Drill View application has a graphical interface that could be used, or
adapted for use, by many different applications. For example:
o A car sales group that has branches in several different countries, and which
requires similar types of information, from its different branches, on a
regular basis.
o A financial organization that could drill down for information on different
sectors in the financial markets.
o A school that has an organizational chart as the top layer, and then drills
down for academic years and subjects.
With its impressive drag and drop activation, Drill Down shows how a static
picture can be brought into life, and used as a simple interface from which to
display real data.
To see the next example of a customized application, double-click on:
Structured Information Retrieval.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Example 2. Structured Information Retrieval (SIR) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Example 2. Structured Information Retrieval (SIR)
Structured Information Retrieval (SIR) is an easy-to-use application that gives
its users fast access to data, including data from Personal AS, DB2/2, DB2 and
SQL/DS. Its interface is less graphic than that used in the Drill View
application, but its strength lies in its ability to hide the complexity of
querying data.
In SIR there are four areas of data to select from:
Once inside a category, the various data analyses are controlled by the user
specifying condition criteria:
When the conditions are defined, the pushbuttons at the bottom of the window
can be used to:
o View the results of the query
o Chart the results of the query
o Report the results of the query
o View the current Selection
o Change to another category of analysis
o Cancel to quit from the application
SIR is an example of how Personal AS has been customized to simplify the data
retrieval process for its users. Users can retrieve data without the need to
know table names, column names, or the details of where the tables are stored.
Complex SQL joins and aggregations can be performed without the user knowing
anything about it ! Yet despite this, it maintains a high degree of user
flexibility and control.
To see the next example of a customized application, double-click on:
A Management Information System.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Example 3. A Management Information System (MIS) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Example 3. A Management Information System (MIS)
The Management Information System (MIS) is an example of a graphical user
interface for management information, and demonstrates how various workstation
components can be integrated using Personal AS as the user interface.
From the MIS initial window, there are three routes available to the user:
Connectivity This allows the user to connect to other computers,
such as an S/390, a remote LAN, or a Local LAN.
Management Reports
This allows the user to view pre-prepared business
information. By simply selecting on one of the four
icons that represent Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing,
and Accounts, all the relevant reports, charts,
diagrams, and information are displayed.
Local Applications
This choice allows the user access to any tools or
packages that are available to them. By simply
selecting on one of the icons, access is given to
applications such spreadsheets, metafiles, OS/2 graphic
displays, or any OS/2 commands.
To go to the next part of this section, double-click on:
Personal AS - The CustomizableSolution .
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> World Map with Drill Icon ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> USA Map with Chart Icon ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. The Ready-made Solution ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS - The Ready-made Solution
Does the following business definition apply to you?
Your decision support requirements are quite straightforward - you need rapid
access to data, and the ability to display it professionally and accurately -
and all this to be at your fingertips.
Then Personal AS is the application for you.
To give you an indication of this, consider how one organization found Personal
AS to be the ready-made answer to their business requirements. The organization
- the fictitious Sundial Time Corporation - has a manufacturing plant for three
products, with an annual turnover of $50 million.
Double-click on this title to see how Personal AS is used during
A day in the life of Sundial Time Corporation.
Sundial Time Corporation uses Personal AS as a ready-made solution to their
business needs. It uses the extensive data features of Personal AS to capture
its data, analyze its data, and present it in a professional and revealing way.
Could your business requirements be answered by such a powerful decision
support application?
Then Personal AS is the application for you.
To see the next section, double-click on: Introducing the Personal AS Objects.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. A Day in the Life of Sundial Time Corporation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Day in the Life of Sundial Time Corporation
It's the end of the business quarter and the Chief Executive Officer is
reviewing corporate figures.
After reviewing the corporate figures, the Chief Executive Officer observes the
following:
o Product 1 manufacturing slowed down.
The chart shows that during 1993 only 1600 units of Product 1 were
manufactured, whereas in 1989, 2000 units were manufactured. During the last
four years, production slowed at an annual rate of ten percent.
o Salaries have grown during the past business quarter.
This chart shows that salaries grew by two percent during the first and
second business quarters of 1992, and remained unchanged for the third
quarter. During the last quarter of 1992, there was a further one percent
growth in salaries.
o Sales in the North East region are not performing as well as the South East
region.
The report was produced from data created with Personal AS Business Planning.
The report shows the sales volumes for each of the products in both regions.
The South East region performed especially well with Product 3.
o However, Product 3 sales in total have declined.
The surface chart shows that total sales for Product 3 have continued to
decline over the last few years.
o Product 4 launch may have potential date slippages.
The Gantt chart, created with Personal AS Project Management, shows that some
project activities may be delayed, thus causing date slippages.
The Chief Executive Officer instructs senior executives at Sundial Time
Corporation to investigate these problems further. They are to report back
their findings. The executives will then present suggestions and
recommendations to the Board meeting at its annual Corporate Strategic Review.
The annual Corporate Strategic Review is a corporate planning process that
assesses the business competitor marketplace, and involves consideration of
technological and economic trends, and long-term planning and forecasting.
The executives access the corporate database to search for the data they need
for their analyses. They use Personal AS to focus on the information required.
To see how the Product 1 team uses Personal AS, double-click on:
Product 1 Management.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1.1. Product 1 Management ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sundial Time Corporation - Product 1 Management
The Product 1 Management team first reviews performance factors, such as labor,
materials, and other expenses, to see if these factors are affecting unit
production of Product 1.
Using a Personal AS query, the team combines two data tables called Product and
Sales, and extracts the relevant information to produce a report of the
results.
To see how the Human Resources team uses Personal AS, double-click on:
Human Resources Management.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1.2. Human Resources Management ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sundial Time Corporation - Human Resources Management
The Human Resources team investigates how many salary increases occurred in
each department during the reviewed business quarter. To do this, the relevant
corporate data is extracted to produce a final report, showing the total number
of increases by department.
The report shows that seventeen percent of the employees in the Research and
Development department had salary increases during the reviewed business
quarter, whereas in the Executive Staff department, only seven percent of the
department's employees received salary increases.
To see how the Sales team uses Personal AS, double-click on: Sales Team.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1.3. Sales Team ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sundial Time Corporation - Sales Team
The Sales Team looks at the sales data from the corporate database to compare
the sales between the North East and South East regional branches.
