dBASE 5.0 for Windows - product description

BORLAND dBASE 5.0 FOR WINDOWS 
The worldwide database standard

dBASE for Windows is the best way to manage your data and build database applications for Windows.

dBASE FOR WINDOWS: THE NEXT GENERATION IS HERE

dBASE for Windows has everything you need to manage your data and build powerful database applications for Windows. Complete compatibility with dBASE for DOS. Powerful visual tools. Easy object-oriented development. Client/server capabilities. So whether you are an interactive user or developer, dBASE will take you to Windows and client/server in one step.

FROM DOS TO WINDOWS, EVERYTHING WORKS

Seven million users worldwide rely on the dBASE standard to manage information that is critical to their organization's success. Now you can run your existing programs written in dBASE III PLUS(rg) and dBASE IV(rg) instantly in dBASE for Windows. And you can give your existing applications written in dBASE for DOS a graphical look with the dBASE for Windows Component Builder.(tm) dBASE for DOS, dBASE for Windows, and Paradox(rg) users can even share the same data concurrently on a network. All the dBASE commands you already know work instantly in the new dBASE Command Window. There is simply no easier way to move to Windows. But compatibility is only the beginning.

MANAGE YOUR DATA EASILY

With new data management capabilities in dBASE for Windows, you'll be productive right away. The NEW! dBASE Navigator puts all of your tables, queries, forms, reports, catalogs, applications and related files, just a mouse-click away. You can organize your applications by simply dragging and dropping files into the NEW! Catalog Window.

Get answers from your data fast with the powerful NEW! Graphical Query Designer, and Borland's exclusive NEW! SpeedFilter(tm) technology (patent pending). Create great-looking multi-table forms in a snap with the NEW! Form Designer. You see "live data" while you are designing, so you always know what the results look like ahead of time.

Or answer a few questions and let the FormExpert(tm) do the work for you. Create impressive reports and labels instantly with the NEW! Crystal Reports for dBASE. NEW! Interactive Tutors(tm) let you use your own data while you learn dBASE for Windows. Finish the lesson and you've finished the job. And of course on-line help is always at your fingertips.

THE BEST WAY TO BUILD DATABASE APPLICATIONS FOR WINDOWS

dBASE for Windows provides the most powerful set of tools to build professional Windows database applications in record time. Designed specifically for database application development, the dBASE language is powerful, English-like, and easy to learn. That's why it has become the standard around the world. Now dBASE for Windows sets a new standard of productivity by bringing full object-oriented capabilities to the dBASE tools and language.

dBASE for Windows introduces NEW! Two-Way-Tools, a unique feature that lets you work interchangeably between your visual design and dBASE source code. As you use the designers to visually create forms, queries, and menus, object-oriented dBASE code is generated automatically.

You can directly edit and customize the code line-by-line. Changes you make in either the visual designer or the code are instantly reflected in the other view. Only dBASE for Windows gives you this exciting new flexibility when building your applications. And since all the tools generate code for you, dBASE for Windows actually teaches you object-oriented development as you use the visual tools. It's that easy!

Building applications is simplified with the NEW! Integrated Development Environment. NEW! Color Source Code Highlighting makes it easy to spot key areas in your code and presents it more intuitively. And the NEW! Graphical Debugger provides instant feedback as you design and test your application. Set breakpoints, evaluate expressions, keep track of variable status, and single-step through programs with ease.

OBJECT-ORIENTED PRODUCTIVITY COMES TO dBASE

Borland's object-oriented technology is revolutionizing the way applications are built. With dBASE for Windows, you create reliable components that are instantly reusable so you'll slash development time. Start right away by using built-in objects that you can modify without programming. Just right-click to bring up the NEW! Object Inspector(rg) to change the properties of any object instantly. Create new objects that can be reused again and again with one simple dBASE command. Once an object has been created, all of its properties and methods can be used instantly by another object.

Combine objects to create powerful Windows applications fast. This reusability and reliability reduce your development time dramatically. Only dBASE for Windows makes object-oriented development this easy.

dBASE FOR WINDOWS PUTS YOU IN FULL CONTROL OF THE WINDOWS ENVIRONMENT

The dBASE for Windows NEW! Open Plug-and-Play Architecture enables you to leverage thousands of Windows capabilities and external tools directly in dBASE. Once "plugged in," they become a part of dBASE, and work just like any other built-in feature. Now you can easily integrate into your applications a host of Windows API services for printing, picking fonts and colors, displaying message boxes, and much more. With NEW! VBX Control Support you can plug in your favorite custom control, or your own control written in dBASE, and it instantly becomes part of the productive dBASE environment. And you can directly access and use any Windows .DLL right away. This new open Plug-and-Play Architecture will save you hours of development time.

CREATE NEW KINDS OF APPLICATIONS

With dBASE for Windows, the full range of data is under your control. The NEW! binary field type enables you to store complex data types including sound, graphics, multimedia, and more in your database tables. And a NEW! OLE field stores OLE objects from other Windows applications inside your dBASE applications. These new field types provide extra assurance that you can create the most robust Windows database applications that take advantage of the latest advancements in multimedia.

BUILD POWERFUL NETWORK SOLUTIONS

dBASE for Windows is multiuser-ready right out of the box. dBASE for DOS, dBASE for Windows, and Paradox users can share the same data concurrently on a network. With automatic record and file locking and screen refresh, all users can share the same data files with confidence. NEW! Event-driven Transaction Processing ensures data integrity, enabling you to roll back entire blocks of transactions at any time.

LET dBASE MOVE YOU TO CLIENT/SERVER

Now you can build state-of-the-art Windows applications that seamlessly upsize from LAN-based applications to fully enabled client/server solutions. dBASE for Windows is built on the Borland Database Engine, which lets you use data from most popular SQL servers just like you use a local dBASE or Paradox file. dBASE for Windows handles all the work of translating your dBASE commands into the appropriate SQL syntax, so you don't have to. And you can even embed SQL statements in your dBASE code and pass them to the server for execution. Just install Borland SQL Links (available separately) to use data from popular server environments including Oracle, Sybase and InterBase.(rg)

Now you can combine the productive environment of dBASE with the security and performance of SQL servers using your knowledge of dBASE.

Only dBASE for Windows provides the superior combination of productive data management, powerful object-oriented capabilities, and a path to client/server. That's why we call dBASE for Windows software with the future built in.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Capacity

Data Types

Database Management

Tables

Query Designer

User Interface Components

Application Development Tools

dBASE Language

Data Safeguards

Multiuser Features

System Requirements

Networks Supported

Client/server Requirements*

dBASE for Windows works with communications hardware and software appropriate for the following SQL database servers: Borland InterBase, Oracle, Sybase, and MS/Sybase SQL Server.

*Requires Borland SQL Links (sold separately)

dBASE is part of Borland's growing family of databases, languages, and client/server tools.