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LittleSteps® RDBMS Portal Client Software for SQL Server |
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©Winluck Pty Ltd Falls Rd, Falls Creek, NSW 2540,
Information Technology Managers &
Engineers – since 1983
www.mountainman.com.au/software/LittleSteps
Demonstrating a system of binding the
organizational intelligence
inherent in the Northwind Trading Company’s
database application system software suite
to the Southwind
database
using LittleSteps.
Northwind
Trading Company
Overview of Organizational Structure
Click the organizational group or entity to view the menu of applications.
Each organizational group have different application requirements
Here is a detailed description of the application system suite components, introduced in order from the CEO through the Northwind organization:
OVERVIEW of Application System Software:
SOUTHWIND
stored procedure tasks
Applications for the
CEO:
Task_101_Sales_Analysis_by_Client_Level_1_of_2_CEO.JPG
Presents
a summary of client sales for the period per client with statistical
information able to be sorted and filtered, or print previewed, printed or
exported to excel, word (table) or XML.
By selecting a specific row (ie: a specific client) double-clicking will
return the detailed transactions for the summary line.
Task_101_Showing_Sorting_on_Client_Name.JPG
Sorting
works simply by clocking the header row of the column you want to use to form
the primary sort of the entire dataset.
Multiple sorts can be selected, by selecting one column after
another. The unsort button will revert
the dataset to the original sort order as specified in the source stored
procedure.
Task_101_Sales_Analysis_by_Client_Level_2_of_2_CEO.JPG
Presents
the detail of client sales for the period.
Task_102_Sales_Analysis_by_Client_and_Category_Level_1_of_1_CEO.JPG
Summary
of client sales for the period per client per product category with statistical
information able to be sorted and filtered, or print previewed, printed or
exported to excel, word (table) or XML.
By selecting a specific row (ie: a specific client and product category)
double-clicking will return the detailed transactions for this client and this
product category.
Task_102_Showing_Filter_by_Product_Category.JPG
Filtering
works simply by selecting a cell, and then selecting the filter button. When the filter button is again selected, it
will revert to the original unfiltered dataset.
Task_102_Showing_Filter_by_Product_Category_PRINT_PREVIEW.JPG
Print
preview will show the number of pages to be expected, and how they will appear
if selected for print.
Column
widths can be changed, or columns totally suppressed using LittleSteps. These changes will be reflected in the
subsequent print-preview and printing.
Applications for
General Access:
Task_201_Northwind_Product_List_by_Name_GENERAL.JPG
Standard
Northwind product information able to be sorted and filtered, or print
previewed, printed or exported to excel, word (table) or XML.
Task_201_now_Filtered_by_Category_and_Sorted_by_Unit_Price.JPG
Sorting
and filtering may be performed concurrently.
Task_202_Invoice_Detail_Level_1_Prompt_GENERAL.JPG
A
prompt box is configurable with LittleSteps, and requests the end user to enter
some key element of data before continuing.
This mode of enquiry is often useful for obtaining discrete datasets.
Task_202_Invoice_Detail_Level_2_GENERAL.JPG
The
detailed invoice data presented for the specified invoice number.
Task_250_Document_Management_Application_Level_1_of_2_GENERAL.JPG
A document management system is simply constructed
using LittleSteps.
1) All networked archive
documents are gathered up and reported upon (filename, author, dates, etc)
2) The output of this report
is imported to SQL, and a stored procedure written to present this to end
users.
3) Users are able to see an
index of their own documents, or others, dependent upon established practice.
4) This list can be analysed,
sorted, filtered, printed, exported, etc.
5) One key element in a
document management system is the integrity of the data in the subject fields
of the documents.
Task_250_Document_Management_Application_Level_2_of_2_GENERAL.JPG
If
the stored procedures serving the LittleSteps portal are written using certain
standard conventions, then by double-clicking any of the detailed document
rows, providing windows can identify the appropriate application, LittleSteps
will launch that document.
Applications for the
Sales Manager:
Task_401_Products_above_average_price.JPG
Lists products over the
threshold.
Task_456_Employee_Territories_Maintenance_SALES_MANAGER.JPG
Maintains the correspondence
between territories and employees.
Task_457_Sales_Regions_Maintenance_SALES_MANAGER.JPG
Data entry of new sales
regions, or amendments to previously defined regions.
Task_458_Sales_Territories_Maintenance_SALES_MANAGER.JPG
Data entry of new sales
territories, or amendments to previously defined territories.
Applications for the
Sales Person:
Task_501_Client_Maintenance_SALES_PERSON.JPG
Data entry of new client
details, or amendments to previously defined client details.
Task_510_Client_ORDERS_Maintenance_SALES_PERSON.JPG
Data entry of new client
orders, or amendments to previously defined client orders.
