README Help for INTERSOLV Q+E
	INTERSOLV Q+E Readme
This README Help file provides information not included in the INTERSOLV Q+E User's Manual. The file contains the following topics:

What's New in Q+E

Save As Command Changes

Table List Options

Icon Bar Display Option

Using Small Icons

Print Preview Performance

Using DBMS-Specific Functions

Controlling Scheduled Jobs at Startup

Contacting the Implementation Services Group

Lotus AMI Pro Macro

Asymetrix ToolBook Sample Application

Accurate Value Matching In Value-Based Formatting

Extend QE6.INI File Attributes

For information supplemental to the Q+E Database Driver Reference, see the file QDREADME.HLP or QDREAD.ME.


What's New in Q+E

This release includes an updated user interface, powerful new reporting features, charting capabilities, enhanced script capabilities, database administration features, new index maintenance capabilities, a powerful search tool for locating tables and query files, and several new ways to share data between Q+E and other applications. In addition, Q+E complies with the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) standard.

Enhanced User Interface

New pop-up menus provide you with menu command shortcuts when you click the right mouse button. Tab-style dialog boxes streamline tasks by providing a single place to set a variety of related Q+E options.

Q+E makes it easier for you to browse wide query results by freezing columns--you can lock a specified number of columns on the left side of a Query window. As other columns scroll off the screen horizontally, the frozen columns remain in view.

New Reporting Features

Enhanced data formatting features let you specify the appearance of individual columns and values in your report. You can specify the font, size, style, and color of the text; manipulate row height and column width; activate word wrapping; and specify a format mask.

Q+E defines multiple report sections that you can manipulate to create professional business reports. You can format the report headers and footers, page headers and footers, multiple group headers and footers, and the report body. You can position columns and other components of your report anywhere in a section.

Finally, Q+E's new Print Preview feature lets you make sure a report looks exactly as it should before you print it. This helps you save time and paper, and reduces printer and network traffic.

Charting Capabilities

Q+E lets you create a chart that graphically represents data in a Query window. You can create a Bar chart, Pie chart, Line chart, or any one of the fourteen available chart types. A chart is dynamically linked to the data on which it is based--when the data changes, the chart automatically reflects the change.

Enhanced Script Capabilities

You can control almost every function of Q+E by running scripts. A script consists of one or more script commands that you can submit to Q+E for execution. You can create a Startup script, run scripts through query files and icons, create a Job script and run the job at specific intervals, and create an Event script that is associated with a particular query and mouse action.

Database Administration Features

Q+E lets you manage the activity of database users. With the Q+E Administrator, you can define users and groups with various levels of access to data and Q+E's features. You can write custom error messages to help users who attempt restricted operations.

To make it easier to manage your queries, Q+E provides a query description field for each query file. You can quickly find the query you need by browsing the descriptions or by searching for keywords included in the query file.

Search Tool

Q+E has a handy tool to help you locate tables (of flat-file database systems) and query files. It enables you to search all of your fixed media for files. You can define search criteria including a filename pattern with wildcard characters, a file path, and a date and time stamp. For query files, you can also do keyword searches on the query description, the SQL Select statement, and the source string.

New Ways to Bring Data into Other Applications

In addition to supporting DDE, Q+E now supports OLE 2.0 automation to help you pass data between Q+E and other Windows applications. OLE automation lets you manipulate Q+E objects from any application that supports OLE automation calls (for example, Visual Basic).

The Extend series provides powerful tools for bringing data into several popular desktop applications. All available Extend add-ins (Extend for Excel, Extend for Improv, and Extend for QPW) are bundled with Q+E.

ODBC Compliance

Q+E is ODBC-compliant. It includes Q+E database drivers that enable you to access more than thirty different database systems. In addition, Q+E supports ODBC drivers developed by other companies (third-party drivers).

Index Maintenance

Q+E lets you create, drop, and modify indexes for all of the supported database systems that allow indexes. The method of maintaining indexes is the same for all the database systems Q+E supports.

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) Related Changes

Q+E complies with the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) standard. In order to support this standard, Q+E has had to make the following changes to its commands:

The CLOSE.INDEX, OPEN.INDEX, USE.INDEX, DEFINE.FIELD, and PARSE.LINE commands are no longer available.

The options for the DEFINE, OPEN, and OPEN2 commands are no longer available.


Save As Command Changes

If you are a user of Q+E Database Editor version 5.x, you should be aware that the Save As command works differently in Q+E version 6.