Using Personal AS Business Planning, the team reviews the sales data for each
sales branch from both regions. A detailed report is then submitted to
management.
To see how the Product 3 team uses Personal AS, double-click on: Product 3
Management.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1.4. Product 3 Management ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Product 3 Management
The Product 3 team uses Personal AS Statistics to run a series of quality
control studies to identify quality deficiencies.
The team uses the Pareto method to identify where the major problems lie, and
display a Pareto chart to visualize the data. The Pareto method is typically
used to rank problems in decreasing order of importance. The percentage curve
shows how many defective items account for a given percentage of the total
number of defects. For example, the chart shows that in order to eliminate
fifty percent of the problem with Product 3, the defects identified in the
first seven units of Product 3 should be removed.
To see how the Marketing team uses Personal AS, double-click on: Marketing
Team.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1.5. Marketing Team ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sundial Time Corporation - Marketing Team
Following a thorough market evaluation, and with surveys and charts, the
Sales/Marketing team discovers the new potential marketing opportunities for
Product 1 sales, and decides to meet with the appropriate manager to discuss
the possibility of increasing the manufacture of Product 1 units.
The Product 1 Manager instructs the DP department to develop an application
that would show the capacity and workload analysis of the Product 1
manufacturing process. They agree to present the results at the annual
Corporate Strategic Review.
To see how the Product 4 team uses Personal AS, double-click on:
Product 4 Project Management.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1.6. Product 4 Project Management ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sundial Time Corporation - Product 4 Project Management
The Product 4 Project Manager reviews the project progress and activities. At
the same time, the Project Management team is instructed to provide an update
of all estimated dates and schedules given by subcontractors, to compare the
source of the possible date slippage. The team uses Personal AS Project
Management to track the project, creating a pie chart to show the area that has
the greatest potential delay of resources. To see the next section,
double-click on: The Annual Corporate Review.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1.7. The Annual Corporate Review ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sundial Time Corporation - The Annual Corporate Review
Your organization can use Personal AS tools not only to interpret existing
corporate data and produce effective presentations, but also to help you with
long-term planning and forecasting.
For example, at the annual Corporate Strategic Review of Sundial Time
Corporation, directors present the business cases that support the decisions
they take and their future outlooks:
o Using Personal AS Business Planning, the Corporate Planning Director presents
the annual five-year business plan, which includes the following plan items:
o The Product 1 Manager reports the results of the workload and capacity
analysis. Based on the application developed by the DP department using
Personal AS Builder, a chart is presented showing the levels of workload and
capacity for each production process of Product 1 units. The chart shows that
the level of workload of Production Process 3 is absorbing most of the
current capacity. Therefore, if management decides to increase the number of
Product 1 units, it would be necessary to review the current resources for
Production Process 3 in order to avoid bottlenecks.
To go to the next part of this section, double-click on:
The Ready-made Solution.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Introducing the Personal AS Objects ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Introducing the Personal AS Objects
Personal AS is an object-oriented decision-support application. It uses objects
to help you perform your business tasks.
The following is a list of the decision areas that Personal AS supports.
Double-click on any of the small pictures for a more detailed description of
the objects involved.
Managing Data
With Personal AS Table, you can store, arrange, change, add, delete, and check
the validity of your data.
Presenting Reports
With Personal AS Report, you can present your data in detail or summary report
form, depending on your requirements.
Presenting Business Charts
With Personal AS Chart, you can prepare charts for effective presentations.
Making Complex Data Enquiries
With Personal AS Query, you can select and combine data, and present results in
reports and charts.
Automating Tasks
With Personal AS Procedure, you can turn tasks that are performed regularly in
your organization into an automated process.
Communicating with Mainframe AS
With Personal AS Command, you can work with AS Command tables that are
processed on the mainframe computer.
Making Calculations
With Personal AS Calculator, you can customize the calculator settings to
include more sophisticated functions besides the traditional desktop operations
provided.
To see the next section, double-click on: Introducing Personal AS Builder.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Personal AS Table ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Managing your own data effectively using Personal AS Table
Personal AS business decisions can be made using a wide range of data sources,
one of which is Personal AS Table.
Personal AS Table is more than just a simple table editor. It includes advanced
data entry and display facilities that make the storage and display of
information quicker and easier than other traditional data-entry methods.
This view of the empdata table shows four columns and twelve rows of employee
information. With Personal AS Table you can scroll across and down a table to
see more columns and rows, and you can change values in a table simply by
typing over the previous values.
Using Personal AS Table, you can:
o Design your table according to the type of data you want it to contain.
You can decide how many columns you will have in your table, their name,
display order, and the type of data they can contain. You can choose which
columns are the key columns to order the rows in your table.
o Name the columns you want to always keep in view.
When you fix columns in your table, they are always displayed on your screen,
and are not scrolled out of sight when you scroll across the table. This view
of the empdata table has the Name column fixed:
o Access data from other sources. For example, you can copy host AS, DB2 or
SQL/DS data, and data from many other external sources, into a Personal AS
table.
o Directly update any column, row, or cell of a table.
With Personal AS Table you can isolate any column, row, or cell in a table,
and work on that specific area of the table without affecting any other.
You can type information directly into the table by simply placing the cursor
at the required place and typing. This could be a title or column name, or
the data itself.
o Check the data in your table, and choose a default value to be used if no
value is entered.
For example, you can choose a range of valid values, and use an expression
check for the values in each column.
o Display and distribute data. You can look at all of your table, or choose to
look at just some of the columns and rows by choosing a subset.
When you display a table, you can use a Table view to look at as many columns
and rows as will fit on your screen. Alternatively, you can use a form view
and look at one row of the table at a time.
This is a form view of the empdata table. It is currently displaying the row
for Mary-Lou Guajardo. A subset has been chosen. As you can see from the
informationarea below the table, only 79 of the 200 rows in the table are
available for display.
When you select the arrow button next to the Division value, a list of valid
values for Division is displayed. You can select one of these values to
change the table.
o Share data with other users.
Once you have created or changed the data in your table, several users can
use the table as a basis for charts, reports, and analyses.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Personal AS Report ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Presenting data using Personal AS Report
With a Personal AS Report, you can display numeric or character data in a
chosen layout. The basic data can be presented or displayed in detail or
summary form. You can even show the titles and column headings, without any of
the report details:
You decide the final layout of your report by choosing from a wide range of
different layout options, and adding captions to clarify or highlight any parts
of your report.
