ARPEGGIO for the Desktop

Access databases from anywhere on the enterprise network

On large corporate networks, information is usually readily available. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's easy to access.

Most corporations effectively store data in databases; the problem issharing that information with end users--end users who might not have theappropriate database program or the technical savvy to view and manipulate thedata. ARPEGGIO Information Publisher is a suite of data access products thatlets users at all levels access and publish information from host, client/server,and PC databases.

ARPEGGIO, which runs on Windows NT 3.51, NT 4.0, and Windows 95, ships asthree products: ARPEGGIO Viewer, ARPEGGIO for the Developer, and ARPEGGIO forthe Desktop. ARPEGGIO Viewer is a report viewer for end users. ARPEGGIO for theDeveloper exposes data objects and provides a set of APIs for developers tocreate custom applications. ARPEGGIO for the Desktop is an effective informationpublisher and database analyzer, letting you connect to relational databases andwork with them without using arcane SQL commands.

For this review, I evaluated ARPEGGIO for the Desktop. Although the productwears a 1.0 version number, it is a marriage of two well-established products:Concentric Data System's R&R Report Writer and Wall Data's RUMBA Data Accessquery engine.

As with most Windows programs, ARPEGGIO uses a simple Wizard-based userinterface for its installation process. You can perform a full or partialinstall, depending on your needs.

ARPEGGIO uses Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and ActiveX controls tomake creating and retrieving information easier. Rather than issuing (or evenlearning, if necessary) complex SQL query commands, you can use predefinedinformation objects (OLE structured-storage documents) that issue the commandsfor you.

Because ARPEGGIO includes many Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) drivers,you can communicate directly with any relational database that supports ODBC.For example, you can connect to a database in ARPEGGIO, create a query, as shownin Screen 1, and send the results as areport by dragging them into email. You don't even have to take your hand off the mouse.

The first time I created a query with ARPEGGIO, I couldn't believe how easythe process was--ARPEGGIO reduced the task of creating a query to a few clicksand drag-and-drop operations, instead of a time-consuming task of programming aseries of SQL commands. ARPEGGIO also includes support for AS/400 and mainframesystems, letting you transfer data between your PCs and your AS/400s.

If your organization works with databases regularly, you should examineARPEGGIO. The object-oriented user interface is consistent with NT 4.0 Explorerbehavior, which means there's little training required if your users arefamiliar with Explorer.

The only downside to the version I reviewed was the lack of hard-copydocumentation (which, according to the company, is unnecessary because theproduct is so easy to use). However, Wall Data now ships documentation with theproduct.

You have a whole lot to gain and not much to lose by deploying ARPEGGIOsoftware as a front end to your databases. Your users will thank you.