Number 2 - May 2006

• Cover Stories
  • It really moved
    Adabas moving an UPDATE'd record
  • The Library Analogy
    Use of READ BY ISN (rather than PHYSICAL) with UPDATE

• Natur Teknik
  • XX aka SAVE AS
    A useful little utility
  • EXAMINE, SCAN, et alia
    Inter platform performance discussion
  • Incore Tables
    Versus FIND NUMBER, READ, or HISTOGRAM.
  • But what if the value is there?
    Implications of a target in different table locations.
  • Sorted Table/list (Binary Search)
    Not as fast as IF..SCAN (or EXAMINE)
  • Inner workings of EXAMINE
    Problems with multiple matches
  • Special Cases

Number 3 - August 2006

• Cover Stories
  • The Philadelphia Conference
    The Boston Natural Conference moves to Philadelphia
  • The CPU Policeman
    Origin of the new column
• The CPU Policeman
  • Adjusting a Date Format Variable
    How to save 25% on a simple task
  • MOVE BY NAME
    When this can be very expensive
• Natur Teknik
  • The MOVE Table
    Extensive discussion regarding formats for "source" and "target" in a MOVE statement.
  • MOVE BY NAME implications
    When source and target disagree
  • A new service
    Combining Consulting and Teaching

Number 4 - November 2006

• Cover Stories
  • A Real Person
    Avoiding "recorded hell"
  • Philly Conference
    Retrospective on the recent Natural conference
  • Backup, Backup, Backup
    Guard your laptops
• Lakes, Ponds, and the Glass Bottom Boat
  • Oveview
    History of the terminology
  • Teminology
    Relating Natural terminology to mine
  • Commands
    Natural's "nautical" commands (%W family of commands)
  • Sailing the BOAT on the LAKE
    Working with logical screens (LS and PS) much larger than physical screens
  • REINPUT to where?
    Natural's screen positioning for REINPUT
  • Order Entry code with REINPUT
    Example of REINPUT positioning
  • Sailing the BOAT on the POND
    Creating pop up windows

Number 1 - February 2005

• Cover Stories
  • The Natural Conference
    Preview of the 2005 Boston Natural Conference
  • SpoD
    Is this the year for SpoD to shine?
• Commands in Depth
  • MU's then PE's
    Overview of the discussion to follow.
    Adabas aspects of MU's.
  • Adding Records with MU's
    Programming implications of STORE
  • MU Maintenance
    Programming implications of UPDATE
  • Deleting occurrences of MU's
    Programming implications and Associator effects
  • USR1043
    Direct Calls to Adabas from Natural.
    The "old form" of UPDATE for MU's
  • FIND & READ Using MU's for FIND & READ
    
    
  • PE's Overview
    Adabas aspects of PE
  • Adding Records with PE's
    Programming implications of STORE
  • PE Alternate definition
    Different View definitions
  • "Deleting" occurrences of PE's
    Basically, you can not do this.
  • FIND and READ
    Using fields within a PE as search arguments

Number 2 - May 2005

• Cover Story
  • Puzzlement
    Overview of the forthcoming Boston Conference
• Feature - Warning
  • When NOT to MULTI-FETCH
    Implications of MULTI-FETCH with STORE
• Commands in Depth - PF Keys
  • Overview
  • Program Sensitivity
    The most common use of PF Keys
  • Duration
    *LEVEL implications
  • Tangent - NEWPAGE
    *LEVEL implications
  • Debugging/Development Sensitivity
    Sensitivity ends when we return to *LEVEL = 1
  • "Functions"
    Programs, Terminal Commands, Monitor Commands
  • Terminal Commands
    A Windowing use
  • Data
    About to be made obsolete by Selection Boxes
  • Help
  • SET KEY ON/OFF
    Changing PF Key assignments from screen to screen
  • PA keys and %R
    A very useful facility for end-users
  • Debugging/Development Functions
  • SET KEY DYNAMIC
    Customizing key assignments

