System Delta Plus Version 2

Reviewed by Stuart A. Bell

System Delta Plus (SD+) was one of the first database packages made available on the Archimedes (see RISC User Volume 1 Issue 3), and in contrast to the plethora of painting, word processing or communications programs, is without a competitor which can boast of facilities such as the ability to handle 2 billion records accessed through a highly intuitive WIMP system. Nevertheless, Minerva has released SD+ Version 2 (SD+V.2), claiming that it offers 'many updated features', at a recommended price of £79.95 inc VAT, an increase of £10.00 on the original version.

Technically, the SD+ package consists of two parts: first a set of commands implemented in ARM machine code which provides facilities to create, access and edit database records, and second a 'front-end' written in Basic which implements the WIMP-driven database package by making appropriate calls to the low-level commands. Minerva produce specialised business applications which are also implemented using the same commands. Since, as far as the user is concerned, the two parts present a unified interface, the distinction will be ignored in this review.

SD+ allows a user to create a highly complex record system based on the familiar 'card-index' model, and then to access it by means of a 'video-recorder' type control panel, allowing scanning and fast movement through the cards. Complex sorting and searching facilities are provided. As a regular and enthusiastic user of Version 1, I was interested to see what Version 2 had to offer.

DOCUMENTATION

Breaking the habit of a lifetime, I read the manual first. Its content is virtually identical to that of the original. However, what reviewers called the 'very ordinary looking text' has been replaced by properly type-set text, with clearer headings, a more logical page-numbering system, and an extra insert which lets the impatient use SD+ on a demonstration file in a couple of minutes. Apart from a few changes in terminology, and the correction of typographical errors, there are three main changes in the manual, which reflect improvements in the software.

First, SD+V.2 now automatically configures the memory allocation of your machine, even under Arthur, and will re-set it if you remember to exit using the Ctrl-Break key combination. This is a vast improvement on the potentially chaotic situation where a user with a number of applications might have to re-configure his machine on every re-boot.

How important this facility will be under RISC OS, which manages memory more intelligently, I don't know, as Acorn's lethargy in distributing RISC OS meant that SD+V.2 had to be tested under Arthur. Indeed, V.2 clearly pre-dates RISC OS, and the manual admits that 'icons may disappear rather than turning grey' and that performance may be impaired if the user tries to make use of the 'instant drag effect' when moving windows around the screen. As SD+ allows multiple files to be open, and simultaneous operations to be performed on them, the fact that it will not (presumably) multi-task under RISC OS should not be too much of a problem.

The second change is that on a 310 only six files can normally be open at once (and two on a 305), as against eight claimed for V.1. Finally, buried away in the Full search section is the revelation that pseudo-English commands may be used, rather than the pseudo-Basic which V.1 required. For example, we can now use:
?name is Smith
rather than:
@name="Smith".

IN USE

Since the emphasis in V.2 is on improving what V.1 already provided, rather than offering new facilities, I compared the two versions performing identical tasks on the same data file. The only bad result to report is that the boot time, from pressing Ctrl-Break to seeing the main menu, is increased on my floppy based system from 23 to 28 seconds. Also, the available memory which Basic reports during the boot process was reduced on my 1Mbyte system from 520K to 450K.

However, once up and running, all operations such as scanning a file, searching and sorting, are about 20% faster. Further, the screen updating seemed rather speedier during data input, although such an improvement is difficult to quantify. I found few obvious bugs in V.1, but one that did annoy me - the apparent unwillingness of the 'search criteria' window to scroll to the top of the criteria list - remains in V.2. Similarly, the cryptic nature of some error messages has been carried over into the new release.

The new ability to define 'English-style' criteria when doing a Full Search on a file does indeed work well, and the window also displays the equivalent Basic-like expression so that users can check that they are getting the search criteria which they want. It should be noted that the 'English-style' definitions are limited to simple comparisons, and that more complex expressions on more than one field require the older format. Since the Simple Search facility lets users define fields and relationships using the mouse and a pointer, the real benefit of 'English-style' definition is perhaps not that great.

Otherwise, there are few obvious changes. The concept underlying SD+ is that the user interface should be so intuitive that the user hardly has to think about what he is doing. Thus, if Minerva has changed other aspects of the package, they were so transparent to me, even when repeatedly switching between V.1 and V.2, that I missed them.

CONCLUSIONS

System Delta Plus is an excellent piece of

software. As the advertisements suggest, it enables inexperienced users to manage a record system without any programming or computing expertise. Its file operations are performed very quickly, and the user interface - whilst not being totally true to RISC OS standards - is a joy to drive.

For the advanced user, my wish list for SD+ v.3 would be headed by a 'script-file' facility. This would allow frequently used lists of commands to be saved on a file, so that the computer could be left to do some searches, sorts, and reports, whilst the user did something else (play PacMania when multi-tasking versions of both programs are available?) This would combine the advantages of the interface of SD+ with the programmability of systems like dBASE 3, to produce the ultimate database package. Quite how you put cursor movements into a script file is not too obvious, but it can't be impossible, can it?

Finally, the bad news is that SD+V.2 is, like its predecessor, copy-protected, so that the original master disc must be inserted in the drive every time the system is started, even if a working copy is made. Minerva has made a commercial decision which it is quite entitled to do, but I would never knowingly buy a package which held me hostage to one piece of rotating plastic. Minerva are prepared to supply a second disc copy for about £25, and offer a 'by return' replacement if your master disc fails. For the better-off business user an unprotected version is available for £230 inc. VAT.

With this one proviso, I can strongly recommend SD+V.2. I might quibble that the changes from the original are not significant enough to justify the 'Version 2' razzamatazz, but even at its increased price System Delta Plus represents excellent value.
ProductSystem Delta Plus Version 2
SupplierMinerva Software,
 69 Sidwell Street,
 Devon EX4 6PH.
 Tel. (0392) 437756
Price£79.95 inc. VAT