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Alventis starts by offering the user a variety of tables and data-entry forms thatare usable "out-of-the-box". This alone would constitute a fairly competent PIM, butAlventis goes far beyond that.All tables and forms are fully user-customizable. A user can make changes to theexisting forms and tables, as well as create new ones from scratch using ahighly-efficient integrated development environment (IDE) called Alventis Designer.This standalone development application uses a novel approach to designing tables,fields, and forms (which does not rely on property sheets, coding, or macros) toaccomplish essentially the same application development tasks as such well-knownenvironments as Microsoft Access, FileMaker, Alpha Five, or Oracle. Alventisachieves much of the same result with absolutely no programming required.The user starts by specifying the fields to be included in a table. This isperformed by simply filling out a spreadsheet-like list. Once this is done, the formis created or modified with drag-and-drop ease. Advanced formatting andsophisticated layout control is afforded by tools that work very much like theircounterparts found in many modern word-processors. As a result, even relationaldatabase solutions can be implemented in mere minutes, all without writing a singleline of code.
Search is another unique aspect of Alventis. Searches can be performed on as manydata tables as desired, regardless of their structure. The tables themselves maybelong to different databases, which in turn may reside on different servers.Alventis is capable of working concurrently with local data, as well as an unlimitednumber of data sources via shared or peer-to-peer access, and an equally unlimitednumber of Alventis servers, accessible in true client/server mode. The results of asearch are presented in a cumulative list, even though the searched tables may haveheterogeneous structures. A user can work simultaneously with as many search resultlists as needed, each list being based on its own set of tables, databases, andservers.
A number of other important features deserve at least a brief mention: Banded reports can be created on-the-fly with unprecedented ease since reportlayout and formatting operations are identical to those used in commonword-processing. Alventis supports rich text Memo fields, so each table can, in effect, contain oneor more modern word-processors, which afford the user with the tools to producedocuments with complex layout and formatting, such as nested tables, embeddedgraphics, bulleted and numbered outline lists, and so on. A sophisticated multi-user security model based on hierarchical group accessprivileges allows for fine-grained control over user's rights. Record grouping, sorting, filtering, and dynamic summaries offer rapid datavisualization. Full-text indexing ensures lightening-fast searches, which are performed "live",as the user types the search expression (which can include Boolean logic andwildcards). Data-entry forms can be created or modified even if they are in active use whilethe database is on-line.
A powerful and flexible database management solution for non-programmers, Alventisoffers unprecedented ease of use combined with the shortest learning curve.
Alventis is available for all current Windows versions in three competitively-pricededitions: Standard (US$80), Professional (US$160), and Enterprise (US$450). Thelatter edition includes the server.
More information, including a free 30-day trial version may be obtained by visitingthe Alventis Web site www.alventis.com.
About Alventis Corporation.Alventis Corporation is a privately-held company specializing in design of scalabledatabase software. Based in Montrà al, Canada, Alventis has developed an expertise inlightweight enterprise-class applications offering both individual and businessusers unprecedented flexibility coupled with remarkable ease of use.