You can create two types of reports, Detail and Summary, as shown in the
following illustrations:
The above illustration shows a detail report of data. You can also display
totals if you decide to include them in your report. This illustration shows a
summary report with the results of calculations, such as average and grand
total. A summary report can also include subtotaling across and down the
report. However, it does not show any details.
You can use Personal AS Report to analyze your data, including calculating and
displaying minimum and maximum values, totals and subtotals, percentages,
averages, and standard deviations.
With Personal AS Report you can:
o Choose the columns of data that you want to present.
The report you create is based on the data table you select. When you create
the report, you can make further selections by choosing which columns to
display in your report.
o Calculate new data from your original data.
You can use the data from existing columns to calculate values for new
columns in your report.
o Group your data both down and across the page.
Regardless of the order of your original data, you can arrange the data in
your report into meaningful groups for analysis.
o Design the layout of your report.
You can use color, outlines, and labels in the body of your report to
highlight important points.
o Set conditions.
When you want to highlight specific values in your data, you can use
expressions or arithmetic operations to select rows in your report.
o Include variables in your report.
You can use variables which are substituted for the current values, such as
the current date or page number.
o Customize your report to arrange various elements.
You can separate the data from the headings in your report.
o Exchange reports between Personal AS and host AS.
You can use reports that were created using host AS, or transfer reports that
you created using Personal AS to host AS.
o Access data from other sources to use in your report.
You can use data from external sources as the basis of your report.
o Print your report in a variety of ways.
You can print a report either portrait or landscape, and in any monospaced
font that your printer supports.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. Personal AS Chart ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Presenting data with Personal AS Chart
With Personal AS Chart you are provided with a wide choice of presentation
methods, including three-dimensional displays, that both expand presentation
alternatives and simplify interpretation. Charts are useful for showing
economic trends, highlighting out-of-line situations, proportions, and much
more.
You can create each of the following types of chart using a variety of styles
to suit your needs:
Line chart
Surface chart
Scatter chart
Bar chart
Mixed chart
Pie chart
You can also perform tasks such as calculating and showing totals, averages,
minimum or maximum values, cumulative values, and percentages (of all values,
or of individual columns).
Once you complete a chart, you can save in any of the following formats:
o Personal AS Chart
o OS/2 Metafile (.MET)
o OS/2 2.0 Bitmap (.BMP)
o OS/2 1.1 Bitmap (.BMP)
o Zsoft Image Format (PCX.)
o Tagged Image Format File (.TIF)
o Graphics Interchange Format (.GIF)
and use it with other OS/2 products, or use the standard OS/2 facilities to
print or plot your charts.
If you are a host AS user, you can either access charts in Personal AS, or
transfer charts from Personal AS to host AS. Many charts produced by host AS
can also be used by Personal AS.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.4. Personal AS Query ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Selecting and combining information with Personal AS Query
A key requirement for any department is the ability to select from the mass of
available data and present the information that directly affects them. With
Personal AS Query, you can select and manipulate complex information and
display it simply, for example in a Personal AS Chart or Personal AS Report, or
save it in table in a particular order.
A Personal AS Query can be based on a single table, a set of tables selected by
name, or on a data structure diagram you have already created and saved.
One of the most powerful features of Personal AS Query is the ability to
combine tabular data from a variety of sources using different types of join,
and produce results tailored to your information requirements. Personal AS
Query uses a recognized set of standard join operations.
When you create a query, the data you use is linked to it, not contained in it.
Therefore, you can make changes or add data to your table, and the query you
have created will always be based on the latest data. You can also save the
results you get from the query in a data table.
With Personal AS Query you can:
o Choose the rows you require.
You can define conditions to select specific rows of data to get the
information you need.
o Combine data from several tables.
You can create a query based on data from several tables, as shown in the
above illustration.
o Display a data structure.
Once you have selected the tables you want, a data structure diagram is
displayed which is a set of linked table icons. You can see column details
for each table in the data structure diagram.
o View or change tables.
You can view or change your data tables from within Personal AS Query.
o Create new columns.
You can create new columns to hold data, that are calculated by an expression
you type in.
o Summarize the data.
You can use a query to perform summary calculations, such as finding the
average salary of employees in each department.
o Specify the columns you want to see.
Once the query is complete, you can select the columns you want to see. You
can either save the selections you made as part of the query, or simply use
the selected columns to see a temporary view of the results.
o Display the results of your query.
Before you save the query you have created, you can check to ensure you
selected the correct information.
o Save a query and run it regularly.
Each time you make changes to your data, you can run the query you saved, and
get updated results.
o Use a query directly for a chart or report.
You can create charts or reports that are based on queries, without having to
save the query as a results table.
o Save the results of your query as a data table.
If you save a query as a table, you can treat the table like any other. You
can then send the data to other people in your organization in a different
format, or use it to create a chart or a report.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.5. Personal AS Procedure ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Performing regular tasks with Personal AS Procedure
In an organization, many decision-support tasks are completed regularly. You
can use Personal AS Procedure to create and maintain graphical programs to
automate tasks that you need to do regularly. For example, you can create a
procedure to print a monthly report using the latest data in a table.
The following procedure is used to copy a table to another, and then display it
on the screen. It uses dialogs to ask the user the name of the table to be
copied, and the name of the table it is to be copied to.
You create a procedure by linking icons in the Procedure work space. You can
drag icons from the main Procedure palette, or from outside Personal AS
Procedure. These icons can represent Personal AS objects, and objects other
than Personal AS including OS/2 and DOS executable files.
The icons you can use in Personal AS Procedure are shown in the main palette.
(Another icon, the Tack, appears in the work space only when you bend the links
between icons.) You can customize the palette to include only the objects you
want to use when you create procedures.
When you use palette icons, you have to specify the names of the existing
objects that they represent. You can name these in the palette or in the
procedure work space. A procedure can contain a maximum of 100 icons.
The actions performed in the procedure are determined by the links you make
between the icons. For example, if you link a report icon to a printer icon,
the action is to print the report, so the report is printed.
You can double-click on an icon to view or change the object. Similarly, you
can double-click on a link to confirm the kind of link it is.
