To get the commission, merely tell us that your are suggesting a company look at RoAccess, RoLoader or RoQuery.  That's it.  When that company buys RoAccess (or other August products), you get a 20% check!

This page is to allow those with little initial knowledge of RoAccess to get a high level overview.  You don't need a great deal of technical knowledge do understand the general capabilities of RoAccess.

It will also show how to make your sales easier, too.

Send mail to sales @ roaccess.com. 

Give your address and number of brochures.

On-Line Brochures (can be displayed or printed locally):

Click here for the RoAccess brochure

Click here for the RoLoader brochure

Click here for the RoPages brochure (in process).

Everyone benefits, here.

You earn your money by basically selling Rochade Repositories.

RoAccess can help make that sale much easier.

Your prospective clients are not really interested in buying a Repository.  What they are asking is how many different ways can they load their data, get at their data and how many different things can they do with that data.

Obviously, the more, the better.

RoAccess can really help, here.

Scanners

The RoAccess ADK contains tools to make custom scanners easier to write, document, debug and subsequently load.  This is because RoAccess uses some very powerful text processing capabilities of the base language.  They can be used to read SQL, print file reports, and just about any machine readable document.  The output format is always in a spreadsheet format.  This way the client can quickly view his own data before loading, do initial quality checks and verify the data is of sufficient quality and breadth to load.

Other corporate data is many times in spreadsheets on multiple computers all over the company.  The RoAccess ADK can help convert these into a more "standard format" spreadsheet form for direct loading with RoLoader, or just load them directly.

So if you have a information in a special format, you should consider writing the scanner in RoAccess rather then the very difficult and not easily modified Rochade procedure language.
 

RoLoader: Spreadsheet Data Loader

RoLoader is a very flexible Rochade Repository loader.  It reads data in spreadsheet format, performs a number of optional validations and checks.  Then it can either load the data immediately or at a later time.  You have a lot of choices.

Here are some examples of the power of RoLoader:

Suppose you get some schema data from a source, and want to load it, but it is necessary that it not overwrite Items if they already exist, because they have already been loaded from a more trusted source.  RoAccess can tell you in advance which data Items have already been loaded, so you can determine if you want to overwrite the old data with the new.

Another situation may be where you want to load the link attributes of an Item, but you know the Items they will be linked to have already been previously loaded, and you require that all links loaded must first pass the validation that the target Item must exist.  Otherwise there is an error, possibly a misspelling of the ItemName, or an Item not supported in your data.  Again, RoAccess can list all the Items that are to be linked to that do not exist.

Suppose a column of data is supposed to be numeric, and between the range of 1 and 100.  You can instruct RoLoader to identify all the records that violate this rule.

Likewise, suppose a column of data is supposed to contain only one of a list of 10 allowable values.  RoAccess can produce a list of all the rows that fail this validation, too.

All the rows that fail the validation have complete information displayed on the screen so you know exactly what the problem is.   If you have an extremely large number of row in your spreadsheet, you can load just portions of it at a time.

Of course, you can always override the validations and load the data anyway.  But wouldn't you rather feel that the quality of your data is good?  RoAccess can do that for you.

Create Repository Portal with Graphics and Front Page

RoAccess is so customizable, end users will think their IT department created their WEB systems.  With combinations of custom graphics by your graphic artists, you can may extremely User Friendly Portals.  Click here for one such real world example.  Follow links a the top for other examples.
 

Document Management / Dissemination

RoAccess customers are doing large scale document storage and dissemination to thousands of users.  RoAccess allows users to check documents out and then check them back in when updated. Click here for more.  Automatic document versioning will be a feature in the next RoAccess release.

RoPages

RoPages is an optional RoAccess component that caches the Item Display pages so subsequent displays do no hit the Rochade Repository at all!  This allows larger number of users to access your system. 

Programmerless Display/Editing/Reporting

RoAccess immediately after installation will be zipping through customer data, and producing some snazzy path reports and interactive graphics, all with no programming.
 

Custom Applications

For special purpose screens and applications, the RoAccess ADK is perhaps the fastest way to create really powerful custom systems. 

