file extension OYZ

dBASE

dBase was the first widely used database management system (DBMS) for microcomputers, published by Ashton-Tate for CP/M, and later on the Apple II, Apple Macintosh, UNIX, VMS, and IBM PC under DOS where it became one of the best-selling software titles for a number of years. dBase was slow to transition successfully to Microsoft Windows and gradually lost market share to competitors such as Paradox, Clipper, FoxPro, and Microsoft Access. dBase was sold to Borland in 1991, which sold the rights to the product line in 1999 to the newly-formed dBase Inc. In 2004, dBase Inc. changed its name to dataBased Intelligence, Inc.

Starting in the mid 1980s many other companies produced their own dialects or variations on the product and language. These included FoxPro (now Visual FoxPro), Arago, Force, dbFast, dbXL, Quicksilver, Clipper, Xbase++, FlagShip, Recital's Terminal Developer, and Harbour/XHarbour. Together these are informally referred to as xBase. dBase's underlying file format, the .dbf file, is widely used in many other applications needing a simple format to store structured data.

dBase has evolved into a modern object oriented language that runs on 32 bit Windows. It can be used to build a wide variety of applications including web apps hosted on a Windows server, Windows rich client applications, and middleware applications. dBase can access most modern database engines via ODBC drivers.

dBase features an IDE with a Command Window and Navigator, a just in time compiler, a preprocessor, a virtual machine interpreter, a linker for creating dBase application .exe's, a freely available runtime engine, and numerous two-way GUI design tools including a Form Designer, Report Designer, Menu Designer, Label Designer, Datamodule Designer, SQL Query Designer, and Table Designer. Two-way Tools refers to the ability to switch back and forth between using a GUI design tool and the Source Code Editor. Other tools include a Source Code Editor, a Project Manager that simplifies building and deploying a dBase application, and an integrated Debugger. dBase features structured exception handling and has many built-in classes that can be subclassed via single inheritance. There are visual classes, data classes, and many other supporting classes. Visual classes include Form, SubForm, Notebook, Container, Entryfield, RadioButton, SpinBox, ComboBox, ListBox, PushButton, Image, Grid, ScrollBar, ActiveX, Report, ReportViewer, Text, TextLabel and many others. Database classes include Session, Database, Query, Rowset, Field, StoredProc and Datamodule classes. Other classes include File, String, Math, Array, Date, Exception, Object and others. dBase objects can be dynamically subclassed by adding new properties to them at runtime.

dBASE Plus is a rapid application development toolset that includes a modern object oriented programming language (dBL) that runs on 32 bit versions of Microsoft Windows. It can be used to build a wide variety of applications including web applications, rich client applications, middleware applications, and server based applications. dBASE Plus has robust database access support and can access most modern database engines including Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, MySQL, Informix, DB2, InterBase, FireBird, Pervasive SQL, Microsoft Access and other databases that can be accessed via ODBC. In addition dBASE Plus supports access to its native .dbf tables (levels 3, 4, 5, and 7) as well as Paradox (.db) tables, FoxPro and Visual FoxPro tables.

• Speech-enabled SmartMaster templates: Voice-activated 1-2-3 SmartMaster templates let users move quickly through common tasks such expense reporting or loan amortization. (Note: IBM ViaVoice is not included.)
• Improved compatibility with Microsoft Excel: Enhanced filters provide better-than-ever read and write compatibility with Microsoft Excel files up to and including Excel 2000. Lotus 1-2-3 Release 9.8 reads and writes Excel text, numbers, formulas, formatting, drawings and charts. The Excel Menu finder also trains new 1-2-3 users to navigate 1-2-3.
• @Functions provide analytical power and improved Microsoft Excel compatibility.
• Copy and move worksheets: Lotus 1-2-3 allows users to move and copy entire worksheets. Users can drag the sheet to the desired destination or use the menu.
• SmartLabels: In 1-2-3 Release 9.8, SmartLabels let users summarize a range by typing “Total.” Now, 1-2-3 also recognizes more than a dozen predefined terms such as “Subtotal,” “Maximum” and “Average,” making formula building faster and easier. Users can also add terms, assign synonyms and customize the list of SmartLabels.
• Automatic SmartFill: Filling a range with a sequence of text, dates or times is quicker and easier than ever with SmartFill. 1-23 Release 9.8 anticipates what users would like to type and enters suggested text. If “April” is entered in a cell and “M” is typed in the next cell, 1-2-3 automatically adds “ay” and waits for the user to accept it or type different text.
• More rows: 1-2-3 Release 9.8 worksheets have 65,536 rows.
• Ask the Expert provides detailed answers to users' questions, even if they are entered in the user's own words.
• Excel Menu Finder makes it easy for Excel users to work in Lotus 1-2-3. Users simply choose an Excel command to display the name of the equivalent 1-2-3 command.
• Technology: With 1-2-3 Release 9.8, workbooks can be launched and edited in Active Document containers such as Internet Explorer or Lotus Notes 4.6. In addition, users can embed and automate Active-X controls directly into 1-2-3.
• Euro currency support: 1-2-3 Release 9.8 supports the Euro currency. SmartSuite continues to support the ECU as well as the Euro. The currency is supported in cells and charts.
• Copy/Paste: 1-2-3 Release 9.8 can copy row heights and column widths to locations in the spreadsheet, saving setup time.
• Data validation add-in: Lotus 1-2-3 Release 9.8 allows users to set criteria to restrict the type of data they can enter in a cell or range of cells. With the Data Validation Add-in, users restrict cell entries by making sure that the type of data entered meets a particular condition.
• Auto Save: Lotus 1-2-3 Release 9.8 helps minimize data loss if a computer loses power. Users can have 1-2-3 automatically save changes to open files at regular intervals.
• Keyboard switching: Lotus 1-2-3 Release 9.8 allows users to switch to different keyboard layouts while editing a file. This feature is handy for international users.
  

• Web tables: 1-2-3 Release 9.8’s Web tables enable users to send and pull useful data from any table on any HTML page of the Internet or corporate intranet and deliver it directly into a workbook. Stock quotes, for example, can be extracted live from a Web page and pulled into an investment portfolio spreadsheet. The Web table can be refreshed manually or automatically.
• Hyperlinking: Hyperlinks can be assigned to any spreadsheet, cell picture or button. They also can be created for Internet locations, spreadsheet ranges or objects and other files.
• HTML features: 1-2-3 Release 9.8 includes HTML 3.2 support for opening and converting spreadsheet ranges to HTML documents. Spreadsheet-specific extensions allow 1-2-3 users to share files using HTML as a common file format while preserving important spreadsheet information such as cell colors, formats, actual numbers (e.g., p = 3.14159265, not 3.14), named ranges and number formatting. Lotus 1-2-3 also offers native HTML support with XML support.
• Publishing Assistant: 1-2-3 Release 9.8 helps users select an entire workbook, a particular page or a selected range for Web output. The Publishing Assistant also provides options for adding a link to the original file for other users to download.
• HTML on Clipboard: This feature selects data from browsers or Notes Release 5 and pastes it into 1-2-3 as a parsed HTML table.