Working with STEP FORWARD® - a Tutorial

STEPforward enables the creation of user-defined general purpose and accounting information management applications. To build such applications, you require the Developer version of STEPforward plus one of the supported relational databases: FrontBase, MS SQL Server 6.5, OpenBase 6.0, and Sybase 11.

Rather than showing you a full-blown overview of STEPforward up front, we will walk you through various stages of configuring an application so that you will learn how to use the various tools and features. The first few exercises will be explained in minute steps. As you progress, you may find some of the instructions less detailed. Each tutorial is equipped with links to the next tutorial as well as back to the Index. The Index of the currently available Tutorials is shown at the bottom of this introduction.

All of these Tutorials are already completed in the Tutorial database. If you downloaded the current version and if you are unsure about anything, you can always review how we did it.



Enhance your Exercises
You can enhance your exercises by not only following the tutorial instructions but by also invoking on-line help and context-sensitive help, wherever available. Many of the windows and panels that you encounter have context-sensitive help attached to them. As you go through these exercises, click on the Help menu option and also learn the underlying generic concepts applicable to many of the tools and features.



Tutorial Prerequisite - Creating a database
This Tutorial is provided along with a database called "Tutorial" which contains all the completed tasks which you will perform. You can compare our tutorial instructions to the content of that database; however, a better way of learning is to create your own database and carry out all the instructions in a life environment.

1. Launch the Create New Database application.
This will display the Create New Database window with the Manual view. For some databases (FrontBase, OpenBase) the name can be entered in the "Automatic" tab view. Other databases (Sybase, MS SQL Server) may require some additional parameters set in CREATE DATABASE command, such as the name of the data segment and amount of space to be allocated off it. In these cases the full CREATE DATABASE command should be entered in the "Manual" tab view.



2. Assign a unique name (replace <name> with the name of your choice, in our example we used MyTutorial), observing the naming conventions of the underlying RDBMS (most common restrictions on the database name are: the first character in the name must be alpha, blank spaces are not allowed, etc. In STEPforward, the database name is limited to 30 characters). Changing the suggested size with a size suitable to your needs e.g. 10 is specific to some RDBMS. OpenBase and FrontBase do not require any size specification and for them the CREATE DATABASE command is very simplistic (create database <name>).

3. Press the Create button.
This will create the database. The Application Launchpad panel will now show applications, that can be started, as enabled e.g. you can create a Global Template; however, the Global Procedure will not be enabled until the first Global Template is created.



A Special Note To Our "Developers"
We are pleased that you took advantage of our offer and downloaded the Developer Version of STEPforward free of any licensing fee. This free license has an initial term of thirty (30) days. Why? Because we would like you to take the opportunity, during this time frame, to use STEPforward and determine whether it is the kind of development tool that you would like to use to create powerful information management systems for your own business, your organization, as a means of developing vertical applications for resale, as a teaching tool, or simply for your own personal enjoyment.

If you do, we would like to know about you. Register your Developer Version with us (www.stepforward.org) and we will provide you with the appropriate License Number that will extend your free license status. This will enable us to keep you informed about new developments that may fit into your area of interest.

The Developer Version is fully enabled to allow you to create your applications, test them and, if you act as a consultant or third-party developer, demonstrate your applications to your potential customers. However, we established limitations that prevent you from deploying STEPforward as a commercial product: each database that you create will accept a maximum of thirty (30) accounting Transaction Documents plus thirty (30) records in each of the Subledger and Global tables that you configure. The Run Processes and Run Reports applications have been disabled as they are part of the Deployment version.




Index

Tutorial 1 - Building a simple Global Template
Tutorial 2 - Duplicate Records, to Index or not to Index
Tutorial 3 - Defining Accessories
Tutorial 4 - Configuring another Global Template
Tutorial 5 - Adding Intelligence to the "Name" Global Template
Tutorial 6 - General Data Entry
Tutorial 7 - Building a Print Template (a format for Labels)
Tutorial 8 - Building a Report Procedure (to print Labels)
Tutorial 9 - Creating a Form Letter
Tutorial 10 - Take a moment and think about your needs
Tutorial 11 - Subledgers
Tutorial 12 - Defining Fiscal Periods
Tutorial 13 - Defining the Account Prototype
Tutorial 14 - Zero Balancing
Tutorial 15 - Headers for the GL Accounts
Tutorial 16 - The Chart (Account Chart)
Tutorial 17 - Source Documents
Tutorial 18 - Transaction Templates - Common
Tutorial 19 - Transaction Templates - Extra
Tutorial 20 - Chart Inspector
Tutorial 21 - User Functions
Tutorial 22 - Subledger Procedures
Tutorial 23 - Updating Subledgers
Tutorial 24 - Transaction Procedures for the Common Transaction Template
Tutorial 25 - Transaction Procedures for the Extra Transaction Templates
Tutorial 26 - Building a set of Print Templates and a Procedure (to print an Account Chart)
Tutorial 27 - An Opening Journal Entry
Tutorial 28 - Creating a Balance Sheet
Tutorial 29 - Creating a Consolidated Income Statement
Tutorial 30 - Creating a Branch Income Statement
Tutorial 31 - Creating a Process to calculate Average Cost
Tutorial 32 - Working with the Detail Object (Sales Order/Invoice)
Tutorial 33 - A Sales Order Report
Tutorial 34 - Sales Order, Generated Transactions as a Process
Tutorial 35 - Sales Order, Generated Transactions as a Procedure
Tutorial 36 - Transaction Data Entry Efficiencies - Procedures, Distribution, Allocation
Tutorial 37 - Check Writing (Accounts Payable)
Tutorial 38 - Creating an Aged Analysis of Accounts
Tutorial 39 - Creating a General Ledger - Trial Balance
Tutorial 40 - Creating a General Ledger - Detail

STEP FORWARD and the Triple Arrow are registered trade marks of Gestalt Corporation