Capability

Overview

Abbro has a range of technical features and capabilities, covering: Data access, scripting to cover business rules, WYSIWYG input/output specification. In addition these features have been combined to provide specific coverage of: Work flow, Organisation structures support, Audit, Security, Document management.

Data access and manipulation

Abbro can take a multitude of data feeds and offers a practical solution to providing relational database access between the most common database technologies, plus enhances the database connectivity by enabling totally different database systems to be seamlessly connected so they appear as one.

Abbro has its own database structures using the BDE but also has the ability to take direct data feeds through various ways using technology like ODBC or ADO etc. enabling totally different systems such as ORACLE and SAP to be seamlessly connected together.

Abbro has its own Database Graphical Designer, which enables reverse engineering of databases giving an end result of a clear and concise Schematic diagram. This allows the Database Administrators to get an overall picture of how their data is connected and being utilised.  It also breaks down the schematic providing any SQL being used giving the extra ability to analyse and compare stored data procedures



Data Feeds and file access

Abbro has the ability to take direct data feeds through various ways using technology like ODBC or ADO etc. enabling totally different systems such as ORACLE and SAP to be seamlessly connected together. In addition, it can directly access the databases/files for read and write.The range of technologies supported includes:

  • Oracle
  • SAP
  • Microsoft SQL Server & Universal Data Access
  • Sybase
  • HiT
  • Informix
  • InterSolv
  • Progress
  • AS/400
  • Any database that has a BDE, ODBC or ADO driver.



Database Design

Abbro is able to design and manage database schemas. It provides the full cycle of database schema design and maintenance, including: creating of tables, relations views and stored procedures; drawing of sophisticated and professional looking diagrams; maintaining the history of changes made to the database schema; allows to compare any two versions of any two schemas, view the difference and instantly build upgrade SQL script for any given database engine.

Abbro does what very few tools can - it is able to automatically generate create/alter/drop DDL scripts for virtually any database engine. Moreover, it also is able to import SQL DDL scripts for any database engine, which is accomplished by highly customisable SQL generator/parser - a unique piece of software.

The main schema-related features of Abbro are:

  • Supports many types of schema objects, like: tables, indexes, views, triggers, stored procedures/functions, domains, sequences/generators;
  • Maintains history of changes by storing version checkpoints;

  • Allows to revert to any checkpoint, compare checkpoints and drop/purge old checkpoints to save disk space;

  • Automatically creates SQL scripts, that updates database from one version to the next;

  • Supports custom (user defined & engine specific) fields, with ability to customize their property editors (validation and lookups);

  • Generates any type of SQL scripts from completely custom database profile;

  • Compensates for lack of DDL features in some engines (like inability to rename a field or a table) by automatically generating more complex scripts, involving recreating & copying tables;

  • Powerful comparison tool, allows to compare any two versions of any two schemas, show every property, that differs and instantly automatically creates SQL upgrade script for any engine;

  • Imports schema from sql database creation scripts, including importing of CREATE/ALTER and DROP statements, domains, stored procedures and functions, triggers, constraints, indexes, etc.;

  • Uses same profile for import and export of SQL. This allows fine-tuning of import/export features;

  • Allows to execute any SQL command towards any of registered databases. Database Designer supports BDE & ODBC database access. It can support any database via DBX, ADO or Interbase access objects and also custom databases, like DBISAM & Nexus.



Reverse engineering and graphical representation

Abbro has its own Database Graphical Designer, which enables reverse engineering of databases giving an end result of a clear and concise Schematic diagram. This allows the Database Administrators to get an overall picture of how their data is connected and being utilised.  It also breaks down the schematic providing any SQL being used giving the extra ability to analyse and compare stored data procedures.

The main diagramming features of Abbro are:

  • Professional looking diagram view with several ways of displaying fields and relations;
  • Virtually unlimited Undo/Redo stack;
  • Smart connectors handling;
  • Multi-selection;
  • Copy/paste, including pasting as enhanced metafile to any text editor, like Word, for documenting;
  • Simple HTML markup in text labels;
  • Multiple diagrams can be created for the same schema;
  • Automatically laying out large diagrams into smaller pages for printing, (with account for gutter) with ability to select which pages to print;
  • Drag & drop tables and relations from schema tree view;
  • Draw tables and relations directly on a diagram;
  • Stored diagrams and schema within one file;
  • Import/Export diagram and schema from/to XML.



Object based scripting language

Abbro uses an object based formal script language. With the Abbro script language you can add rich decision-making intelligence to your forms. Express your Business Rules with IF..THEN..ELSE DO WHILE statements that modify, validate, go to, skip over, print, e-mail, etc., depending on the data being entered into a form.

The script language can be executed at various stages within Abbro, on buttons, before and after data processing, even before, during and after printing. ASL is so flexible it will allow the user to add complex procedures behind most activities within Abbro.

The script language is written specifically for Abbro it is its own internal language consequently it is FAST and EFFCIENT in its execution. It has around 250 low level commands giving access to all the main features of Abbro. ASL provides an interface to include Visual Basic code within its scripting. This adds to the extremely powerful language by giving extra functionality of Microsoft commands.

The Abbro script language supports functions and procedures as well as all the other usual commands found in a fully-fledged programming language.