Number 3 - August 2005

• Cover Stories
  • Memory Lane
    The Adabas Newsletter
  • From Memory Lane to the Future
    Announced features for Natural
• Feature Article
  • GDA's, AIV's & Global Variables
    Everything you ever wanted to know about these three mechanisms for sharing data across object boundaries.
• The Stack
  • Accessing the Stack
    The new USR4003; %.P and %.S; the Debugger
• Data Editor
  • Inserting Entries
    Working with Views in a Data Area

Number 4 - November 2005

• Cover Story
  • Darmstadt Conference
    Developers, Consultants, and Educators Conference
• Natur Teknik
  • Layouts, an underused feature
    Overview, syntax, invoking;
    DYNAMIC versus non DYNAMIC
  • PreProcessing Rules
    A very important and powerful use for Layouts
  • Selection Boxes
    Witn an INPUT statement; inside a Map.
    Programming implications.
  • How Do I?
    A special sort operation
  • OPTIONAL Parameters
    New facility for Parameter Data Areas

Number 1 - February 2004

• Cover Stories
  • The Boston Conference
    Preview of the 2004 Boston Natural Conference
  • Outsourcing
    Why does this go on???
• Natur Teknik
  • DY Overview
    The basics for the DY (Dynamic Parameter) facility. Syntax shorthand; simple uses
  • More DY
    More sophisticated uses for DY, including Progress Bar Charts, Data Bar Charts, Passwords.
• Version 6
  • Overview
    Basics of the new Open Systems Release
  • User Defined Functions
    When/when not to use.
  • Natural Functions
  • *TRANSLATE
  • *TRIM

Number 2 - May 2004

• Cover Stories
  • Boston Diary
    Overview of the Boston Conference; highlights and more highlights
  • Memory Lane
    Review of Volume 1 Number 4
• System Functions
  • *MAXVAL and *MINVAL
    New Natural functions in Open Systems Version 6.
• Passing Arguments
  • Using CALLNAT
    The traditional method
  • BY VALUE
    New one-way transfer; value, not address pointer
  • BY VALUE RESULT
    New two-way transfer; value, not address pointer
  • Arrays
    Various techniques
• MASKs
  • Dates
  • Numeric

Number 3 - August 2004

• Cover Story
  • Australia Trip
    Some travelogue material; and a discussion of Software AG acquisitions;.
• Short Shots
  • A Short Quiz
    Logical versus Physical Backout Transaction.
  • DIVIDE and Conquer
    DIVIDE precison; DIVIDE efficiency; Trans platform considerations
  • Myth conceptions
    Performance that runs counter to generally accepted knowledge
• Natur Teknik
  • Where is the last one?
    EXAMINE...DIRECTION BACKWARD
  • EXAMINE; STARTING FROM..ENDING AT
    Programming considerations

Number 4 - November 2004

• Cover Stories
  • Backup, Backup
    Surviving a hard drive crash (barely)
  • Forecasting
    PC Natural
• Commands in Depth GET, GET SAME, OBTAIN
  • GET SAME
    Basics using DBLOG
  • Direct Calls Tangent
    More on DBLOG
  • Back to GET SAME
    Uses for GET SAME
  • GET SAME & UPDATE
  • GET SAME in Structured Mode
  • OBTAIN
    And Structured Mode equivalent
  • GET
    using DBLOG
  • GET & UPDATE
  • GET without UPDATE
• Dealing with MU's and PE's
  
  • Null Suppressed vs Not Null Suppressed
  • MU & PE discussion
  • READ'ing occurrences