Task_511_Client_ORDER_DETAILS_Maintenance_Level_1_of_2_SALES_PERSON.JPG
Selection of required client
order at a summary level.
Task_511_Client_ORDER_DETAILS_Maintenance_Level_2_of_2_SALES_PERSON.JPG
Data entry of new client
order details, or amendments to previously defined client order details.
Applications for the
Support Person:
Task_701_Product_Categories_Maintenance_SUPPORT_PERSON.JPG
Data entry of new product
categories, or amendments to previously defined product categories.
Task_710_Product_Maintenance_SUPPORT_PERSON.JPG
Data entry of new products
and product details, or amendments to previously defined product details.
Task_711_Shippers_Maintenance_SUPPORT_PERSON.JPG
Data entry of new shippers,
or amendments to previously defined shippers.
Task_712_Suppliers_Maintenance_SUPPORT_PERSON.JPG
Data entry of new product
suppliers and details, or amendments to previously defined suppliers.
Applications for the
Employee Centre:
Task_901_Employee_Maintenance_PERSONNEL.JPG
Data entry of new employee
details, or amendments to previously defined employee details.
Applications for the
Database Administrator (DBA):
Task_DBA_01_Maintain_Southwind_Applications_Register_Level_1_of_2.JPG
The
DBA develops applications system components by creating SQL stored procedures
and then registering them. The screen above shows stored procedures which have
already been registered. The task
identities match the above documentation, and each task resolves to one or a
series of levels of stored procedures, as defined in the layout of the
registry. This methodology is
exceedingly simple, yet complex multi-dimensional analytical applications are
realizable.
Task_DBA_01_Maintain_Southwind_Applications_Register_Level_2_of_2.JPG
If
a specific row in the application register is double-clicked, then LittleSteps
will display the source code of the stored procedure which is being defined at
that row.
Task_DBA_01_Maintain_Southwind_Stored_Procedures.JPG
The
collection of stored procedures developed in Southwind represent the extendible
suite of application system components for the Northwind organization. These can be independently managed and
developed via Enterprise Manager or Query Analyser, etc.
Task_DBA_02_View_Application_Usage_Stats_Level_1_of_2.JPG
End
user access to the database via the portal is logged. Use of the individual application components
is logged. In this manner, the
application manager is able to perceive usage levels. The summary level is by task.
Task_DBA_02_View_Application_Usage_Stats_Level_2_of_2.JPG
A
second detail level has been defined for access to the logging trail associated
with the running of all application system components. This shows the details of use associated with
date and time stamps.
Task_DBA_05_Maintain_Northwind_Organizational_Structure.JPG
The
DBA at the CEO’s discretion can modify the existing organizational structure
for the Northwind Trading company. New
organization groups may be added, or existing groups modified.
Task_DBA_06_View_Southwind_Menu_Level_1_of_3.JPG
The
DBA can simulate the menu structure and the deployment of applications via this
menu structure through this stored procedure.
The first level shows all organizational groups.
Task_DBA_06_View_Southwind_Menu_Level_2_of_3.JPG
The
second level shows all application system components currently registered in
the Southwind application register with appropriate associations for that
organizational group. Association
mechanisms can be achieved in multiple ways, such as the numbering sequence
convention adopted in this demonstration.
Task_DBA_06_View_Southwind_Menu_Level_3_of_3.JPG
By
selecting a specific application item on a specific menu for an organizational
group the DBA can double-click to view the SQL code of the stored procedure
which will be run when an end user selects that component item.
Task_DBA_10_View_Northwind_Database_Schema_Level_1_of_3_Tables.JPG
The summary level shows all
database tables in the Northwind database initially sorted by decreasing total
row counts.
Task_DBA_10_View_Northwind_Database_Schema_Level_2_of_3_Table_Column_Specifications.JPG
The second level shows the
specifications of the column schemas for any table selected in the earlier
level summary.
Task_DBA_10_View_Northwind_Database_Schema_Level_3_of_3_Raw_Table_Data.JPG
The
third level shows the raw data for any table earlier selected. This is quite OK for small tables, but with
large tables the stored procedures may need to be selective.
Task_DBA_10_View_Northwind_Database_Schema_Level_3_of_3_Raw_Data_Sorted.JPG
Sorting
itself, even of the 831 Northwind records in the Orders table, can be an
effective analytical tool. The screen
shown here has been sorted by “Shipped Date” to reveal those order which have
not yet been shipped.
Task_DBA_11_View_Northwind_Database_Column_Names.JPG
Simply a listing of all
column names and table names in the Northwind database.
Task_DBA_11_View_Northwind_Database_Column_Names_Sorted.JPG
Sorting
by column name, occurrences of (eg) CustomerID,
City or CategoryID can be
perceived database wide.
Task_DBA_15_View_Current_System_Menu_procedure.JPG
The DBA edits the menu procedure
as required to configure access between users and applications.
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