Input/Output (Screen/window & report specification)

Screen creation

Abbro is a powerful application that creates data entry screens and printable electronic forms, Using Abbro users can fill-in the forms on the screen and print them out or even email them with ease. Completed form data can then be saved locally or saved centrally on a network. With extensive ODBC and ADO connectivity together with a built-in Abbro scripting language complex rules can be achieved. Saving time and costs of processing forms, allowing you to easily build the intelligent forms automation solutions you need.

 

Screen Forms

Abbro uses electronic screen forms to preserve the look and feel of real paper forms or existing screens so users can work in a familiar environment instead of having to learn new data-entry style screens. This way, once configured, Abbro requires no special knowledge to use. Abbro makes filling-in forms as easy as working with the paper-based documents they are normally used to.

 

Report generation

Reports can be generated by Abbro’s own WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) Report Designer for manipulation. This capability can be made available to selected users if need be by using Abbro’s internal security settings.

Abbro’S Report Wizard is the fastest way to create instant ad-hoc reports it seamlessly integrates with SQL Power Query for the ultimate reporting experience.

With Abbro users can drag-and-drop their way to desktop publishing quality reports in minutes.

In addition, Abbro Reports Explorer can be used to manage the library of reports with ease. Reports are saved to a local or client/server table without any additional coding. Simple to use, yet very powerful.



Scan (with auto field filling)

Abbro supports scanning of documents and data in a variety of ways:

Abbro includes: image file import and export filters, a thumbnail viewer for showing images stored in many different file formats. A data-aware control interfacing to databases. Scan documents and images from any TWAIN compliant scanner or camera. You can print quality images and present an exact preview.
Colour format conversion, histograms, filters, geometric transformation, morphology and mathematical & logical image methods.

With Abbro OCR, your application will "read" your images and return text directly into fields for use automatically (just as though you had typed it in on the keyboard).

    Scanning Key Features


  • Basic Image handling/Viewing
  • Colour conversion/correction
  • Data-aware image control
  • Geometric transformation
  • Image Filters
  • Image Math & Logic
  • Image Thumbnail viewer
  • Morphology
  • OCR, Optical Character Recognition
  • Print images
  • Read & Save images
  • TWAIN, Scanner interface

Other data input/output features

  • E-mail

    Abbro can be used to create a document in PDF format if need be to be emailed using a standard email client.

  • Fax
    Abbro can interface direct to a FAX client to send any document via FAX.
  • Bar code (read/write)
    Bar-coding is a valid part of quick efficient data input, Abbro caters for bar-coding via its own internal components that support a range of the most common barcodes:

    • Code 93
    • EAN 8
    • Codabar
    • 2 of 5
    • Interleaved 2 of 5
    • PostNet
    • EAN 13
    • Code 39
    • Code 11
    • Code 128
  • GPS (Global Positioning System)
    Abbro has a GPS component which can be used to track moving objects such as containers, lorries etc.



Technical capabilities through application of the basic features

There are a number of key features of Abbro such as audit, work flow management and document management that are achieved by a combination of the data access, database management, scripting language and scanning capabilities. In the following sections, we outline what capabilities are achieved and how they are achieved through Abbro

Data cleansing

Data cleansing is achieved by the combination of the Abbro’s data access capability and the object based business rules scripting language. This can also be combined with the workflow capability for manual intervention. Abbro is able to identify missing data and inconsistent data. The choice is then to (a) produce a report (b) introduce the anomaly singly or in batch for manual intervention within the workflow (c) correct the anomaly in the feeder systems or an Abbro created master version (with listing of the changes as a report).

Work flow

Abbro can be used to provide a complete workflow system.

The scripting language is used to set the rules for transition between screens. In particular, this can be combined with data update (in host or Abbro databases) for change of ownership or responsibility.

These facilities can be added to an existing system to extend its workflow capability.

Organisation structures support

Abbro provides support for complex organisation structures, multiple companies in multiple countries.

Audit

Abbro has full audit control built in which can be tailored to meet individual requirements. Using the Abbro scripting language, it has control over everything relating to data input or output. It can save and record all changes and flow of data using complex commands to save into text files, database, print or automated email alerts. The files can be encrypted.

Security

Abbro has its own flexible security comprising of nine levels of access and three levels of control. This is based on categorisation of user by role, company and department. It provides a complete secure environment to process data.

Document Management

Abbro is fully capable of archiving and retrieving data, which may be in the form of document text and include graphics.

Abbro Document Management supports the capture and management of documents within an organisation. The term document management is used to imply the management of documents after they were scanned into the computer. Today, the term has become an umbrella under which document scanning and imaging, workflow, text retrieval and multimedia fall.

The trend toward designing information systems as document centric, where the document becomes the focus, not the application that created it, is expected to bring document management to the forefront of computing.

By using Abbro document scanning has the user scan in the original paper document, and store the image of the document in the Abbro document management system. The image is often given a name containing the date and the user is often asked to type in additional "tags" in order to make finding the image easier. For instance, a user scanning in an invoice might want to tag it with "water, invoice, 1/1/2002".

Abbro also performs an OCR on the image, storing the text along with the image directly into data fields. This can eliminate the need for the user to type in their own tags.

Once the document is stored, it is typically retrieved using Abbro, which is aware of the way the tags (or scanned text) and image are related. Abbro can be configured in such a way that when you search for e.g "invoice", opening the document will in fact open the original image or database with the relevant Abbro input screen.

For more information on Abbro capability and technical details, please feel free to contact us.