InfoMaker is a powerful and easy-to-use reporting tool that lets you query databases and create sophisticated and effective custom reports of data. When optional painters are installed, it also lets you work with data in a database.
InfoMaker lets you work with data in many ways—always with no programming required.
InfoMaker provides built-in connectivity to a broad range of desktop and server-based databases. Some versions of InfoMaker also include the powerful SQL Anywhere database management system (DBMS) that enables you to create your own databases and use the built-in EAS Demo DB (a Sybase SQL Anywhere database) to create reports and other InfoMaker objects.
For information about supported DBMSs, see Connecting to Your Database.
When you work in InfoMaker, you work in a graphical environment—and working with data in this environment means you do not need to understand SQL, the standard programming language for talking to databases. InfoMaker creates all SQL statements behind the scenes as you build your reports and other objects graphically.
In InfoMaker, you can create the following objects:
Reports to view data
Forms to view and change data
Queries to automatically retrieve data for reports or forms
Pipelines to pipe data from one database (or DBMS) to another
Applications to bundle reports and forms and distribute them to users
You can see many examples of the objects you create in InfoMaker in this chapter.
In InfoMaker, you do your work in painters. A painter is an object editor you use to create and work with objects of a particular type. For example, in the Report painter, you create and work with reports, and in the Data Pipeline painter, you create and work with data pipelines.
If you do not see all the available painters
If you installed InfoMaker from the PowerBuilder Enterprise
setup program, you, or others in your organization who install and
set up your software, chose to install a full set of painters (typical
install) or a minimal set (compact install). The minimal combination
includes the Report painter, the Query painter, and the Library
painter. The optional painters are the Database painter, the Form painter,
and the Data Pipeline painter.
For complete information about installing InfoMaker, see the Installation Guide.