Many prospective clients may already be used to accessing their data in a certain way, and may like to be sure the similar screens or applications can be developed to access the Rochade Repository.  RoAccess was designed with Rapid Application Development in mind.  Things that used to take weeks, now can just take days.
 

Spreadsheet Data Exports

For clients who either want to view and analyze their data in spreadsheets or use the data to be exported to a different system, can well use RoAccess.  This is because RoAccess can easily export data in spreadsheet format, again with no programming needed.
 

RoAccess can give some fantastic demos.  They can include interactive graphics displays,  downloadable documents and automatically displaying graphic images.  This combined with the super fast hyper linking of data can make for a very impressive, and also very understandable demo.

One commonly said thing about RoAccess is that it makes the Rochade Repository much more easily understood and appreciated.  This can lead to easier Rochade sales.

If you would like RoAccess installed on your notebook, give us a call.  We can help or if you like, email us your notebook, and we'll return it ready to go that same day.

The Best Demo of All:

A canned demo, even on a live Rochade Repository, is nice, but customers would probably prefer to see their own data live. 

You can use your own notebook, again.  Just plug your notebook into the company Ethernet network, tell RoAccess the IP address and port of the client's Rochade Repository server, and presto!  You can immediately surf their data, make graphic displays, run path reports, display spreadsheets, and more.  Even better than that, is since the WEB server running on your notebook computer is general purpose,  other people in the company can use their browsers and directly use YOUR RoAccess WEB server from their desks!

The bad news is they might not want you to take your notebook with you!

As we said, RoAccess was designed with Rapid Application Development in mind.  One of the nicest things is that the internal programming language, perl, is interpretive.   You can create an application, run it, use the trace to see what you did wrong, make the change with a text editor, and then mere hit reload on your browser.  You see your changes instantly.  No compiling and linking is necessary.   This really makes application development fast.  Also the most frequently used tasks are available from the RoAccess ADK to make life easier for you. 

Then there is always the problem of how do you debug an application you wrote if three months later your client in Germany has a problem, but you live in California?

Again, RoAccess is the answer.  RoAccess has a built-in Environment Capture and Trace Facility.   At run-time, any application can be put in a trace mode to find what is causing the problem.  You can see parameters being passed to you application, Repository queries being sent to Rochade, the results of the query, and all the processing steps that data is going through and the values of key variables.   Your client then merely emails you this trace file.  This is how we ourselves solved the problem of living in one place but supporting clients world-wide.

You can't be in all places at once, but with RoAccess, you don't have to be.

If your client has RoAccess, as a contractor to them, you can use RoAccess without cost on that project, for the duration.

This means you get the benefit IF your client uses RoAccess.

If your client purchases RoAccess because of your suggestion, we will pay you the finders fee on all the products they purchase.  This can be quite a sum.  But then, you client will also be benefiting.
 

The term RoAccess WEB server is not exactly correct, but conveys what it does.  RoAccess is a WEB application that runs under a WEB server.  It can be the only application under the WEB server, of just one of many sharing that WEB server.

RoAccess is a "framework".  A framework is a basic system that can be either modified or extended in a seamless manner.  You can add new pieces or remove existing pieces to tailor RoAccess to the end users needs.

The RoAccess framework currently has the following components:

RoAccess data viewing, entry/editing and reporting/graphics

RoLoader, is a standard PlugIn to easily load data in spreadsheet format

Application Development Kit - to allow you to create new applications and add them so they look like a standard part of RoAccess

Here's how the WEB server and RoAccess works:

The user runs a browser, like Internet Explorer, on his PC.  This contacts your WEB server.  RoAccess is registered as an executable set of programs to this WEB server.  When you display a screen, a request is sent from the Browser, to the WEB server, which runs the specific RoAccess screen.  This application in turn sends a Repository query to the Rochade Repository server wherever it is, which could be the same computer as the WEB server, or a different NT, Unix or Mainframe computer.  The results are then sent your browser.  That's it.

Which is the best type of computer to make a good WEB server?

To date, the fastest and most inexpensive WEB servers are the cheap 400 MHz systems you can get for about $1,500 USD running NT.  But in general, the faster the computer, the snappier the display, and the more processing that is possible.
 