You can create a procedure with one or more chains of icons. Different chains
can be started, joined together, or remain apart. You can take advantage of the
multitasking facility in Personal AS Procedure by opening several objects
simultaneously to perform several tasks.
When you run a procedure, objects are normally processed from left to right,
then from top to bottom. However, you can process the objects in a different
order by using flow links. While the procedure is running, the objects being
processed are emphasized so that you can follow the procedure's progress.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.6. Personal AS Command ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Communicating with AS using Personal AS Command
Personal AS Command can be a very useful extension to host AS as you can use it
to work with host AS Procedure command tables. A host AS Procedure command
table contains AS commands that are processed one after another when you run
the table. To use Personal AS Command, you must know host AS, and particularly
host AS Procedure command tables.
With Command you can copy a host AS procedure to your workstation, edit it, and
save the changes by copying it back to the host, or you can store it as a new
object on your workstation. Similarly, you can create command tables on your
workstation and save them, then at a later date copy them to the mainframe.
When there are commands stored on your workstation, you can exploit the
printing and mailing facilities of Personal AS.
You can include Command objects in a Personal AS procedure. In this way you can
include the results from the processing of the command table on the host, in a
procedure. This means that you can combine both the processing power of your
personal computer and the host mainframe computer to which it is linked, to
give you an even more powerful means of automating some of your regular office
tasks.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.7. Personal AS Calculator ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Making calculations with Personal AS Calculator
You can use Personal AS Calculator just like an ordinary desktop calculator,
with the addition of several useful features, including:
o Reciprocals and squares
o Complex roots and powers
o Parentheses and factorials
o Trigonometric functions
o Logarithms and inversions
o Hexadecimal characters
For example, with the inversion pushbutton you can find the natural number
corresponding to a logarithmic value displayed in the results area, or the
angle corresponding to a sine, cosine, or tangent value displayed.
A tally roll is displayed when you use the extended functions of Personal AS
Calculator. The tally roll keeps a line-by-line record of the numbers and
operations you have performed, and their results. Your use of the memory
function is also recorded. You can browse up and down the tally roll, to check
what you have done, or to recover one or more of the recorded values for
further use. You can also print the contents of the tally roll.
You can use Personal AS Calculator with the basic functions or with the
extended functions displayed. The following illustration shows the extended
functions of Personal AS Calculator.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Introducing Personal AS Builder ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Introducing Personal AS Builder
Many organizations and industry sectors have very specific decision-support
needs. Personal AS Builder provides a comprehensive set of programming tools
specifically designed to address these needs. Application designers with
specific requirements not served by a product, can use Personal AS Builder to
design, prototype, and build applications which meet their own particular
needs, very easily and quickly.
Four components of Builder provide the ability to develop applications in
controlled stages. Double-click on any of the small pictures for a more
detailed description of the Builder components.
The Menu Editor
The Window Editor
The Program Editor
The Make Facility
With Personal AS Builder you can build applications with varying degrees of
complexity. You can build simple applications with a single window and a
program using the Window and Program editors. This could then be compiled
directly, without the need to use the Make facility. For example, you could use
the process shown here to create a simple application, such as a desktop
calculator:
You can also design a more complicated application that uses many programs and
windows, and uses the Make facility to compile them all together. For example,
you could use the process shown here to create a complex application, such as a
stock control application used in an international, multi-product,
organization:
With Personal AS Builder you can build 32 bit applications with the following
features:
o Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) enabled, either as DDE Clients, or DDE Servers,
or both Clients and Servers
o Drag and drop enabled
o Personalized end-user interfaces
o Support for a range of data file types, including:
- OS/2 Metafile (.MET)
- OS/2 2.0 Bitmap (.BMP)
- OS/2 1.1 Bitmap (.BMP)
- Zsoft Image Format (.PCX)
- Tagged Image Format File (.TIF)
- Graphics Interchange Format (.GIF)
- Personal AS object
o Supporting the Common User Access* (CUA*) and Systems Application
Architecture* (SAA*) guidelines
o Supporting the application programming interfaces (APIs) for the other
Personal AS objects
o Sharing data and common end-user interfaces with mainframe and other
workstations
o Supporting the exchange of data using host AS, including facilities for
handling different file types
o Linking existing applications written in "C" to the application's front-end
user interface by using the Window and Menu facilities
o Linking, via SQL, to DB2/2 and other databases
o Including your own extensive help or on-line documentation, using the OS/2
Programmer's Toolkit.
More Information about Personal AS Builder
For a more detailed look at Personal AS Builder, double-click on:
Personal AS Builder - more details.
To see the section about the exchange of data with host AS, double-click on:
Exchanging data with Host AS.
To see some examples of applications that were desgined and built using
Builder, double-click on: The Customizable Solution.
To see the next section, double-click on: Personal AS and OS/2.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Personal AS Builder - More Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS Builder - More Details
You can use Builder to create OS/2 Presentation Manager applications that may
then be run freely on any system containing the Personal AS base product.
Applications created using Builder can take advantage of links to any of the
Personal AS objects, such as Personal AS Report and Personal AS Chart. You can
also use your applications in a Personal AS procedure.
Builder provides the powerful programming language Application System Language
(ASL). ASL is an event-driven high-level language, possessing a wide range of
built-in functions. It embodies many of the principles of object-oriented
programming, and was extensively used to develop the facilities of the Personal
AS product. It is designed to enable users to build applications that can
conform to IBM's Common User Access (CUA) and Systems Application Architecture
(SAA) guidelines with the minimum of effort.
There are two distinct sets of tasks you can perform with Builder:
o Creating the end user interface, or prototyping
o Creating program code which actually does the processing
When you choose to prototype, you can build an application in separate, though
related, stages. You can generate code from a WYSIWIG interface, with which you
design the interface by selecting controls from a palette, and then the code is
generated automatically for you.
Builder contains a debugger sample application which you can use to debug any
application you are writing. You can use the debugger application to:
o Walk through your compiled ASL application
o Set break points in the executing ASL application
o Query and modify any variables and objects in the application
o Display the data and objects that are active in the current application.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Exchanging Data with Host AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Exchanging Data with Host AS
The AS object in Builder allows an ASL program to issue requests to host AS
that both access data and process data. Builder supports access to:
o Any AS table
o Host tables (for example, VSAM)
o Host relational tables (for example, DB2*)
o Host CDI tables (for example, IMS)
Builder also allows you to process host data by using:
o AS commands (for example, data specifications, QMF* queries)
o AS procedures
o AS facilities (for example, Host AS Project Management, Host AS Statistics)
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Personal AS and OS/2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS in the OS/2 Environment
Personal AS fully exploits the advanced facilities of OS/2 Version 2. Listed
here are some of the features of OS/2 that are used by Personal AS.