Number 1 - February 2003

• Cover Story
  • The best laid plans
    Discussion re the Pacific Southwest Users Group meeting from January 2003.
• Natur Teknik
  • Globals, SET GLOBALS, FORMAT and ZP
    This series of articles uses the ZP (Zero Print) parameter to demonstrate the functionalities (when applied, range of control, etc) of Globals, SET GLOBALS, and FORMAT, as well as statement and variable level overrides.
    • The ZP "hierarchy"
    • FORMAT
    • SET GLOBALS
    • Getting the Decimal Point there
      An interesting way to use the Stack.
• Readers Forum
  • HISTO/FIND
    An approach to doing the equivalent of a READ LOGICAL
    by a super descriptor when one of the super's component
    parts is a field within a Periodic Group. Adabas does not permit such a functionality, therefore neither does Natural.
• Messages from the Developers
  • Dynamic Variables
    A subprogram which "parses" HTML code in a Dynamic Variable.
  • REQUEST DOCUMENT
    Basic options for this new statement, plus an example.
  • Interacting with the Web
    Using Natural to download information from the web based on user input.
• More Natur Teknik
  
  • MASKs
    Everything you wanted to know about MASKs. Okay, not everything. Due to space constraints this issue, this article will conclude next issue.

Number 2 - May 2003

• Cover Story
  • Seminar Announcement
    Discussion of the seminar series with Andreas Schuetz on Natural 3 and 4, Internals and Externals.
• In Depth - MU's and PE's
  • This series of articles discusses many aspects of reading and updating Multiple Valued Fields and Periodic Groups.
    • Multiple Valued Fields
    • Reading MU's
    • OBTAIN tangent
    • Syntax tangent
    • MU Maintenance
    • Periodic Groups
    • Reading PE's
    • PE maintenance
• Natur Teknik
  • Direct Calls
    Using the SYSEXT program USR1043 to issue a Direct Call to Adabas. The Direct Call will issue an "old form" of the update facility for Multiple Valued Fields.
  • DISPLAY - column headers and widths
    Potential problems for the unwary
  • Calendar Routine
    The showpiece of the issue. A Natural program that creates an interface that is basically identical to the standard Windows Calendar Date Input routine.

Number 3 - August 2003

• Cover Story
  • New use for an old computer
    An approach to avoiding PC Viruses, and other infections.
• Natur Teknik
  • Which NAME was that
    Labels and Line References
  • References to System Variables
    Labels and Line References for System Variables
  • What happened to the Record
    Adabas records moved as a result of an UPDATE
  • FOR versus EXAMINE
    Performance Comparison
  • SCAN
    Performance vs EXAMINE
  • A Simple Trick
    A trick to improve performance of an EXAMINE
  • Incore Tables
    Using Large Alpha Variables for incore Tables
  • Natural 4 Preview Highlights (not detailed discussions) of V4

Number 4 - November 2003

• Cover Stories
  • World Wide Tour
    Retrospective of the joint teaching tour with Andreas Schuetz
  • A word to the wise
    Protecting your laptop while onboard an airplane
  • The Boston Conference
    Announcement of the 2004 Boston Conference
• In Depth
  • FIND NUMBER
    Peformance; versus HISTOGRAM ; saving ISN lists
• More In Depth
  
  • Dynamic Variables
    Natural's new facility for variable lengthed Alpha
    and Binary Variables. Space considerations; versus Long Variables.

Number 1 - February 2002

• Cover Story
  • The new name
    New name for, and meeting announcement for EMEA NPUG meeting in Lucern.
• Commands in Depth
  • REINPUT
    A series of articles on REINPUT.
    • Syntax & Overview
    • REINPUT versus REINPUT FULL - an explanation and examples
    • MARK options
    • USING HELP
• Natur Teknik
  • REINPUT USING HELP
    Use of this statement/option to "read" data from a Map while in a Helproutine.
  • %CCW
    Alternative method to read data from a Map while in Helproutine.
  • Help for output only fields.
    A useful technique for a user friendly interface.
  • Performance Tips
    Relating to MOVE and ASSIGN and array subscripting.
  • Array versus String
    Timing comparison for MOVE, IF against arrays, strings, and substrings.
  • FIND FIRST vs FIND (1)
    Uses DBLOG to compare commands issued for these statements.
  
