"SELECT RECORDS BY NUMERIC AND DATE COMPARISON HELP"

"NUMERIC RECORD SELECTION"

"When records are selected by numeric comparison,  a  data pertinent to"
"the record is targeted to be compared to a test value.  The comparitor"
"and target may be keyboard entries,  another data,   or one of the two"
"counters the program  provides for each record.  The purpose of record"
"selection, whether numeric or alpha comparison is used,  is to discon-"
"tinue the processing of those records not  adhering  to the  specified"
"parameters; to exclude them from the current group."

"In a datafile detailing products sold there is  a  segment  containing"
"the current price of the item.  Its' number is three.   To work with a"
"group of records selling for a dollar or more we need to  exclude  the"
"items whose price is $.99 or less. To do so, we use the select-numeric"
"routine.  Menus guide you through the setup of the  EXCLUSIVE SORT you"
"need to perform."

"First of all you will select the target of the OPERATION.  If you have"
"done previous exclusive sorts you may, until you use a  counter field,"
"sort the entire file and add the survivors (records passing your test)"
"to the current group, ending up with a group of records that match one"
"of multiple criterion."

"When you  store  the  results of a calculation in a counter  field you"
"will lose the option of adding records to the group; new records would"
"not have had their counters computed as the rest."

"Since we have done no previous  record selects no option of target for"
"our operation will be offered on the screen; it must be all records."

"Then select as the target of the SORT the data in number three: price."

"In  this  case  our  comparitor is the same for all records, though it"
"needn't be. It is a keyboard entry of 1.00.   So,  the data in segment"  
"three in all  records  will be compared to the same value: 1."

"Finally we must choose  a  comparison mode. Use equal to/greater than."
"We could also use .99 as comparitor and  greater than as the  process."

"Before the datafile is read and processed the program re-displays your"
"input and allows you to re-specify the sort  parameters  if  you  have"
"made keying or logic errors."

"When you return to browse the records not passing your test  will  not"
"be displayed.  Nor will subsequent calculations, sorts, prints,  finds"
"or total/averages include the non-survivors.  For all intents and pur-"
"poses these records are not in the file until you press F11."


"TIME-SLICE RECORD SELECTION"

"To create a group of records having a date field that lies between two"
"specified dates press F8 as if the target of your select were numeric."

"When you select the first target field as a date field the rest of the"
"prompts associated with the select records numeric routine will be re-"
"placed with prompts offering you the option of entering or  specifying"
"dates or date fields instead of numeric data/fields."

"The time-slice is identified in two passes:   1. Select records having"
"their dates in the target field on or after  ( => )  the desired start"
"date.   2.   Select records having their dates in the desired field on"
"or before the desired cutoff date."



"AFTER THE SORT:"

"After the select routine has completed it's work  you  will  return to"
"BROWSE.  The records whose target date did not  fall between the spec-"
"ified dates will no longer appear  on  the screen,  in printouts,  nor"
"will subsequent operations on the group affect the rejected records."

"The data you used as the target of your sort will be  displayed in the"
"secondary screen area so you may visually confirm the results  of  the"
"process. To remove it from the browse screen press F18, then three."

"You may do as many record selects as necessary to define  your  group."

"It may SEEM that another feature this program could offer  would be to"
"perform multiple selects simultaneously. In fact, you would be  LOSING"
"a very important feature UNIQUE to the DATAMAGE by doing so:  You have"
"an opportunity to see the affect of each and every operation done."