Double-click on the titles to see more details about them.
o Workplace Shell
o 32-Bit Addressing
o Multitasking
o Dragging and Dropping
o Dynamic Data Exchange
o Application Protection
o Help Facility
To see the next section, double-click on: Accessing Data Tables.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. Workplace Shell ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Workplace Shell
Personal AS exploits the many advanced features of the OS/2 Workplace Shell,
giving its users a standard and easy-to-use product.
It uses an icon-driven interface that is fully customizable. This simplifies
tasks, and as a result boosts productivity - experienced computer users can
customize Personal AS to their particular needs and working methods, whilst
novice users require less training to use the intuitive and standardized
interface.
When Personal AS is installed, it uses standard OS/2 concepts, such as:
o A folder to store the shadows of all the object templates
o A Profile notebook to hold the settings that are common to all the Personal
AS objects
o A folder to store the sample objects and data
o Drag and drop within Personal AS, and across the entire OS/2 desktop
o Contextual help available for all selected objects, entry fields, and menu
choices.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.2. 32-Bit Addressing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
32-Bit Addressing
Personal AS can take advantage of the full potential of today's microprocessing
technology - 386 SX processors and above, leading to enhanced performance.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.3. Multitasking ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Multitasking
With OS/2 you can access, use, and manage information using multiple
applications at the same time. For example, you could start to create a
Personal AS Report whilst a Personal AS Chart was being drawn, and a Personal
AS Procedure was executing.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.4. Dragging and Dropping ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Dragging and Dropping
Using the OS/2 drag and drop feature, you can simply drag and drop icons across
the operating system. For example, within Personal AS you can:
o Drag a chart icon to a printer icon to print the chart
o Drag a report icon to the mail icon to send the report to other users
o Drag data from an object that is not part of Personal AS such as a
spreadsheet, and drop it onto a Personal AS object icon such as query
o Drag an open Personal AS Table icon to a Personal AS Chart icon to establish
a Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) link. This means that every time the table is
updated, the chart will be refreshed to display the new data.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.5. Dynamic Data Exchange ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Dynamic Data Exchange
Personal AS supports Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE). DDE allows the exchange of
information between programs. If you establish a link between two objects, any
change you make to the server object is reflected automatically in the client
object. (A server object provides the information; a client object receives the
information.) For example, Personal AS Table can act as a DDE server object for
Personal AS Report. This means that if you establish a DDE link between the
two, when you make a change to the table, the report can be changed
automatically to show it.
You can create a DDE link with objects other than Personal AS. For example, you
could establish a DDE link from Excel** to Personal AS Chart. When the
spreadsheet is updated, the chart could be redrawn automatically to show it.
Personal AS supports the following DDE formats: PM Metafile, Bitmap, GIF, TIFF,
DIF, DBF, PCX, PCIXF, CSV, and Text. However, some objects may be restricted in
the DDE formats they can use. For example, Chart can act as a server for
graphical formats, whereas Report cannot.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.6. Application Protection ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Application Protection
When you are using Personal AS and other applications at the same time, OS/2
prevents the loss of your work because no single application can crash the
entire system.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.7. OS/2 Help Facility ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Help in Personal AS
Personal AS has taken advantage of the extended OS/2 online help facility, and
has provided help for:
o Each menu bar choice
o Each pull-down choice
o General help for each window
o Contextual help for each selectable item
o Task oriented help for each object
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Accessing Data Tables ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Accessing Data Tables with Personal AS
There are many ways you can use Personal AS to access and manipulate data. You
can access a wide range of data, such as DB2/2* data, SQL/DS* data, AS/400*
data, DB2* data, host AS data, and other data formats through host AS. You can
also access a wide range of data exchange formats, such as:
o Integrated Exchange Format (PC/IXF)
o Data Base Facility (DBF) file format
o Data Interchange Format (DIF)
The access to data depends on the environment in which you are running Personal
AS. Double-click on any of the following headings for an illustration of using
Personal AS in different environments:
o Personal AS - the Standalone Solution
o Personal AS in a Local Area Network
o Personal AS linking to AS/400
o Personal AS and SQL
o Personal AS and Host AS
When you use data exchange formats you can either exchange data between one
database and another, or access and use the data in any of these databases or
formats to create a chart, a report, a business plan, or a statistical
analysis. For example, you can exchange data by copying a Personal AS table to
a host AS table.
This means that whenever you want to access data from external data sources,
you do not have to copy the data before you start creating a chart, report,
business plan, or statistical analysis. You can use a file directly in data
exchange format without having to import it into Personal AS before you create
your chart or report.
You could, for example, create a chart by using data held in your Oracle**
database. Personal AS would access the database through host AS using the
Customized Data Interface feature, save the chart specification, and represent
it as an icon.
When you select the chart icon, Personal AS recognizes the data source you used
as a basis for your chart, and creates the chart for you. In this way, you can
create charts, reports, plans and analyses by directly accessing data, whether
it is from DB2/2, AS/400, host AS, DB2, or SQL/DS, without having to change the
format of the data.
To see the next section, double-click on: Introducing Other Personal AS
Products.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. Personal AS - the Standalone Solution ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS - the Standalone Solution
When Personal AS is installed on a standalone computer, it can make full use of
information that is available from other sources. For example, Personal AS can
exchange data with:
o DB2/2.
