Feature List

Publishing Data

Importing Data

Communicating

Automation

Reporting

Customisation

CatBase Works with all the Major Publishing Solutions

Publish your data to a variety of publishing destinations:

• QuarkXPress
• InDesign CS
• FrameMaker
• XML
• HTML
• Delimited Text Files
• RTF tagged files (for use with word processing programs such as Microsoft Word)
• PageMaker
• An ODBC-compliant database or spreadsheet (Data Chameleon Edition)

There are lots of options for formatting your data:

• Build paragraphs using any combination of seven different Element types:
  • data from a field
  • static text
  • formulas (tell CatBase how to make intelligent decisions about what to publish and/or how to format it)
  • punctuation (such as a tab character, page break, etc.)
  • calculation (mark up or discount prices, for example)
  • pictures
  • relations (include data from related tables)
• You can have mixed formatting within a paragraph (one element in the default style for the paragraph, and another in a different character style)
• Automatically leave out a paragraph if some vital data is missing (e.g., don't put in a blank line if there's no Address Line 2)
• Insert tags for automatic updating of data in the page layout document (for example, to do last-minute pricing updates) - this works with QuarkXPress and InDesign CS, and requires an additional plugin. See the Round-Tripping Tutorial.

For more info about publishing, see the Publishing Style Sheets Tutorial.

Importing Data

You can import data from just about any other source:

• tab-delimited text files
• comma-delimited (csv) files
• fixed-length text files
• text files with custom delimiters
• XML files
• MySql databases
• Microsoft Sql Server database
• any ODBC-compliant data source
• DBF files

For more information about importing data, see the Importing Data tutorial.

Communicating

If you have data that contains contact details, you can communicate with those contacts via CatBase:

• send emails
• receive emails
• send merged letters
• print labels

Automation

CatBase offers a number of ways that you can be more efficient through automation:

• Define Sets that can be automatically updated
• Create Publishing Projects so you don;t have to remember which Set of data to use, or which Publishing Style Sheet, or which publishing destination, for a particular project
• Create Scheduled Events to automatically perform functions such as import or publishing data or retrieving emails at specified intervals
• Automatic updating of data in the page layout program after it has been published - for example, for last-minute pricing updates. This works with QuarkXPress and InDesign CS - see the Round-Tripping Tutorial.
• Set up an automated backup schedule to ensure the safety of your database

Reporting

• Quickly create columnar reports using the Quick Report Editor
• Create graphs and charts

Customisation

CatBase is highly customisable:

• name your tables
• add fields of various types
• set properties for each field
• design your data entry and list view forms
• we can write scripts to perform special functions

What to do next ...

• See some Tutorials that demonstrate how CatBase can help with your project
• Download a fully functional Demo and try it for yourself!
• Contact us if you have any questions
• Order your copy now!