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Information about “DBCLEAN”
DBCLEAN is designed to search for, and optionally delete, duplicate
records in a dBase or compatible file. Finding and eliminating
duplicate .DBF records can save disk space and program processing time.
DBCLEAN is completely menu-driven, using popular pull-down menus and
on-line context-sensitive Help screens. A Help screen relating to the
current operation is always available with a single keystroke,
eliminating the need to refer to printed documentation.
DBCLEAN provides three modes of operation. In TURBO mode, the easiest
to use, the selected file is searched based on every field in the
database. Duplicate records are automatically deleted. In BATCH mode,
select the fields you want to search on. If any duplicate records are
found, a list is presented and you select the ones you want deleted.
INTERACTIVE mode functions the same as BATCH mode except that
duplicate records are presented to you as they are found and you must
take action at that time.
DBCLEAN.DOC
dbClean 2.2
Copyright (c) 1990, Practical Programs
1013 East Dimond Blvd
Suite 141
Anchorage, AK 99515
I. Introduction
dbClean 2.2 is designed to detect and optionally delete duplicate
records in a Dbase or compatible file. These files normally end
in the extension .DBF. By finding and eliminating these dupli-
cates you can save disk space, program processing time, and even
money.
II. Getting Started
A. Make sure the following files are all on the same drive and
directory:
1. DBCLEAN.EXE - This is the executable program.
2. SETUP.FIL - This is the configuration file.
3. MENU.FIL - This file holds information that is crucial
for the program to run.
4. HELP.DBF - The data base file for the on-line help system.
5. HELP.DBT - The help system text.
B. Log onto that drive and directory. For example, if you copied
the files onto the C: drive and into a subdirectory named DBC,
then log onto the C: drive by typing:
C: <Enter Key>
Then log into the directory by typing:
CD \DBC <Enter Key>
You may then confirm that all of the needed files are present
by typing:
DIR <Enter Key>
C. To start dbClean, type:
DBCLEAN <Enter Key>
D. If any of the files listed in paragraph I above are missing,
you will receive an appropriate error message:
1. If it is the SETUP.FIL file, you will be warned that it is
missing. The program will then continue. You must
immediately go to the Options section on the main menu and
choose a configuration for each option. The Option menu
is explained more fully below.
2. If the HELP.DBF or HELP.DBT files are missing, you will not
be warned. On-line help will just not be available. You
can confirm this by pressing the F1 key at the main menu.
If the on-line help does not appear, then the two HELP files
are not in the current drive/directory.
3. If the MENU.FIL file is missing, you will be warned. The
program will then halt. MENU.FIL is essential for the
program to run.
E. If all is well, you will be presented with the Opening Screen.
To read the general on-line Help information, press the F1 key.
Otherwise, press any other key to continue.
F. You are now at the Main Menu. All of the menus in dbClean 2.1
use the highlight bar menus. Here are some general navigation
tips:
1. You may choose an item on the menu by placing the highlight
bar on the item you wish to choose and hitting the Enter
key. You may move the highlight bar with the arrow keys.
2. A faster way of choosing an item is to hit the letter that
corresponds to the first letter of the item name. No Enter
key is required. For example, you're at the main menu and
wish to go into the Options section, so you type "O".
This feature is not case sensitive. This feature works only
on the main and sub menus. It is not implemented when
choosing a file or field (which is discussed below).
3. If you are in a sub-menu and wish to return to a higher
menu level, use the escape key (labeled ESC on most PCs).
This key will also abort most operations.
G. If this is your first time in dbClean 2.2, you should visit the
Options section. From the Main Menu, type "O". A sub-menu will
appear with four items on it, each discussed below.
1. DRIVE. In this option, you can set the default drive. The
default drive is where all of the temporary files will be
stored. dbClean will delete these files before quitting.
There are two things to remember about the default drive:
a. Since this drive will be used for the majority of the
disk intensive operations, you should choose your
fastest drive, keeping in mind that it must have
room for the temporary files.
b. The temporary files are erased before quitting. If
you disrupt the program before it is finished, how-
ever, those files may remain.
2. PATHS. The Path option is for you to tell dbClean where to
look for the data base files you wish to process. It
should be a full path name with a drive designator, if
necessary (see you DOS manual). An example would be:
C:\DB\CUSTOMER\MAIL. This tells dbClean to look for
the data base files in the \DB\CUSTOMER\MAIL subdirectory
of drive C:.