In a Query window, when you use the Save As command, Q+E 6.0 lets you do the following:

Save As using a new table name, just as you can in Q+E 5.0.

Save As using an existing table name, as long as that table is not currently in use. When you Save As to an existing table, Q+E displays a warning message, but you can click the Overwrite button to save the table.

Note that Q+E 6.0 does not let you Save As using the same table name as the current table or any other table name currently in use. If you attempt to Save As using the same table name, an error message will be displayed. In Q+E 5.0, you could do this for dBASE tables.

In a Define window, when you use the Save As command, Q+E 6.0 lets you use a new table name. However, Q+E 6.0 does not let you Save As using an existing table name. In Q+E 5.0, you can Save As using an existing table name.


Table List Options

If you are using a relational database system, the Table List button in the Open Table dialog box lets you set a variety of options that affect performance. Depending on the type of database you are working with, retrieving a list of tables (and views, stored procedures, etc.) can cause delays.

Select the checkbox labeled "Other" to retrieve names of objects other than tables, views, procedures, etc. This option is useful if you need to retrieve "form" names from the Notes ODBC driver or any other driver that makes up its own database object names.

The time required to retrieve the list of available objects may increase when the "Other" option is selected because the driver must return all objects.


Icon Bar Display Option

Q+E displays the icon bar by default. If you do not want Q+E to display the icon bar, choose the Options command from the Tools menu and cancel the Display Icon Bar option in the General panel of the Options dialog box.


Using Small Icons

If you are using the default icon bar (there is no IconFile setting in the QE6.INI file), Q+E determines the resolution of your screen and loads small or large icons based on the resolution you are using. For standard VGA, the small icons are loaded; for higher resolutions, the large icons are loaded.

Q+E makes both small and large icons available from the Icon Bar dialog box. Each set of icons from which you can choose (Default, Tools, Miscellaneous) is available in both large and small sizes. The small sets are identified as such in the Categories list of the Icon Bar dialog box.


Print Preview Performance

Initially, Q+E formats a limited number of report pages (six, by default) in Print Preview mode. When you attempt to display additional pages, Q+E asks you if you want to preview the entire report.

To increase or decrease the number of pages that are initially formatted, add the following to the QE6.INI file:

[QERPT]

PreviewFormat=n

where n is the number of pages you want Q+E to format. If you set PreviewFormat to 0, Q+E automatically formats the entire report without prompting you.


Using DBMS-Specific Functions

Although each database system supports different functions, the Q+E ODBC database drivers support a set of common functions. Several dialog boxes in Q+E allow you to choose a function from a list and include it in an expression, but only the common functions appear in the list. To instruct Q+E to list the extra functions provided by your database system, add the line QeExtraFunctions to the appropriate section of ODBC.INI and list each of the extra functions you want to be available.

For example, to use the extra functions provided by Oracle 7, enter the following in the [Oracle7] section of ODBC.INI:

QeExtraFunctions=ADD_MONTHS(),CHARTOROWID(),CONVERT(),DECODE(),DUMP(),GREATEST(),
HEXTORAW(),INITCAP(),LAST_DAY(),LEAST(),LPAD(),MONTHS_BETWEEN(),NEW_TIME(),NEXT_DAY(),
NLSSORT(),NVL(),POWER(),RAWTOHEX(),ROUND(),ROWIDTOCHAR(),SOUNDEX(),STDDEV(),TO_CHAR(),
TO_DATE(),TRANSLATE(),TRUNC(),UID(),USERENV(),VSIZE(),VARIANCE()

For information about the functions supported by your database system, see that product's documentation. For information about the common ODBC functions, see "Scalar Functions" in Appendix C of the Q+E Database Driver Reference.


Controlling Scheduled Jobs at Startup

By default, Q+E checks your jobs database at startup and, if jobs are pending, prompts you to confirm their execution. If you indicate that Q+E is not to run the pending jobs, the jobs are rescheduled based on the schedule information in the jobs' definition.

To specify whether Q+E is to prompt you to confirm execution of scheduled jobs at startup, modify the PendingJobs line in the [Q+E] section of QE6.INI. The settings are as follows:

PendingJobs = 1	Q+E prompts you to confirm execution of scheduled jobs at startup. (This is the default setting.)
PendingJobs = 2	Q+E does not prompt you to confirm execution of scheduled jobs at startup. Pending jobs are canceled.
PendingJobs = 3	Q+E does not prompt you to confirm execution of scheduled jobs at startup. Pending jobs are executed.