You can access SQL data stored in a DB2/2* database, and present it in a
report, chart, or use it with other Personal AS objects.
o OS/2 File system
You can exchange data with other PC products such as:
- Products that use Comma Separated Variable (CSV), or Flat (FLT) file
format
- Products that use DBF file format (dBASE** and Lotus 1-2-3**)
- Products that use DIF file format
- Products that use PC/IXF format
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. Personal AS in a Local Area Network ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS in a Local Area Network
Through a Local Area Network (LAN), you can use Personal AS to access data from
various departments and locations.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. Personal AS Linking to AS/400 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS Linking to AS/400
With AS/400* PC Support/400 (Program Number 5738-PC1), you can link to an
AS/400 using Personal AS to:
o Access data from AS/400 files
o Store data in AS/400 files
o Store data in SQL* tables on the AS/400
o Store data in shared folders on the AS/400 that are defined as virtual drives
on your workstation
For example, you can access business data, such as orders, accounts receivable,
and stock control, that are kept on the AS/400 system.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4. Personal AS and SQL ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS and SQL
You can use Personal AS to:
o Access data from DB2/2* (SQL*) tables and views
o Store data in DB2/2 tables
o Access and store data in DB2/2, SQL/DS*, and OS/400* tables in databases on
remote Distributed Relational Database Architecture * (DRDA*) servers. (To
access a remote DRDA server, IBM SAA* Distributed Database Connection
Services/2 (DDCS/2) (Program Number 5621-226) also needs to be installed in
the machine running DB2/2.)
For example, you can create a Personal AS chart from data held as DB2 tables,
selecting only those rows and columns of data you require in your chart.
You can use Personal AS with DB2/2 to access and store data in SQL tables on
the AS/400*.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.5. Personal AS and Host AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS and Host AS
Host AS is a decision-support software product for the IBM* System/370* and IBM
System/390* computers running within MVS/XA* and MVS/ESA* operating systems
using TSO/E, or within VM/SP, VM/XA*, and VM/ESA* using CMS.
Like Personal AS, host AS provides functions such as data management, reporting
and charting facilities, as well as project management, business planning,
statistical analysis, and linear programming. Thus, Personal AS and AS can work
with each other by exchanging tables and other objects.
With Personal AS, you can link to host AS and use external data in the VM or
MVS environment by accessing data:
o From host AS tables
o From SQL/DS* or DB2* tables
o Through an AS Customized Data Interface (CDI).
A CDI is a software program which you write to provide AS applications with
additional input data in either the MVS or VM environment. This allows AS to
access any data which is available on your mainframe, including data from
database management systems which are not directly supported by AS.
o From VSAM files
o From ISPF tables
o From APL files
o From QMF* queries
Similarly, you can copy Personal AS tables into:
o Host AS tables
o SQL/DS or DB2 tables
o ISPF tables
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Other Personal AS Products ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Providing Solutions with Other Personal AS Products
When your business requires more complex analyses for your decision-making
process, you can perform tasks with other Personal AS products.
Note: THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ARE CURRENTLY ONLY AVAILABLE FOR USE ON PERSONAL
AS VERSION 2.
Double-click on any of the small pictures for a more detailed description of
each object.
Personal AS Project Management
Personal AS Project Management can help you schedule and manage the progress
and performance of projects
Personal AS Statistics
Personal AS Statistics can help you perform forecasting and statistical
analyses, presenting the results in either a tabular or graphical form
Personal AS Business Planning
Personal AS Business Planning can help you make business forecasts and develop
multidimensional plans for your organization
To see the next section, double-click on: Personal AS - The International
Solution.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Personal AS Project Management ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS Project Management
Projects come in many forms. At one end of the scale are large corporate
projects, such as building a new factory or developing a major new product.
These are clearly recognized as projects and are controlled by a professional
project manager. At the other end of the scale are small departmental projects,
such as planning the work activities and resources within a small department
that may be controlled by a manager or professional who does not have formal
project management training.
The common element in all types of project work is a set of activities that
must be performed, schedules to be attained, and resources that can be
allocated. For effective performance, project managers need to understand the
exact status of their project, identify changing situations, and apply changes
that have minimum impact on project objectives.
Project Management is a tool for planning and controlling a project to assist
managers to meet business objectives on time.
The following is a list of the main features of Personal AS Project Management.
To see more information about each one, double-click on its title.
o Visual Front End
o Optional Resource Chart on Gantt Chart
o Comparative Analysis
o Navigation Maps
o Calendars
o Displaying your Project Data
o Fractional Resources
o Autoscheduling and Rescheduling
o Standard Reports and Charts
To return to the section about Personal AS products, double-click on: Other
Personal AS Products.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.1. Visual Front End ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Visual Front End
You can manage your project, from beginning to end, using a visual
representation of a project's components, as shown in the following
illustration:
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.2. Optional Resource Chart on Gantt Chart ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Optional Resource Chart on Gantt Chart
You can display a resource chart below your Gantt chart. This follows the same
time scale as the Gantt chart, and shows what resource are available and how
resources are allocated for a maximum of two resources in your project. You can
choose whether to display the chart as a histogram or a line chart, and select
whether to show actual values, or summarization values corresponding to either
the maximum, minimum or average value.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.3. Comparative Analysis ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Comparative Analysis
You can define bar items for your Gantt chart using any two date columns in
your activity table.
As the project progresses, slippage can automatically be calculated from a
previously-stored baseline schedule, and you can create a comparative chart of
the baseline against schedule.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.4. Navigation Maps ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Navigation Maps for Logic Diagrams and Gantt Charts
If your project is quite large, your Logic diagram shows only a section of it.
You can use a navigation map to see the location of your current Gantt or Logic
diagram with respect to broader project views, and move it using your mouse.
After you enter the activities in your project, define the relationships
between them and perform an analysis, you can display your project graphically
as a Logic diagram, or a Gantt chart.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.5. Calendars ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Calendars
You can define workload periods using Calendars. You can use up to 16 Calendars
per project. The Calendars form a Calendar set, which is represented
graphically as a Calendar chart. You can change the time scale of the Calendar
chart, and also tailor the chart by changing the colors, the thickness of the
bars, and shading patterns.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.6. Displaying your project data ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displaying your project data
You can produce charts and reports that use your project data.
You can also use Project Management objects in Personal AS Procedure.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.7. Fractional Resources ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Fractional Resources
You are not limited to integral resources. This means you can use one shared
resource to be divided across several projects, or you can check the
availability of shared resources within a single project.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.8. Autoscheduling and rescheduling ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Autoscheduling and rescheduling
You can schedule your project using the information entered the last time you
performed scheduling.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.9. Standard reports and charts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Standard reports and charts
A number of standard reports and charts are provided to help you complete your
project.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Personal AS Statistics ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS Statistics
Business professionals frequently need to analyze data, search for possible
trends, and gather preliminary information. They also need to be aware of
seasonal variations, or indicators for managing manufacturing processes.
