This episode features Data Perfect, originally released in 1982 by LJK Enterprises.
Podcast: Download
Media Scans
Cover of the spiral bound manual:
Advertisement from September 1983 issue of A.N.A.L.O.G.. The same ad runs again in the February 1985 issue.
Data Perfect in Action
Boot
At boot, entering the date (format MM/DD/YY):
Main Menu:
Load Database
Source disk verification:
Acknowledge database being loaded:
Loaded database summary including number of fields, record length, number of records, dates, and number of formulas:
Create Database
Initial creation pre-populates a key field:
Field Definition:
After Quitting form (screen mask) definition, the edit/form menu is displayed:
Entering default values for any fields needing them:
Acknowledging the new database structure:
Final acknowledgement of new database statistics:
File Maintenance
Menu:
Adding or Editing a record:
Search step 1 – Search By field selection:
Search step 2 – Criteria definition (note use of fore/aft wildcards):
Total function:
Utilities
Menu:
Pack Results:
View Format screen 1:
View Format screen 2:
Reformat (database structure modification); works just like create:
Reports
Menu:
Create step 1 – Printer width:
Create step 2 – Printer initialization string (format decimal,decimal,decimal…):
Create step 3 – Level break definition (up to 4 deep):
Create step 4 – Header definition. You can move between step 4 and 5 freely by moving the cursor up/down the data area. The top 7 lines are the header. The bottom 3 are the record details:
Create step 5 – Detail (record) definition:
Files
The disk is not a standard DOS format, it is a proprietary DOS developed by LJK which was also used for Letter Perfect.
Print Output
Utility View Format:
https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/s1e12-print-utilviewformat.pdf
Report Print List:
https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/s1e12-print-reportlist.pdf
Report Print Record:
https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/s1e12-print-record.pdf
Instructions
There are too many commands to record in a cheat sheet. The program is difficult to use without reading at least the tutorial section of the manual. Please review the official manual.
Show Links:
- LJK Enterprises: http://ljkenterprises.net/about.html
- Atari Mania: http://www.atarimania.com/utility-atari-400-800-xl-xe-data-perfect_30001.html
- Trademark Info: http://electronics.zibb.com/trademark/data+perfect/29309546
- Inverse ATASCII Letter Perfect Episode: https://inverseatascii.info/2014/10/14/s1e2-ljk-letter-perfect/
- Epson FX Printer Codes: http://lprng.sourceforge.net/DISTRIB/RESOURCES/PPD/epson.htm
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