  
  

Number 2 - May 2002

• Cover Stories
  • Happy Anniversary to S.L.ROBINSON & ASSOCIATES
    Retrospective on company's 25th anniversary
  • Software AG Partner
    S.L. Robinson & Associates becomes a Technology Partner of Software AG.
    
• Natur Teknik
  • Array shift
    Moving array occurences; an exercise in efficiency
    
  • Understanding MU notation
    Dealing with various methods for specifying and referencing MU occurences.
    
  • Back to the problem
    Continuation of the array shift exercise
    
• Natural on the PC
  • The Natural Reporter
    Overview of this powerful facility incorporated within Natural on the PC. Examples of creating labels, envelopes, etc.
• Commands in Depth
  • The Stack
    Discussion of the statement and many of its options.

Number 3 - August 2002

• Cover Stories
  • The Boston & Sevilla Conferences
    Tentative agendas
  • Simply Natural
    
• Natur Teknik
  • Compressing across field boundaries
    Interesting programming "trick"
  • Integer & Binary formats
    How are they different; how are they similar.
  • IF...Left & Right
    Discussion of the effects of different formats on different sides of an IF statement.
  • IF...SCAN
    Efficiency comparison with EXAMINE and FOR loops.
  • Alpha/Numeric; yet again
    An Edit Mask anomoly.

Number 4 - November 2002

• Cover Stories
  • The Boston Conference
    A retrospective and a look ahead to 2004
  • Some light entertainment
    An interesting syntax "flaw" and discussion
• Command in depth
  • Control Variables
    A series of articles on many of the uses for Control Variables
    • The Basics
    • AD= CD=
    • IF MODIFIED
    • REINPUT problems
    • Bit Map of a Control Variable
    • MARK
    • AD=P (Protect)
• Natur Teknik
  • Scrolling through the park vertically
    Programming "trick" to change Natural's tab order
  • Flip-Flop
    Interesting problem. Reversing integers in an alpha field. Application is middle eastern language translation.

Number 1 - February 2001

• Cover Stories
  • Deja Vu
    SAGA Software back in the fold; acquired by Software AG Darmstadt
  • Boston Conference
    Preliminary notice for the 10th Boston Natural Conference
  • Simply Natural
    Commercial re the release of Simply Natural
• Commands in Depth
  • DISPLAY
    This is an extensive series of articles pertaining to DISPLAY
    • The Basics
    • Column Headers
    • Field Widths
    • Logical Tabbing (T*)
    • Multiple DISPLAYs
    • Identical Suppress
    • Multiple fields in one column
    • Row headers
    • MU's, PE's, and arrays
    • Vertical tabbing (P*)
    • Empty Line Suppress
    • NEWPAGE
    • System Functions

Number 2 - May 2001

• Cover Stories
  • Do you XML?
    Report on Experience 2001, Software AG conference. XML dominated the vendor presentations.
  • Edit MASKs
    Sets the stage for the rest of the issue
• Natur Teknik
  • Numeric Edit Masks
  • Numeric IF...MASK
  • Alpha edit Masks

Number 3 - August 2001

• Cover Stories
  • Boston and Darmstadt Natural Conferences
    Overview of the two upcoming conferences
• Coding Environments
  • A funny bug
    A bug with MOVE EDITED and a date format variable
  • WRITE WORK FILE
    Some performance tests and analysis
• Natur Teknik
  • DAER and MARGOTSIH SDRAWKCAB
    Read and Histogram backwards..new Natural feature
  • READ .. STARTING WITH ISN=
    Another new Natural feature
  • Is it there? Where?
    Comparison of IF, EXAMINE, SCAN, etc.
  • WRITE TITLE
    Description of a common INCLUDEs
  • EXAMINE FULL
    Compares EXAMINE and EXAMINE FULL