Statistics is a high-function data-analysis and forecasting tool designed to
meet this need.
Statistics can be used by two particular types of people:
o Business professionals who need to analyze business information
The basic methods will satisfy the statistical needs of most business
professionals.
o Corporate Statisticians
The advanced methods are designed to satisfy the more common needs of
professional statisticians working in a business environment.
Personal AS Statistics provides more than fifty different statistical methods.
Each method has comprehensive on-screen contextual help.
Statistics provides a series of navigational route maps that help you identify
the most appropriate method for the particular data you want to analyze. Each
item on the route map is a push button to give instant access to the relevant
function. Double-click on any of the push buttons for more information about
the methods.
For information about using Personal AS Statistics and host AS, double-click
on: Exchanging data with Host AS
To return to the section about Personal AS products, double-click on:
Introducing Other Personal AS Products.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.1. Exploratory methods ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Exploratory Methods
The exploratory methods provide a good starting point for previously unexamined
data.
You can use descriptive statistics to help you summarize your data by finding
the average, the dispersion, and the range.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.2. Relations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Relations
You can use two types of analysis in Relations: Correlation and Regression.
Correlation measures the degree of association between variables.
For example, you have sales figures for the different products and you want to
see if there is any association between them.
You can use Regression methods to assess whether two or more variables are
related and to determine the nature and extent of this relationship. You can
then use any model that you produce to predict the value of a variable for
known values of the other variables.
For example, when you change the price of a product, you might want to know how
prices for that product affect its sales.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.3. Model Fitting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Model fitting
Model fitting methods include time series and regression methods.
In the business world, you frequently collect data at fixed intervals of time.
For example, you might collect sales data on a weekly, monthly, quarterly or
yearly basis. You can use time series analysis to build models, find
forecasting formulae and make predictions using such data, as shown in the
following illustration.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.4. Tests ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Tests
You can perform significance tests on samples of data. You often want to
compare samples to see whether the populations they represent can be considered
similar in some respect. Statistics provides fifteen such tests.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.5. Distributions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Distributions
Distributions allow you to see the probabilities and other characteristics
pertaining to specified distributions and remove the need to look up separate
statistical tables for this task.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.6. Quality Control ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Quality Control
These are statistical quality control techniques allowing you to monitor
processes to make sure they remain in statistical control.
Additional statistical quality control charts available are:
o Cusum, which is a method where a cumulative sum is plotted against time to
detect changes in a process mean.
o Pareto, which is a technique used to rank items in decreasing order of size.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.7. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
You can use Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) techniques to break down the total
variation in a set of data into its possible sources.
For example, suppose you conduct an experiment to determine the effect of four
environmental factors on the speed of typing. The environmental factors
comprise four different levels of background noise, three brands of
typewriters, three levels of lighting, and two room temperatures. You have four
factors, with levels of four, three, and two. You want to look at the effect of
each of these factors.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.8. Exchanging data with Host AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Exchanging data with Host AS
Statistics allows you to run statistical analyses directly against external
data such as Host AS tables, so you do not need to import the data. You can
also run statistical analyses using more than one table.
In addition, the results of statistical analyses can be stored for future use,
or integrated with other Personal AS applications.
The range of methods and flexibility of result presentations make Statistics an
ideal solution for both statisticians and business professionals.
To return to the previous section, press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard.
Press the Esc(ape) key on your keyboard to return to the previous text.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. Personal AS Business Planning ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS Business Planning
Planners and managers need to identify market trends and understand the effects
of price increases, rising interest rates, raw material cost fluctuations,
demographic buying trends and many other factors that can influence planning
activities throughout an organization.
Personal AS Business Planning is a powerful tool that can help business
professionals make projections and analyses and monitor closely an
organization's resources.
Typical uses for Business Planning are to plan finances, anticipate future
business and volumes, estimate costs, and forecast profit. The following is a
list of the main features of Personal AS Business Planning. To see more
information about each one, double-click on its title.
o Multidimensional Structures
o Flexible Results Display
o Powerful Modeling Language
o Flexible Data Source
o Self-generating Plan Items
o Flexible Time and Total definitions
o Automatic results consolidation
To return to the section about Personal AS products, double-click on: Other
Personal AS Products.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.1. Multidimensional Structures ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Multidimensional Structures
Personal AS Business Planning is a multidimensional planning tool. You can use
it to create plans that consolidate the results of up to four extra dimensions,
in addition to plan items and time. Each dimension in the plan exists as an
independent hierarchy. For example, you can have a geographic dimension that
shows the hierarchy of your company's sales outlets:
For each dimension in your plan, Business Planning automatically consolidates
the results through the different levels in the hierarchy. For example, in the
geographic dimension illustrated above, it would consolidate the results of the
South East and the North East areas, then the Total Company. In plans with more
than one additional dimension, the results are also automatically consolidated
across each dimension. You can look at the results of each independent
dimension within your defined hierarchical structure, as the following
illustration shows:
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.2. Flexible Results Display ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Flexible Results Display
There are several methods you can use to display the results of your plans:
o You can change the dimension elements that are displayed, including plan
items and time
o You can change the orientation of the rows and columns
o You can display summary results which show particular levels and elements of
a dimension
o You can make a report of the entire plan
o You can present a selected combination of the results of your plan in a chart
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.3. A Powerful Modeling Language ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Powerful Modeling Language
A model is established as a set of statements that define the relationship and
calculations between the items in your plan. The statements include conditional
logic, advanced mathematical functions, intrinsic financial functions and
system variables.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.4. A Flexible Data Source ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Flexible Data Source
The data that the model needs to execute its statements can be provided in two
ways. You can insert it in the model, as shown below:
Price = 30
Sales = Compound (100,10)
Alternatively, you can use data tables you have created previously. These may
be tables that were created using Personal AS Table, or tables that were
created using a different product. Provided that the data table follows the
correct format, Business Planning is able to read and use the information they
contain.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.5. Self-generating Plan items ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Self-generating Plan items
Plan items are the variables in your plan. They are used in the model to
produce the results and can be shown in the results display. You can define
plan items automatically by referring to them in your model. Business Planning
automatically generates any plan items that you use in the model and which are
not already defined, giving them default attributes for display and totaling.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.6. Flexible Time and Total Definitions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Flexible Time and Total Definitions
Each of your plans will cover a time scale using a particular type of time
interval. For example, you may choose hours, days, weeks, months, years, or any
other self-defined scale. You can choose whichever time interval best suits
your business requirements.