3. COLOR. On some systems with a CGA card and a monochrome
monitor, color programs tend to make the screen hard to
read. By choosing the "Change it" selection, the program
will be changed to black and white. You can always change
it back at a later time.
4. NOSNO. On some older CGA monitors, colors tend to produce
"snow" on the screen. If you have this problem, choose
the "Change it" selection. The displays will then be a
bit slower, but will be free of "snow."
III. Using dbClean
A. The first thing you must do is to select the data base file
you wish to clean. From the Main Menu type "C" to enter
the Choose selection.
1. You will then be presented with a pick list of data base
(.DBF) files that are on the Path you set in the Options
menu. Merely use the arrow/page up/page down keys to
navigate the highlight onto the file you wish to choose
and press the Enter key.
2. If you wish to abort the operation without choosing a file,
then hit the Escape key.
B. The next action to take is to type "P", for the Purge section,
from the Main Menu. You will be presented with a sub menu,
listing the three purge methods:
1. TURBO. The Turbo mode is the easiest to use. Just type
"T" at the Purge sub menu and sit back. The Turbo mode
automatically checks for duplicates based upon every
field in the data base. If any are found they are
automatically deleted. NOTE: When using Turbo mode,
you must be sure that you want the duplicates deleted.
The records deleted in this mode are unrecoverable.
2. BATCH. Type "B" at the Purge sub menu to enter the
Batch mode.
a. You will be presented with a pick list of the field
names in the data base. Use the arrow keys to navigate
the list and hit the Space Bar to select each field.
What you are doing here is choosing the fields upon
which the duplicate comparisons will be made. Once
you have chosen the fields to be compared (they will
be printed on the screen as you select them), hit the
Enter key to go on, or the Escape key to abort.
b. The next screen will be fairly similar to the last,
except you are choosing the fields that will be
displayed on screen when you enter the decision
portion of the Batch mode. Here's an example:
You have a mailing list with customer information.
You find that you are wasting time, money, and
materials sending advertisements to some customers
at the same addresses. Your data base has the
following fields: Last Name, First Name,
Address, City, State, Zip, Zip + 4. When you
enter the batch mode, you select the last four
fields for the comparison. Since you want to
also see the names when duplicates are found,
you select all of the fields for the display.
Once you have chosen the display fields, press
the Enter key to go on, or the Escape key to abort.
c. dbClean then processes the entire data base
searching for, and marking, duplicate records.
If no duplicates are found, you are told this
and any key pressed after that returns you to
the Purge sub menu.
d. If, however, duplicates are found, the original
record is shown in the top half of the screen.
The duplicates are displayed in the bottom half.
Using the arrow keys, you can examine the
duplicates. For each duplicate you decide to
delete, place the highlight in any field (column)
in the record (line) and hit the Delete key. You
will then see the word "DELETE" appear on the status
line near the lower left corner of the screen.
Continue on this way for each record. If you
found you deleted a record by mistake, place the
highlight back on the record and hit the delete
key again. The "DELETE" will disappear from the
status line. When you are satisfied with the
deletions, hit the Enter key to go on.
e. The next set of duplicates, if there are any, will
then appear. Deal with them as you did with the
last set. This cycle will continue until all the
duplicates are identified.
f. Once all the duplicates have been processed, you
will be given one last chance to Abort the deletions
or to Delete the marked records.
g. NOTE: Beginning with dbClean 2.2, the Batch mode no
longer writes a temporary file while processing. We
have found that, when run on some LANs (particularly
with DOS's SHARE.EXE loaded), this would produce an
error message. We now keep track of the marked
duplicate series in RAM. Due to this, the maximum
number of duplicate sets dbClean will mark in Batch
mode will be 500. Please note that these are full
sets of duplicates, not individual duplicate records.
3. Interactive
a. The Interactive mode starts up just like the Batch
mode. You are given your pick list of fields to
compare, then the list of fields to show on the
screen.
b. The difference between the Interactive and Batch
modes is that the Interactive mode stops
immediately upon finding a duplicate. It displays
the original record in the upper portion of the
screen and the duplicate in the lower portion.
You are then given the option to delete the original,
the duplicate, or neither. The program then starts
searching for more duplicates, based upon your
selection:
(1) If you chose to delete the original record, then
the duplicate now becomes the original. If
another duplicate exists, it will now show in the
lower window.
