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Stonefield Query SDK

The Stonefield Query SDK (software development kit) allows you to configure, integrate, and deliver custom end-user reporting solutions for nearly any type of data. Use the Configuration Utility that is included with the SDK to create the data dictionary, configuration, and script files for your database.  Then deploy Stonefield Query to your users and let them start creating the ad-hoc reports they need in just a few easy steps.

Supported databases include; Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, DB2, Sybase, Pervasive, Access, FoxPro, Progress, Excel, or any other ODBC or OLE DB-compliant database. Stonefield Query also supports non-traditional data sources like flat text files and data that can only be accessed through an API. 

The Stonefield Query SDK includes:

• Configuration Utility Stonefield Query Report Designer Language Editor Sample Project Conversion Utilities
• HTML Help Builder & Setup Generator

The latest version of Stonefield Query SDK is 3.04, released November 24, 2006.

*Note, the Stonefield Query SDK was formerly known as the Stonefield Query Developer's Edition.

SDK Features:

The main tool in the SDK is the Configuration Utility. Use the Configuration Utility to define the data dictionary, configuration settings, scripts, build a HTML help file, and generate a setup.exe that's used to install your custom reporting solution. These features separate the Stonefield Query SDK from other reporting solutions.

• Data Dictionary Driven - Allows you to provide a simplified view of complex data that is clear and easy for any user to understand. Read more on why Stonefield Query uses a data dictionary.

  
  
  

• Supports Multiple Data Sources. Some applications have a single set of data. Others may have multiple data sets. For example, accounting applications often allow users to have different sets of data for different companies. This feature allows a user to run a report against multliple data sets of the same structure.

  
  
  

• Supports Joins Across Data Sources. Sometimes, you may need to query on tables in different databases. Stonefield Query can easily handle this, even if the databases are in different database management systems, such as one being in SQL Server and the other in Access.

  
  
  

• 100% Branding. When you deploy your custom version of Stonefield Query, you do not want it to be called Stonefield Query. You can give your application a name, logos, contact information and more through the Configuration Node.

  
  
  

• HTML Help File Builder. When you deploy your custom version of Stonefield Query, you need to include a help file. The SDK has a built in function that customizes and brands our help file as your own.

  
  
  

• Supports mulitple languages. Currently available languages include English, German, and Czech. Use the Resource Editor to define other languages.

  
  
  

• Custom Scripting is supported. Since Stonefield Query is a generic application, you may have to script certain behaviors to make it work with your specific application's databases.

  
  
  

• Platform Independent. As long as Stonefield Query can access the data you want to query against, it doesn't matter what development language you're using.

  
  
  

• Project Security can be implemented to protect your time investement in the project and restrict others from modifying or stealing your work.

  
  
  

• Data Dictionary Discovery - Filling in the data dictionary for a database would be a very tedious process if you had to do it by hand. Fortunately, the Configuration Utility has a feature to "discover" the meta data for a database.

  
  
  

• Data Dictionary Refresh - When the structure of a database changes, such as when a new table or new field is added, the Stonefield Query data dictionary must be updated or the user won't be able to report on the new fields. Using the data dictionary refresh will add new tables and fields, change data types and column widths, and so forth. This will not overwrite your existing customizations

  
  
  

• View Data allows you to see the contents of a table or a field so you can understand the contents better than the name alone implies.

  
  
  

• Enumerated Values are those that contain a pre-defined set of codes that mean something. For example, in the sample Northwind database that comes with SQL Server, the ShipVia field in the Orders table contains a 1, 2, or 3. These values aren't foreign keys looked up in another table, but rather hard-coded values, each of which represents a different shipping type. Often, these codes are displayed to the user in the application differently than they're stored. For example, the user might see "Fedex," "UPS," or "Mail" for the ShipVia field rather than 1, 2, or 3.

  
  
  

• Related Fields are those fields that do contain foreign keys, you likely do not want to display the foreign key values to the user. Instead, you may want to display a particular field from the table that this field contains the foreign key for.

  
  
  

• The Project Documentation function provides complete documentation for your Stonefield Query project. The documentation describes all the data dictionary settings, all configuration settings, and all scripts, and has hyperlinks between related topics.

  
  
  

• Role-based security can be defined at the data dictionary level. You can define which roles (called User Groups in Stonefield Query) can access certain tables and fields in the properties pane for table and field objects.

  
  
  
• Data Groups are used to group related tables. For example, an accounting application may have different modules, such as General Ledger, Accounts Payable, and Accounts Receivable. Rather than making the user select from hundreds of tables in the Data Selection step of the Report Wizard, if you group your tables, they can select which data group they want to work with, and then only see the tables in that group in. Read more.
  
  
  
• Calculated Field is the same as a formula or expression that you would define on a report, but in Stonefield Query you can define in the data dictionary. For example, most order entry systems don't store the extended price of an item, but derive it from the unit price multiplied by the quantity. However, you may want your users to be able to query or report on extended price, so you would create a calculated field for it.

For complete documentation on the SDK, please see SDK Online Help.

SDK Benefits

Ease of Use Unlike generic report writers, Stonefield Query has been customized specifically for the database it's querying against. You don't have to tell Stonefield Query how get the data; you simply tell it what you want and it will figure out how to get it. Everyone in the organization from the President to the receptionist can use the product. As a result, Stonefield Query saves technical staff time and alleviates the burden of creating every query and report an end-user could ever think of.

Productivity

With generic report writers you are responsible for laying out fields, adjusting sizes and headings manually. Stonefield Query automatically places fields and headings on the report and sizes them appropriately. You can create a report in Stonefield Query in just seconds with only a few mouse clicks. Grouping, sorting, totaling fields, and filtering are as simple as selecting the desired option from a list. 

Performance

Stonefield Query uses SQL SELECT statements to retrieve records from the database, so only those records that match the filter are accessed. This can have an enormous impact on the performance of the query. For example, one Stonefield Query user told us that a report they created in Crystal Reports takes over 25 minutes to run, but the same report in Stonefield Query takes just 15 seconds. That's 100 times faster.

Flexibility

Stonefield Query can access nearly any kind of database, including SQL Server, Oracle, Access, Visual FoxPro, Pervasive, DB2, MySQL and even non-database formats like comma delimited text files. Stonefield Query also supports querying on multiple data sets. For example, you may have an accounting system's data stored in SQL Server and customer data stored in ORACLE. All you have to do is define how the SQL and Oracle tables are related, and Stonefield Query will take care of the rest.

Security

Value

Stonefield Query fulfills an invaluable need every organization has: the access to information. More importantly, it allows the people who need the information the most, the ability to get it themselves.