Lotus Approach

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Lotus Approach
Basic data

developer IBM
Publishing year 1991
Current  version 9/8/6
(2008)
operating system Microsoft Windows
License proprietary
Others Development stoppedTemplate: Infobox software / maintenance / other
www.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/smartsuite/approach.html

Lotus Approach is database software from Lotus Development Corporation (now an IBM company ).

With Approach, so-called view files can be created for databases with which the user can access the underlying database and its data. Approach can handle a variety of database formats and also access many ODBC data sources.

Database concept

The view file contains the definition of all database connections, forms, reports, diagrams and tables that the user needs in the database (and that the developer has defined). The actual data is not stored in the view file, but in the underlying database. By default, Approach uses dBASE IV format database files to store the data. However, other database formats such as. B. IBM DB2 , Oracle , Paradox or MySQL can be selected. The restrictions of the selected database apply to Approach (e.g. with dBASE IV, the maximum file size is 2 gigabytes).

The view files are portable. This means that a view file created with Approach can also be used on another computer with an installed Approach. Approach can be programmed using the included script language Lotus Script (similar to Visual Basic) and its range of functions can be expanded.

Unlike z. For example, with Microsoft Access, you cannot create independently running applications with Approach, as there is no corresponding runtime library. This means that Approach must be installed locally (or on a terminal server ) for the respective user .

Approach was sold as a stand- alone application or as a bundle with the Lotus Smartsuite . The latest version is 9.8.6 (as of 2008).

File format

The file format of the view files is proprietary and cannot be easily read by other programs. The Approach view files end in:

  • .APR = view files
  • .ADX = index files
  • .OYZ = are also created if the ADX file is defective.

The database files can also be used by other database applications (depending on the format selected). The standard file format for the database files is dBASE IV. The file types that Approach uses here are:

  • .DBF = database file
  • .DBT = additional file for memo and binary fields

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ IBM: Fix list for SmartSuite for Windows 9.8 and fix packs , November 11, 2008, accessed March 1, 2016