(2) If you chose to delete the duplicate, the original
remains in the upper window. If another duplicate
exists, it will now show in the lower window.
(3) If you chose to delete neither of the records, the
original remains in the upper window. If another
duplicate exists, it will now show in the lower
window.
c. Once a set of duplicates has been processed, the program
continues to search for other sets, stopping for your
selections as it encounters them.
d. Once the entire file has been processed, you are given
the prompt to either Abort the operation or Delete the
marked records.
IV. General Information
A. On line context-sensitive help is available in dbClean. Just
press the F1 key and the help screen will appear. You may
scroll through the help text with the arrow/page up/page down
keys. Hit the Escape key to exit the help screen.
B. dbClean does not maintain indexes. Therefore, if you delete any
records in a data base that has associated indexes, you must
reindex them before using the data base.
C. Before using ANY program that may alter your data base files,
ALWAYS back up those files first.
V. Registration
A. dbClean 2.2 is being distributed as shareware. This means that
you may use dbClean a few times to see if it meets your needs.
If it does, then you must register it by sending your name,
address, and a check for $20 plus $4 shipping and handling to:
Practical Programs
1013 East Dimond Blvd
Suite 141
Anchorage, AK 99515
B. Registered users receive a numbered copy of the latest version
of dbClean, with the closing screen removed. Registered users
also receive a free upgrade to the next version of dbClean, if
produced, and free unlimited technical support.
C. Site licenses, LAN licenses, and multiple copy discounts are
available. Write Practical Programs at the address above for
more information. LANs of 50 workstations or less require no
additional registration other than that given in V.A. above.
D. Whether you are registered or not, user suggestions are always
welcome. Some of the improvements in this version were the
direct result of user suggestions.
E. If you encounter any problems, you can contact us at the
address given above, or through CompuServe ID # 72460,346.
F. We are currently developing a library of dbClean routines
that will be available to Clipper developers for integration
into their applications. If you wish more information on this,
and wish to be placed on our mailing list, please contact us
at the address above.
VI. DISCLAIMER
- The software, diskettes, and documentation are provided "as is."
The entire risk as to the use, results, and performance of the
software, diskettes, and documentation is assumed by you. In no
event will Practical Programs be liable to you or anyone else for
any consequential, special, or indirect damages resulting from
possession, use, or malfunction of this product, including
without limitation damage to property and, to the extent permitted
by law, damages for personal injury. You agree that the liability
of the company (Practical Programs) arising out of any legal claim
(whether in contract, tort, or otherwise) will not exceed the amount
you originally paid for the use of this product.
FILE2373.TXT
Disk No: 2373
Disk Title: dbClean
PC-SIG Version: S1
Program Title: dbClean
Author Version: 2.2
Author Registration: $20.00
Special Requirements: None.
dbClean is designed to search for, and optionally delete duplicate
records in a Dbase or compatible file. These files normally end with
an extension of .DBF. By finding and eliminating these duplicate
records you can save disk space and program processing time.
dbClean is completely menu driven, using popular pull-down menus and
on-line context sensitive help screens. A help screen pertaining to
the current operation is always available with a single key press,
eliminating the need to refer to printed documentation.
dbClean provides three modes of operation. In TURBO mode, the easiest
mode to use, the selected file is searched for duplicates based on every
field in the data base, and duplicate records are automatically deleted.
In BATCH mode, you select the fields you want to search on and if any
duplicate records are found, they are presented to you in list form and
you select the ones you want deleted. INTERACTIVE mode functions the
same as BATCH mode except that duplicate records are presented to you
as they are found and you must take action at that time.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
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║ <<<< DISK # 2373 DBCLEAN >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ To print documentation type: COPY DBCLEAN.DOC PRN ║
║ ║
║ To start dbClean, type: DBCLEAN ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
(c) Copyright 1990, PC-SIG Inc.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #2373
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
HELP DBF 342 1-14-90 9:52p
HELP DBT 17197 1-14-90 9:52p
DBCLEAN DOC 16482 1-15-90 8:43p
DBCLEAN EXE 226696 1-14-90 9:52p
MENU FIL 14992 1-15-90 8:53p
SETUP FIL 197 1-15-90 8:55p
GO BAT 29 10-04-90 5:38a
GO TXT 735 10-04-90 6:24a
FILE2373 TXT 2443 10-04-90 2:54p
9 file(s) 279113 bytes
37888 bytes free