Contacting Implementation Services
Contacting the Implementation Services Group

The INTERSOLV Q+E User's Manual contains incorrect information (on page xx) about how to contact the Implementation Services Group. The correct fax number for this organization is (301) 230-3314.


Lotus AMI Pro Macro

The Lotus AMI Pro macro makes it easy for you to transfer data between Q+E and an AMI Pro document. To obtain a copy of the AMI Pro macro (AMIQE.ZIP), download it from the INTERSOLV/Q+E Software Bulletin Board Service ((919) 851-1381) or from INTERSOLV's CompuServe forum library (GO INTERSOLV.) (For information on obtaining a CompuServe account, refer to the introductory membership card included with Q+E.)


Asymetrix ToolBook Sample Application

The Asymetrix ToolBook sample application (described in the INTERSOLV Q+E User's Manual) illustrates how you can use a DLL interface to automate Q+E. To obtain a copy of the sample application (QETLBK.ZIP), download it from the INTERSOLV/Q+E Software Bulletin Board Service ((919) 851-1381) or from INTERSOLV's CompuServe forum library (GO INTERSOLV.) (For information on obtaining a CompuServe account, refer to the introductory membership card included with Q+E.)


Accurate Value Matching In Value-Based Formatting

By default, Q+E does "fuzzy" comparisons of real numbers (Floats, Doubles, Decimals, etc.). If your application of Q+E requires that you use explicit comparisons, you can turn off the "fuzzy" comparison by setting the following attribute in the [Q+E] section of the QE6.INI file:

FuzzyCompare=0;

The default value is to do the fuzzy compare and will rarely if ever be turned off.


Extend QE6.INI File Attributes

The following sections detail the specific QE6.INI settings available for the Extend products.

Extend for Improv

The following attributes can be set in the [Extend_For_Improv] section of QE6.INI:

Attribute: FormatDates

Settings: "Y" or "N" (Also "yes" or "no")

Description: This attribute enables you to prevent Extend from formatting date columns from the original numeric Julian value to the month/day/year format (i.e., from "1231233" to "July 4, 1776"). Formatting date values can be time consuming for large worksheets, so instructing Extend to leave dates as Julian values can decrease the time required to run a query.

Attribute: FormatString

Settings: "YYYY/M/D H:MMi:SS" (default). Any Improv format is allowed.

Description: This attribute enables you to select an alternative date format. It also is helpful in dealing with foreign language considerations, such as when different letters are used in the format strings (like a "J" instead of a "Y" in French).

Attribute: AddToOldModel

Settings: "Y" or "N" (Also "yes" or "no")

Description: This attribute enables you to prevent Extend from copying the new query results into the original model from which you ran the query. (This applies to the "Delete All Categories" style of query only.) After loading the new query results (from an IMX file), the resulting worksheet is copied into your original model and the IMX worksheet is deleted. This option will prevent the copy and delete, which saves time for large worksheets.

Extend for QPW

The following attributes can be set in the [Extend_For_QPW] section of QE6.INI:

Attribute: TimeFormat

Settings: "TH:MM:SS AMPM" (default). Any valid QPW time format string is allowed.

Description: This attribute enables you to use an alternative time format for TIME ONLY values retrieved from the database. It also is helpful in dealing with foreign language considerations.

Attribute: DateFormat

Settings: "TM-D-YYYY" (default). Any valid QPW date format string is allowed.

Description: This attribute enables you to use an alternative date format for DATE ONLY values retrieved from the database. It also is helpful in dealing with foreign language considerations.

Attribute: DateTimeFormat

Settings: "TM-D-YY H:MM:SS AMPM" (default). Any valid QPW date-time format string is allowed.

Description: This attribute enables you to use an alternative date and time format for DATE AND TIME values retrieved from the database. It also is helpful in dealing with foreign language considerations.

Extend for Excel

The following attributes can be set in the [Extend_For_Excel] section of QE6.INI:

Attribute: Tables

Settings: 1 (default) or 0

Description: This attribute enables you to specify if tables are to be listed in the Tables dialog box.

Attribute: Views

Settings: 1 (default) or 0

Description: This attribute enables you to specify if views are to be listed in the Tables dialog box.

Attribute: Synonyms

Settings: 1 (default) or 0

Description: This attribute enables you to specify if synonyms are to be listed in the Tables dialog box.