|
AutoSoft Systems | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AutoSoft Systems | 2 Round Hill Court | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Greenwich, RI 02818 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 401.885.3631 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 401.884.5653 Fax | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 401.996.3631 Cell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AMDG | "Once you know it, it's Easy!" | autosoft@aol.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commercial and custom computer related products spanning the areas of data acquisition and control, simulation and modeling, numerical analysis, chemical process design and manufacturing management information systems design. Founded in 1982. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We know Excel! Whenever possible, Excel is the user interface, VBA is the programming language, ODBC connects to the database of your choice. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | About Us | Literature | Wire & Cable | Pharmaceutical & Biotech | Construction Management | Commercial Products | Custom Solutions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contact Us | Events | Downloads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AMDG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![MCj04398280000[1]](autotools_files/index_0000_image004.gif)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dr. Serdakowski uses the following tools in his development work: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Excel Version 2007 and 2003 |
Microsoft Excel with the Visual Basic for Applications Macro language. Although Excel 2007 has been available for more than a year, many users I support are still on Excel 2003, with some still on Excel 2000. The Excel/VBA application in combination with ODBC (Open Data Dave Connectivity) is a powerful tool for building reports and analytical tools for AXIOM and many other purposes. The Help files in 2003 are superior to 2007, and Excel 2003 is more stable for 24x7x365 use. 2007 also eliminated FoxPro support as part of Microsoft's effort to kill FoxPro (see below).I await the release of Excel 2010 and all the new bugs it will contain. This web site is built in Excel (just to show what can be done with it). All three versions of Excel can peacefully co-exist on a single computer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9.0 | Although Microsoft has announced that FoxPro is not going to have any more upgrades, Microsoft will continue to support FoxPro until 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A major benefit of FoxPro (and the reason why Microsoft wants to kill it) is that once a developer purchases a FoxPro license, he/she can freely distribute an unlimited number of applications built with FoxPro. FoxPro can handle tables with up to 255 fields and 2 GBs in size. With proper indexing, FoxPro has lightning fast SQL execution. Microsoft purchased FoxPro in 1992 to acquire FoxPro's "Rushmore" technology for fast data retrieval. This technology was ported into SQLServer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| With the exception of the axs.chg_audit and cis.mfg_invh tables (which are both greater than 2 GB in most installations) FoxPro is an excellent tool for replicating the AXIOM tables. This replication with proper FoxPro indexing allows for much faster retrieval of data for reporting and analysis than native Progress code when one has to deal with large tables and conditional "WHERE" clauses beyond the scope of the Progress/AXIOM indexes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FoxPro can also build stand-alone multi-user applications for custom reporting, analysis and control requirements. A FoxPro application can run on any Windows machine (95-Vista) without the need of an installation. Simply placing 4 FoxPro DLLs in the same folder as the application will allow the application to execute. In the case of multi-user applications, one instance installed on a network drive can be simultaneously executed on an unlimited number of user machines with different operating systems. FoxPro is fully OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) compliant, allowing FoxPro to control or be controlled by other Microsoft applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook...). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft SQLServer 2008 | With the impending demise of FoxPro, I am switching to a paradigm that will use Excel for the data input, business rules and reporting components of an application, and SQL Server as the database. Microsoft offers an "Express" edition that is free and can support up to 5 simultaneous users. Users require a one-time setup of the ODBC connection, but this seems to be the most cost effective solution for the long run. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Outlook | This is used in conjunction with Excel/VBA and/or FoxPro via OLE to automatically send emails and text messages as desired. Both periodic and exception reporting can be transmitted this way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UltraVNC (www.uvnc.com) |
This is a totally free Open Source application for the Microsoft Windows operating system that uses the VNC (Virtual Network Computing) protocol to control another computer's screen remotely. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WS_FTP Pro | An excellent tool for maintaining web sites. The only problem I have is the program remembers your password but only displays it as a series of ooooooo. Make sure you record the password some place else. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yahoo | Despite Google's market share, I find that Yahoo's search engine does a better job in getting me the information I seek. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| America On Line (AOL) | I subscribe to AOL for $4 a month and receive (what appears to be) unlimited installations of McAfee Security Software. I use this for all 6 computers at my home and the 4 at my church. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| STOPZilla | STOPZilla offers Spyware, Pop-up and SiteGuard protection. I purchased it for $29.95 years ago and they continue to upgrade it for free. (www.stopzilla.com) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MaxPC | MaxPC - a tool that "scrubs" the registry and improves computer performance. $39.95, works great. (www.is3.com/products/maxpc/home.do) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intel Solid State Hard Drive | I installed an Intel X18-M 80 GB solid state drive in my laptop computer for $350 along with 4 GB of RAM (although Windows XP only allows me to access 3.25 GB). My computer is now lightning fast. Best investment I ever made. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Advantech Network-based Data Acquisition and Control Hardware | Advantech offers the ADAM 4000 series of low cost data acquistion and control modules that "plug into" a standard Ethernet-based LAN and allow any computer on the network direct access to devices. I use this to measure the level of materials in tanks and silos and using Midwest's fine product, execute automatic inventory adjustments based on the sensor readings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monitor Flexar Guided Wave Radar Continuous Level Measurement System | Used to measure the level in tanks and silos. Works well on pelletized compounds with a non-horizontal air interface (level is not flat). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Midwest EZRF | What can I say, simply the best!! EZRF is a bar code scanning system for AXIOM. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AutoSoft Systems | 2 Round Hill Court, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, USA 02818 | 401.885.3631 | Fax: 401.884.5653 | Mobile: 401.996.3631 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This web page was last updated at 04/27/2010 06:59 PM and is written in EXCEL! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AXIOM is a Trademark of Consona - USYS is a Trademark of Zumbach - AutoSoft Systems is not affiliated with Consona nor Zumbach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||