In addition to a flexible time definition, Business Planning provides for both
regular and irregular totals. Business Planning will automatically insert
regular totals across the time scale, according to the interval you have
specified.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.7. Automatic Results Consolidation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Automatic Results Consolidation
Business Planning automatically consolidates the results for each level in each
of the dimensions of the plan. First it uses the model to calculate the results
for the lowest levels in the dimension hierarchy, then it automatically
consolidates the results for the remaining levels.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.8. Exchanging plans with Host AS Business Planning ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Exchanging plans with Host AS Business Planning
You can either use external host AS data in your Business Planning plan, or
import a host AS model and results table.
ARTWORK
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. The International Solution ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS - The International Solution
Personal AS can be used in many countries, in several national languages. If
your organization is multinational, your users in other countries can take
advantage of Personal AS tools in their national language.
The following national languages are supported by the Personal AS family of
products. For details of the products available, double click on the national
language.
o French
o German
o Italian
o Japanese
o Spanish
o US English
OS/2 code page 850 is required for each language except Japanese, which
requires a Double Byte Character Set (DBCS) code page.
To see the next section, double-click on: Installing Personal AS.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. French Personal AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
French Personal AS
The Personal AS products that are available in French are:
o Personal AS
o Business Planning
o Project Management
o Statistics
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. German Personal AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
German Personal AS
The Personal AS products that are available in German are:
o Personal AS
o Business Planning
o Project Management
o Statistics
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. Italian Personal AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Italian Personal AS
The Personal AS products that are available in Italian are:
o Personal AS
o Business Planning
o Project Management
o Statistics
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. Japanese Personal AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Japanese Personal AS
The Personal AS products that are available in Japanese are:
o Personal AS
o Business Planning
o Project Management
o Statistics
o Builder
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.5. Spanish Personal AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Spanish Personal AS
The Personal AS products that are avaiable in Spanish are:
o Personal AS
o Business Planning
o Statistics
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.6. US English Personal AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
US English Personal AS
The Personal AS products that are avaiable in US English are:
o Personal AS
o Business Planning
o Project Management
o Statistics
o Builder
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Installing Personal AS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
What You Need to Install Personal AS
Double-click on any of the following section titles for more information about
installing Personal AS:
o Hardware requirements
o Software requirements
o Compatibility considerations
To go back to the beginning of this book, double-click on: Welcome to Personal
AS.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. Hardware Requirements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS Hardware Requirements
The minimum machine to run Personal AS is a Personal Computer or IBM PS/2*,
with a 386 SX processor, appropriate display, graphics adapter, and mouse.
o The recommended machine to run Personal AS is a Personal Computer or PS/2
with a 486 processor, appropriate display, graphics adapter, and mouse.
o The recommended memory, in addition to OS/2 requirements, is 8Mb.
o The disk space requirement for Personal AS is 8Mb. This increases
proportionally to the amount of data stored within applications.
o All printers supported by OS/2 2.0 are supported by Personal AS Version 3.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.2. Software Requirements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS Software Requirements
Personal AS Version 3 requires OS/2 Version 2.0 plus servicepak 6055 or later.
For DBCS languages: OS/2J is required for the Japanese verison of Personal AS.
For AS/400 connection, IBM PC Support/400 Version 2.1.1 must be installed on
the AS/400 and the workstation.
IBM SAA Distributed Database Connection Services/2* (DDCS/2*) must be installed
for Distributed Relational Database Architecture * (DRDA*) access to DB2,
SQL/DS*, and OS/400* relational data without the need for Application System.
DDCS/2 requires OS/2 Extended Services. For access to DB2/2 data, DDCS/2
Version 2.0 is required. To do this, all database products must be at the level
providing DRDA support; for DB2 this is Version 2.3, and for SQL/DS this is
Version 3.3.
For full exploitation of host AS with IBM Personal AS Version 3, host AS
Version 3 Release 2 should be installed. For host connectivity via CPI
Communications, host Application System Version 3 Release 2 is required. For
host AS Version 2 Release 2, and Version 3 Release 1, the new functions of the
AS object (session variables, get next row, and go to top) will be rejected as
not supported. Relevant Program Temporary Fixes (PTFs) must be installed to
ensure compatibility (PTF numbers to be announced at their time of
availability), and the appropriate OS/2 communication software must be
installed on the Personal Computer.
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.3. Compatibility Considerations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Personal AS Compatibility Considerations
Applications developed on IBM Personal Application System Version 2 will run on
IBM Personal Application System Versions 3. However, the reverse is not true -
applications developed on IBM Personal Application System Version 3 will not
run on IBM Personal Application System Version 2.
Current users of IBM Personal Application System Version 2 who use the Schema
function will find equivalent function in the Query object within IBM Personal
Application System Version 3.
IBM Personal Application System/2 Version 3 is designed to exploit the
strengths of OS/2 Version 2.0 in the area of performance, including 32 bit
addressing and the use of the high performance file systems (HPFS).
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Trademark or service mark of IBM Corporation in the United States of America or
other countries.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Menu Editor allows you to create the menus used for menu bars and specify
mnemonic and shortcut key sequences for each menu entry. Also, if you have the
OS/2 Programmer's Toolkit, you can create help text with the editor for any or
all of your menu entries.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Window Editor allows you to create a graphic interface to "paste" buttons,
menu bars, text entry or display fields and other window controls onto your
application windows. Any menus that are defined can be connected to the menu
bar (a list of available menus). The window control features such as maximize
window, minimize window, scroll vertically, and scroll horizontally are defined
for each of your application windows.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Program Editor allows you to write and edit AS Language code for your
application. If you use the Window and Menu editors to design your windows and
menus, you can use the Program editor to automatically generate skeletal source
code for the controls, menu bar entries, and their characteristics. The Program
editor also provides syntax checking, code formatting, and syntax help windows
to help you create programs.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Make Facility allows you to manage the programs, windows, and menus that
you have designed for an application. You can also use Make to compile selected
files from your library (when creating an application in stages).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Trademark of the Oracle Corporation.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Trademark of Borland International, Inc.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Trademark of the Lotus Development Corporation.
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