They come in two formats.  The first is full color glossies.  The second is in machine readable form so you can print them on your local color printer.  Either is nice, but the glossies have a better look to them, or look more professional.

The brochures are:

RoAccess Framework

RoAccess Standard Access System

RoLoader

RoAccess has several graphic logos on the first three pages that can be replaced with your company's own graphics.  You can also give RoAccess the standard company WEB Style sheet, to set company's standard fonts, colors and background images. 

After that, RoAccess will look as if it was custom developed explicitly for your or by their own department.

Click here for more info.

To see the customized graphics for one customer, click here.

The screens are intuitive and easy to understand.  There is also on-line help for all screens with details and screen captures.  Click here to see the index for all on-line help.

You can get some initial "hands on" experience by running the RoAccess/Rochade Demo system, which is RoAccess hitting a live RoAccess Repository over the Internet.  Click here for more info.

Also, feel free to call us and ask any questions that come to mind, no matter how "simple" they might seem to you. 

The RoAccess program runs directly out-of-the-box, as soon as it is installed.  You don't have to do any programming.  It just gets all the information about your Repository directly from your Repository.  That way, it always knows your Subject Areas, ItemTypes, path reports, users, profiles and permissions.

The Rochade Repository servers can be on NT, Unix or Mainframes.  RoAccess supports multiple servers on multiple platforms.

You can have multiple RoAccess WEB servers on NT and Unix machines.  This way you can do load balancing and sharing to get extremely high access rates as necessary.

Just install RoAccess, and presto, they are instantly displaying data, entering/editing data, and even doing graphic reports.   Remember, RoAccess is a complete data entry system containing validations and other data integrity rules. 
 

The second part of the Framework is RoLoader.

RoLoader is an optional application that slips into the Framework.   Can make the loading of simple and complex data a pleasure.  It can also greatly increase the quality of your data.
 

The third part is your custom screens and applications.

You can then add custom screens and even whole new applications to the Framework.

There are color buttons, or icons, at the top of each screen, for screens or applications to bring up.  You can add you own new screens by creating a new button yourself, write an application, and tell RoAccess to add the button to the page.  Then users need only to click on your new button to get your new screen(s) running.  You new buttons will look like a standard part of RoAccess.

The fourth is future applications

August is developing other applications that will automatically slip into the Framework.  Third party vendors can also provide applications or utilities they have written.

You can then load the data into Excel or other spreadsheet programs.  Then you can easily display, search, make corrections and get your data where you are ready to load it.

Then RoLoader reads the spreadsheet file, and loads the Repository. 

It's that easy.

How does it work?

Lets suppose you have two spreadsheets you want to load.  One that contains a definition, description and some pieces of data, like Contract_ID.  The spreadsheet load file would look like:
 

As you probably guessed, the ITEMNAME column is the name you are assigning to the Item/Record you are entering.  The other column names like DEFINITION are the attributes of the ItemType/Table to be loaded.

To load the second spreadsheet, you create a new first row again telling the name of the attribute to be loaded by each column and a column with the ItemNames. 

Again it is very intuitive.

RoLoader does more that just loading data.  It allows you to make sure your data is valid by performing a number of optional validations.  This is extremely important.  No one wants to load bad data and later find the problem.  RoLoader can help you catch the errors first.  Then you can easily correct them with Excel, and then perform the loading.

Finally, RoLoader can allow you to load the data then, or later so as to not load the system down during normal office hours in batch.

If the company does not want the users to run Path Reports, Spreadsheets or view Version Information for example, they can specify in a configuration file, which standard components to disable from view.

You get the complete source code to the entire RoAccess Framework and Application Development Kit (ADK).  If you want to make a screen that is similar to a standard supplied screen, you can start creating your new application by cutting and pasting relevant sections from the other application(s).   All user created screens and icon buttons go in special user directories that will not be overwritten when they upgrade RoAccess.

