Educational Software Cooperative 4/Educational Software Cooperative 4.iso/mxdb/software/whyuse.doc

Text File | 1995-11-21 | 13.3 KB | 274 lines

                        WHY USE Perfect Recall ?

Perfect Recall is a combination information/file manager designed to
relieve information overload.  Those who live on their computers will
find get the most value from it while new computer users will get the
benefit of starting out on the right foot not to mention gaining a
powerful yet "no-brainer" free form database.

Perfect Recall was originally written to finally lay to rest the
distressing fact that while your computer is supposed to be so great at
handling information you are never-the-less dependent on your own memory
to recall exact filenames as well as where the files are kept.  What
everyone really wants is for the computer to help recall filenames and
if it can do that then it might as well automatically start the
necessary application program along with the desired file already
loaded.  Now that is the way a computer should work and that is what
Perfect Recall does and more as we shall see.

There are other programs such as CMfiler which effectively attach long
descriptions to files.  There are also programs like WizManager for
Windows which can list all the files in a directory and load one
into an application.  These are good programs for simple needs.  Perfect
Recall is required when comprehehsive information AND file management
are needed together as when managing more than 500 files.


*  Create databases by doing little more than naming information.
*  Track files by attaching them to information in a database.
*  No sizing of database.  Accommodates any material on the fly.
*  Launch DOS, Windows or DOS under Windows applications.
*  Makes vast quantities of data and files seem small with
   extensive organization and reorganization tools.
*  Find anything even if you forget what you are looking for.


--------------------------- As a Database -----------------------------

Perfect Recall's first level of service lets you store information
directly in databases you create to meet your special needs.  It's so
easy to make these databases that a first day computer user could do it.
Labeling information stored is about all there is to it.  (name fields)
For example if you created a database for addresses you might use;

1) First NAME
2) Last NAME
3) Home phone
4) Work phone
5) Street
6) City, State, Zip

That's not hard!  To initiate a database the program will ask for an
approximate number of spaces to store typical entries.  There is no need
to be exact or worry about future needs.  Why not you ask?  Well,
because Perfect Recall allocates space on the fly!  Suppose you normally
expect someone's first name to be around 12 characters.  One day you
have to enter one 200 characters long.  No problem.  Just type it in.
200 characters is the limit of any one item, such as someone's name.  A
total of 18 items can be listed plus a 10 line paragraph.  In practical
terms you are limited only by space on the computer screen.  The total
number of database entries is 2,000,000,000 plus a few hundred thousand
more.  Rest assured, you will not run out of space.


------------------ Combination File / Information --------------------

Perfect Recall provides services far beyond just storing information
within itself.  It's the combination of information storage AND file
management together that makes it so valuable.  File management is
accomplish by attaching files to information in the databases.
Recalling a file is done by searching the databases you created.  When
the information is found so is the desired file.  From there the file
can be loaded directly into its application from Perfect Recall.
When finish, just exit the application and you will return to
Perfect Recall where you were.

This can even be done with applications that can not normally load
files when launched!  This is accomplished with special programs
that pass the filename after the application starts.

Although Perfect Recall will launch any application under DOS or
Windows, it really shines in making your word processing program into
the biggest file cabinet you ever had.  Think about it.  Almost any
information can be written down.  With Perfect Recall you can record
anything big or small in a text file and find it later by searching one
of your databases under Perfect Recall and fetching the file and word
processor on demand.  Suppose you had a list of account and ID numbers
for credit cards, bank accounts, PIN numbers and related customer phone
numbers.  Forget trying to make a whole database just to record this
special type of information.  Just set up a general documents database
in Perfect Recall with a single line description.  Then make an entry
for "Personal ID account numbers" and attach the filename.  To get it
back just search for "personal", "ID", "account" or "numbers".  See why
information just can't be lost?  You need only remember some vague
related detail and presto it's found.  No more fuss, just work
naturally.

Databases can be created to handle anything you can think for because
you make them.

Address book                Jobs or Cases
To-Do lists                 Job billing (with calculated totals)
Letters                     General Documents
Books of interest           Movies (tape collection)
Messages                    Memos


------------------------------ Best Use -------------------------------

Businesses has the most pressing need for Perfect Recall since all past
work is a precious resource.  Perfect Recall is particularly useful
since files can be kept on the hard disk or floppies.  One important
side benefit is the ability to maintain a stack of numbered floppy disks
for long term storage yet while Perfect Recall keeps track of which
floppy each file is on.

In a similar fashion, files of interest on CD-ROMs can be tracked as
well.  If a file on CD might be needed in the future, just make an entry
for it under Perfect Recall like anything else.  Come to think of it,
that's not a bad way to do long term research.

Business has a special need for Perfect Recall since it makes the
peculiarities of one persons hard disk directory structure irrelevant.
Anyone can sit down and work at someone else's machine without knowing
its setup.  Perfect Recall will handle the details of file location and
application launching.

