1. What I like about SIR/XS.
Changes I have seen.
What I like about SIR/XS.
15/11/ June 2008

2. Introduction
I shall show you some examples of the versions of SIR I have used so that you can see some of the differences.
SIR 2
SIR 3
SIR 4
SIR2000
SIR2002
SIR/XS
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3. Introduction
The first version of SIR that I used was SIR and this was on and ICL 2970 mainframe.
This was initially a mostly batch system using punched cards.
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4. Introduction
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5. Introduction
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6. Introduction Use was made occasionally of interactive use.
Sometimes a specialist device as shown next which used HOST to access the database.
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7. Introduction
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8. Introduction
SIR came to the PC world and I shall show some screen shots of the SIR interface in the various versions using a PC.
I can demonstrate these if anyone would like to see more at the end.
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9. Introduction
The screen shots will show a common set of activities across versions.
Startup
Connecting company database
Entering a retrieval
Running a retrieval from a file
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10. SIR 2.3
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11. SIR 2.3
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12. SIR 2.3
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13. SIR 2.3
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14. SIR 3.2
NEW FEATURES
Menu System
New Editor
Easy
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15. SIR 3.2
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16. SIR 3.2
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17. SIR 3.2
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18. SIR 3.2
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19. SIR 3.2
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20. SIR 3.2
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21. SIR 3.2
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22. SIR 4 NEW FEATURES First Windows Interface
Works with No Database attached
WDL Windows Design Language
API Interface
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23. SIR 4
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24. SIR 4
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25. SIR 4
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26. SIR 4
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27. SIR 4
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28. SIR 4
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29. SIR 4 WDL
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30. SIR 4 WDL
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31. SIR 2000 NEW FEATURES Toolbar Multiple Databases ODBC SQLSERVER
WEB Support
Master logon/logoff
Execute DBMS
Spreadsheet
Graph
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32. SIR 2000
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33. SIR 2000
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34. SIR 2000
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35. SIR 2000
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36. SIR 2000
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37. SIR 2002 15/11/2018 NEW FEATURES Database Secondary Indexes PQLForms
Dialog and PQLForms Screen Painter
New Grid Control with VisualPQL interface
Extended Strings
Automatic compression of database strings
Extended VisualPQL limits on constants
Redefinition of array dimensions and sizes
Sorting array values
HEX format on READ and WRITE for binary strings
Auto Increment Keys
LOOKUP command
SHOW/HIDE elements in dialogs
POPUP lists in menus and dialogs
Extended number of elements (4000+) in a dialogs
HELP message for dialogs
Parameterized ODBC queries
New Menu Interface
New DEDIT Dialog Type
Extra VisualPQL functions including tabfile schema
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38. SIR 2002
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39. SIR 2002
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40. SIR 2002
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41. SIR 2002
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42. SIR 2002
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43. SIR 2002
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44. SIR 2002
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45. SIR/XS
NEW FEATURES
Extended syntax allowing names up to 32 characters
Non-standard names
Enhanced standardised syntax
STANDARD SCHEMA and STANDARD VARS
New Common Vars definition
New variable documentation
New write schema options
Upgraded record schema modification
ADD VARS, DELETE VARS, MODIFY VARS, RENAME VARS
Multiple Data Files
New Batch Data Utility features including CSV Input/Output
New Journaling and Recovery
New XML Procedure
New GUI Debugger
New PQL Server
Regular Expressions
SEEK function to control file position
Timestamp functions
Extended syntax on PROCESS CASE
CAT VARS in VisualPQL
PQLForms update
Encryption
Enhanced date and time format specification
Enhanced picture specification on WRITE and PFORMAT
New GUI Controls
IN=stdin and OUT=stdout on sirbatch execution command
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46. SIR/XS
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47. SIR/XS
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48. SIR/XS
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49. SIR/XS
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50. SIR/XS
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51. SIR/XS
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52. SIR/XS
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53. SIR/XS
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54. SIR/XS
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55. What I like about SIR/XS
Well I must say that quite a large number of the changes were things on my wish list.
Multiple Data Files
SEEK function to control file position
Timestamp functions
IN=stdin and OUT=stdout on sirbatch execution command
New PQL Server
RENAME VARS
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56. What I like about SIR/XS
So I must say I like these but I also especially like
Regular Expressions
Enhanced date and time functions
Enhanced picture specification
New GUI controls
New Batch Data Utility features including CSV Input/Output
New Journaling and Recovery
New XML Procedure
New GUI Debugger
Extended syntax allowing names up to 32 characters
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57. What I like about SIR/XS
The rest are really good as well
Extended syntax on PROCESS CASE
CAT VARS in VisualPQL
PQLForms update
Non-standard names
Enhanced standardised syntax
STANDARD SCHEMA and STANDARD VARS
New Common Vars definition
New variable documentation
New write schema options
Upgraded record schema modification
ADD VARS, DELETE VARS, MODIFY VARS
Encryption
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58. What I like about SIR/XS
Really I like it all very much.
What else would I like to see?
Ability for SQLServer to use MASTER for multi user updates.
SQL in PQL
Some method of indirection for variable names in procedures. To allow for reading variable names from an ODBC datasource and performing procs. You do not know at compile time what the variable names are but will at run time.
Associative arrays in PQL
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59. Any Questions
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