How do the programmers learn how RoAccess works?  First, every screen has the source code.   So they can sit and look at the code and see the output.  Secondly, they can turn on a "trace" facility that gives a great deal of information on what is happening by each module, the data that was returned, what processing steps are taken, plus the values of key variables.  All this helps you understand existing screens and can help debug new application as they are being created.  So it's pretty easy.

What is perl?

The RoAccess Framework is written in an extremely popular language for WEB development, perl.  It's been around a very long time, is free, has a large number of free WEB oriented applications, and there are numbers of free tutorials on the WEB.  Perl is perfect for text processing applications, and the Rochade databases are primarily text.  So the match is perfect.  What would be quite difficult in normal programming languages is easily done in perl.
 

Item Details

Reports

Miscellaneous information, like Version Information

Item Details display all the data for each Item. An Item is like a "row" in a relational database.  The term "ItemType" is like a "table" in a relational database.  Click here to see a typical Item Display.

The Item Display shows on one scrolling screen all the data for all the attributes that have data.  Attributes that are defined for that Item but do not contain data yet,  are omitted, and to not take up precious screen space just to show they have no data.

Value Attributes can be up to 32 characters wide, and appear on the same line as the attribute name.

Text Attributes can be CHARACTER, INTEGER or FLOAT.  In addition, it can hold multi-line text, contain millions of lines.  They can contain embedded URLs in them, so clicks will pop up email or take you directly to even different Sites on the Internet.

Link Attributes show what Items (rows) this Item point to.  They are hyperlinks.  Clicking on them brings up the detailed Item Display for that Item.

Binary Attributes can hold graphics, images, word processing documents or just about any kind of computer file.  Each stored document has an Icon, that if clicked, downloads the file and automatically runs it in the correct application.   Graphics can be set to AutoDisplay. Click here for more info.

At the bottom of each Item Display is a list of all the Item in the Repository that they themselves point to the currently displayed Item.  Click on these hyperlinks will take you immediately to those Item Displays.   So each time you display an item you see it in context, showing its forward and reverse links.

Reports

There are two basic types of reports:

Stored Reports

These are created by you writing a "Rochade Stored Procedure" that is stored on the Repository.  When you run it from RoAccess, you can create any type or report you want, including have it write out HTML that can be directly displayed by the browser, having fonts, colors, etc. Click here for more info. 

Path Reports

You create Path Reports, using Autopilot, that are stored on your Repository.  You give a starting "seed" Item, and then run the Path Report.   It can either display the results in a list of Items that are hyperlinks to the data, or you can create live graphical diagrams.  The graphical diagrams have symbols that when clicked display the Item for viewing of editing.  For more info on the graphics diagrams, click here. 

Spreadsheet Output

You can display in a WEB spreadsheet the contents of your data. Click here for more info.

You can also export the data in spreadsheet format, suitable for loading into Excel or other spreadsheet programs.  Spreadsheet programs like Excel perfect for high speed viewing of large amount of data.

Miscellaneous Information

Rochade contains a vast amount of information.  This info can be accessed via utility screens, like the Version Info screen.  It can tell you how many Items are versions, in what configurations they exist, whether they are shared, and which are hidden.  All this with just a press of a button!

Value Attributes can be up to 32 characters wide, and can be defined as CHARACTER, INTEGER or FLOAT.  It can have a list of allowable values or ranges of numeric values.  If the attribute is typed as numeric, RoAccess check the format and range of the values.  If there is a list of allowable values, then a popup is displayed where you pick the value from the list box.

Text Attributes can be CHARACTER, INTEGER or FLOAT, with the same lists of allowable values or range values.  In addition, it can hold multi-line text, contain millions of lines.  They can contain embedded URLs in them, so clicks will pop up email or take you directly to even different Sites on the Internet.

Link Attributes show what Items (rows) this Item point to.  They are hyperlinks.  Clicking on them brings up the detailed Item Display for that Item.  Links can also have link qualifiers, which is a short text phrase to describe  why the link exists.  RoAccess can allow you to specify the allowable list of link qualifiers to select from with a list box.

Binary Attributes allow you to upload files and graphics.  Just click the "upload button", give a one line description, and your file or graphics is instantly stored in  your Rochade Repository, ready for download.