Number 4 - November 2001

• Cover Stories
  • Boston & Darmstadt conferences
    Reflections on the two conferences
• How to get performance using the right Natural statements
  This is a series of articles built around the presentation by Thomas Frischmann at the Darmstadt conference
  • System Variables and DECIDE
  • IF
  • Arrays
  • More on Arrays
  • WRITE WORK FILE
  • READ WORK FILE
• Did you know? Seldom used or unknown features of Natural
  This is a series of articles built around the presentation by Andreas Schuetz at the Darmstadt conference
  • COMPRESS NUMERIC
  • IC and LC
  • %C and %Z
  • Ampersand Variables
  • Variable sizing
  • Array subscripts
  • External Objects

Number 1 - February 2000

• Cover Stories
  • Simply Natural Available
    Simply Natural is now out of Beta and available
  • Millenium Tips
    Note that Scott Sinclair will be contributing a column called "Millenium Tips"
• Commands in Depth
  • FIND versus READ
    Functional and Quantitative analysis
  • FIND NUMBER versus HISTOGRAM
    Similar analysis for FIND NUMBER and HISTOGRAM
• Millenium Tips
  
  • Extending XREF
    Designing to take advantage of XREF. Reader commentary & suggestions as well as Scott's column.
• Natur Teknik
  • MOVE LEFT?
    MOVE LEFT JUSTIFIED and SUBSTRING not compatible
  • EXAMINE TRANSLATE
    An incompatibility between mainframe and PC, now resolved.

Number 2 - May 2000

• Cover Story
  • The Boston Conference
    A brief history of the Boston Natural Conferences
• Millenium Tips
  • Phantom Bytes
    Using "out of range" bytes for a Super Descriptor
  • Component Development
    Breaking code up into modular units
• Readers Forum
  • Documentation Tip
    Locating subroutines in a program
  • Adding Fields to a PE Group
    Real world approach to a familiar problem
  • Number of Array Occurrences
    Feature request results in Variable dimensioned arrays in subprograms.
• Commands in Depth
  • The Three Modes Structured, Mixed, Report
    In-depth discussion of differences/similarities/idiosyncracies.

Number 3 - August 2000

• Cover Stories
  • Boston Conference
    Reflections on recent Boston Conference
  • A Natural Virus
    Contemplation on what would constitute a Natural "virus"
• Millenium Tips
  • Implicit Array Limits
    The new "V" notation for array dimensioning in Subprograms
  • The rarely used %J
    "Calling" a Helproutine
  • More on %J
    An interesting use for %J (creating pop-up windows)
  • Scan All Libraries
    SAG-L code to search for a given text string in a library.
• Natural Version 4
  • Looong Variables
    Up to 1 Gig in length for Alpha and Binary Variables
  • *Occurrence
    New System Variable which indicates the number of passed occurences of an array.
• Natur Teknik
  • SCAN vs MASK vs EXAMINE
    Timing comparisons
  • Centering Alpha Field
    Different approaches to a common problem
  • WEB, wave of future
    Some ramblings about potential problems with the Web
  • Bit Mapping 101
    Different approaches to storing "bit-data" and performing Boolean operations on them.

Number 4 - November 2000

• Cover Stories
  • Who designed this MESS?
• Natur Teknik
  • Random Number Generator
    Different programs for this function
  • Yet More Random Number Generators
    Includes discussion of "pseudo random"
  • Is that your Final Answer?(re FIND NUMBER)
    Scanning Problem
  • REPEAT'?. Really.?
    Version anomolies
  • REDEFINE..Sometimes
    Interesting discussions re REDEFINE in external Local and Parameter Data Areas.
• Millenium Tips
  • Bit Manipulation
    Similar discussion to preceding issue re OR and XOR of bit maps in Natural.
  • CSUBUB
    Construct routine to submit the contents of the source area to the internal reader.
  • USR0080
    Changing the name and type of the source area "object".
• Natur Teknik (again)
  • From A to F but not musically
    Sign representation for packed and unpacked numbers
  • Simply Natural Commercial for Simply Natural upon its one year anniversary