Security in business settings is handled with a variety of password
levels.  Lock up the entire program or selected pieces of it with one or
more passwords.  Great for keeping people out of personal stuff or
sensitive business data.  There are two types of locks.  One keeps
information from being viewed and the other permits viewing but prevents
changes.  These locks do not alter the files themselves, just the
ability to find them using Perfect Recall.


---------------- Powerful Organizational Capabilities ------------------

Perfect Recall is designed to handle vast quantities of information as
demonstrated by the MX Shareware Database.  To do this effectively,
information within each database must be divided up into groups called
categories.  For example a letters database might have a Personal
Letters category and a Business Letters category.  All letters are
stored in the same place (database) but by using categories you can
group similar ones together and work with just that group.

Categories can then be orgainized into a tree structure which will grow
with your needs.  One typically starts out very simple.  Perhaps you
have a single letters category representing the entire contents of a
letters database.  When this first category gets up to 100 or 200
entries you may find many of them can be grouped together as personal
letters thus cleaning things up a bit.  No problem.  Just make a new
Personal Letters category and move over selected entries.  A good category
tree structure will make thousands of files seem like just a handful.

Below is an outline of a very simple category tree structure.  Here
PERSONAL and BUSINESS are path only categories.  They contain nothing
themselves while the sub-categories do.  Note that there are two LETTER
categories.  Each entry in the single LETTERS database is associated with
either PERSONAL/letters or BUSINESS/letters categories.

PERSONAL main category
              LETTERS sub-category  (of the letters database)
              ADDRESS sub-category  (of the address database)

BUSINESS main category
              LETTERS sub-category  (of the letters database)
              ADDRESS sub-category  (of the address database)

The category tree will not strangle you.  If something doesn't turn up
where you expected, just tell the program to look in all categories at
once.  This means, using the above example, you could search both
PERSONAL LETTERS and BUSINESS LETTERS at the same time.

You are free to work with individual categories or whole databases.
The beauty of Perfect Recall is its ability to guarantee you will find
something if it exists and confirm with certainty if it does not.

------------------------ Finding What You Want -------------------------

Perfect Recall's search capabilities are powerful, simple and accessible
in several different ways.  If we got into this subject in any detail we
would end up with a complete set of documentation here.  Instead I'll
just hit on the basic approach.  Remember the little address example
shown earlier?  Well, a search screen would look just like this.  Simply
type something in and execute.

1) First NAME..........Joe
2) Last NAME
3) Home phone
4) Work phone
5) Street
6) City, State, Zip....CA

This search finds all persons named Joe in California.  Simple
right?  Of the many special functions the most important is the
DESPERATION search.  This operation finds a word or phase no matter
where it occurs.  It's a great tool for those times when you can't
remember a thing except a likely word.


-------------------------- Other features ----------------------------

I could go on for days and never cover all that's available in Perfect
Recall.  Here is a few things we haven't covered.

*    Attach any number of files to the same database entry.
*    A variety of printouts including customized labels.
*    Print to file, create comman delimited file
*    Import/Export between two copies of Perfect Recall to allow data
     sharing.
*    Moving data between databases with different structures.
*    Making one entry show up in other categories when there is
     actually have only one real entry.
*    Sorting with fixes for numbers so "10" does not precede "1" as
     happens with other programs.
*    Column math totals or averages for spreadsheet like operations.
*    Equations that create data from other items in a record.
*    Linking one entry to another for related material. For example;
     connecting a to-do list item to a letter being written.
*    Linking several copies of Perfect Recall together.
*    Making one entry search different database for related
     information.  Great for finding all letters to an individual
     starting from their address entry.
*    Auto installation under both DOS and Windows.
*    A powerful utility pack for creating an instant database
     representing existing work.
*    Search and replace text.


What else would you expect form a total solution product ?

------------------------------ Summary -------------------------------

Perfect Recall is designed to become the center of all your computing
work.  When fully employed it changes the computer from a task oriented
machine to a total information handling system.


-------------------------- Reality Check -----------------------------

Perfect Recall will extend great ease of use to new computer users.
However, getting the program to launch application programs does require
a fair understanding of the system.  The new computer user will probably
need some outside help even though pre-configured setups have been
provided.  Once set up, however, Perfect Recall requires no
understanding of the system.


----------------------------- Purchasing -----------------------------

This program is a cross between a commercial product and shareware.
Because the program is large and the documentation contains over 200
graphics, it is not possible to download with a modem.  The program must
be ordered from MicroExcel or copied from someone who already has it.
The documentation can be ordered separately without purchasing the
program.  This is important since only the documentation can walk you
through every setup detail.

A newly installed copy will be fully functional, however it will require
registration when 50 new database entires is reached.  Database entries
created with the auto-import utilities for existing files do not count
towards the 50 new entry limit.  It takes most people several months to
create 50 new files so there is plenty of time.  You could side step
this limit by creating files and then continually bringing them in using
the auto-import tools but I know you'll find this program valuable once
you're into it.

The registration can be done as a single $80 payment or split into a $35
first payment and a $45 second payment.  If split in two, the first
payment occurs at 50 entries and the second at 200.

Call 408 636-6968 to order the program and documentation for $26.00.