Sorting Through Database Maze

Database needs vary across a broad spectrum, from maintaining a simple client list to creating complex accounting and personnel management systems.

PrimaBase 3.1 is a Windows database program designed in Sweden that falls in the middle range of power and complexity. It is sold direct to users in this country for $350 by Scandinavian PC Systems Inc. of Baton Rouge, La., (800) 487-7727.

It has no built-in programming language, which makes it easier to learn but somewhat limits the complexity of applications that can be designed with PrimaBase. It is, however, a relational database program, able to link information from several tables, or lists, of data into a form or report as long as they contain a field in common, such as an identification number.

One feature that sets PrimaBase apart is its ability to handle product and postal bar codes. That makes it ideal for managing mailing lists and taking advantage of the lower postal rates available if envelopes are properly sorted and coded with the Postnet bar code system.

But if all you want a database for is to handle mailing lists, you don’t even need database software. There are specialized mailing programs available.

One of the newest, also a Windows program, is MailWorks, $50, from WizardWorks, Minneapolis, Minn., (612) 544-8581. Another program that does the job is My Advanced Mail List, $60, from My Software Co., Menlo Park, Calif., (800) 325-3508.

Of course, most businesses have a lot of data management needs, so there is a big advantage to using a single program for all of the databases. This is especially true in small businesses in which one person may be in charge of all the data applications. PrimaBase, whose bar coding features include the Uniform Product Code, can be used to set up an inventory system, complete with bar coded pricing labels for products. Version 3.1 comes with fonts for producing seven bar codes, including two versions of the European article numbering system.

Each database consists of one or more data tables, and setting them up is easy. Field names can be 16 characters long, enough to make them meaningful. You can have numeric, date, time and text fields, plus a memo field containing up to 32,000 characters. Each table can have up to 15 indexes, which provides speedier access to the data.

There are more than 100 functions available for math, text manipulation and adding detail to reports. Everything you need for typical business database applications is there.

All work in PrimaBase is done with either a form or a report. The program automatically creates a basic form and basic report when you define a database file. You can design others to meet special needs.

There is no query language to learn. Instead, records are retrieved either by searching forms for specific field contents or by creating a report with your selection criteria built in.

You have a lot of flexibility in designing reports because you can use all of the Windows fonts, in whatever size you want, and add graphic images. But the PrimaBase doesn’t give you much help with the design if you want anything other than the basic report it will automatically create. For instance, there are no pre-designed report templates to match popular sizes of labels, nor is there a pre-designed report for printing envelopes with ZIP bar codes.

After some trial and error, however, you’ll figure out how the report layout system works. Then it should be fairly easy to create the designs you need.

Occupying only about two megabytes of disk storage space, PrimaBase is attractive for laptop computer installations and on desktop machines where disk storage space is limited. The more powerful Windows database programs from Microsoft Corp. and Borland International take much more storage space.

The instruction manuals are slender compared to many database programs. The manual you’ll want to start out with is 96 pages long. It contains basic instructions for getting the program started and then leads you through some example files that are included with the program. After that you can look up specific details in the 287-page reference manual.

This is a program aimed basically at database novices. But its ZIP and bar code capabilities are unique, so far, which makes it worth considering by more experienced users as well.