Converting MS Access report to Frame format

[jim willson]

We use MS Access to create reports and generate PDF documents that contain data from our database. We would like to generate a Frame file or other document that is readable and editable in Frame. Can this be done? Is there a third party Frame or Access add-on? The add-on should read the Access database and generate a pre-defined report in Frame format.
-- jim

[Arnis Gubins]

Jim,

Welcome to the world of database publishing. There are some tools for
FM that will let you interact with a database (note, these are
industrial strength with a price tag to match - it all depends upon
your application).

You can check out:

Miramo from Datazone at http://www.miramo.com
Patternstream from FiniteMatters at http://www.patternstream.com
DLFormatter from DataLogics at http://www.datalogics.com

If you want to roll your own solution, then you can try:

FrameScript with it's ODBC tools at http://www.framescript.com (and
more details on FrameScript programming at Rick Quattro's site
http://www.frameexpert.com )

Use FM's MML (Maker Mark-up Language) to create tagged output that you
can apply FM templates to.

Use FM's MIF (Maker Interchange Format) to create tagged output
formatted directly in FM's internal language representation.

[Jeroen Dekker]

For an easy and not so expensive solution, you could try our pdf2vector software. It is easily programmed via the command line to automatically transform your PDF reports to WYSIWYG FrameMaker MIF pages. Text strings, graphics and images in your report will all be preserved and editable. As a drawing though, not as a document with paragraphs, tables and other wordprocessing features. If you require the latter, than any of the database publishing suggestions offered makes more sense.

If interested, please send me a sample PDF report via email. I'll send you the MIF results back along with further info.

Jeroen Dekker
--
Square One - The Graphics Connection
Visit <http://www.square1.nl/index.htm>
jer...@square1.nl

[John St Richards]

A less expensive alternative is Corel Database Publisher which is packaged with Ventura (mine came from internet auction ready to license, dirt cheap). A program with very rich controls which once had a decent manual, it will create MML. Export Access table as DBF.

[Sheila Carlisle]

<priv> Jim -- getting mail bounces; do you have an alternate mail address? Sheila

[Arnis Gubins]

Jim,

Here's some programming info regarding MIF & batch files at
http://www.stc-siliconvalley.org/newsletter/2002_11/MIF.htm that might
be useful.

[carl fargon]

We do it all the time with mostly text editors and macros from an access report. What exactly are you using (access forms, reports). Do you want the Frame file to look just like your access reports or forms?

[jim willson]

Carl, we have a number of Access reports already defined that generate tables and rows within the tables with specific formats. We are able to output these reports in pdf format, but they are not editable, so we would like to generate MIF files or similar which will look just like the existing pdf reports when we open them in Frame. Hope this helps explain.

[Jeroen Dekker]

Jim, can you send me a sample PDF report via email? I'll send you back the MIF version as produced by pdf2vector (so looking exactly like the original), so you can determine yourself if the results meet your requirements when opened in Frame.

Jeroen Dekker
jer...@square1.nl

[carl fargon]

Sounds like what I do, only don't create a PDF. We create a .TXT file and convert it to .fm via importing into frame templates. Also send me page from your report and a .txt version and I can look at it and see what I can make of it. Sounds like you do the same things as I do. I don't use the .mif unless the file is requested, we save all in .fm