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Can Frame extract data from SQL database?

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Kevin A. Braun 99501

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Jan 21, 2003, 1:23:53 PM1/21/03
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Can FrameMaker interface with SQL? I have a 320-page SQL report that I need to write as a pdf that has each of those pages bookmarked. We can of course pdf the SQL report, but don't know whether SQL can identify its fields so that distiller then automatically bookmarks those fields.

Alternatively, we are considering whether Frame can link to the SQL so that when we pdf the Frame file we can use Frame headings that--when specified in Distiller--will write a bookmarded pdf.

The worst case scenario is to import each page of the pdf'd SQL report into Frame (as a figure, for example), and then apply Frame headings to achieve the bookmarked pdf.

Any ideas or experience out there? I appreciate it. kab

sallyseaver

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Jan 21, 2003, 1:59:49 PM1/21/03
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I have a solution, but it's pretty expensive.

There is an application called PatternStream that uses the FrameMaker's Developer Kit to provide a rich robust interface between FrameMaker and SQL. It is a full database publishing solution and utilizes an ODBC connection to the database being queried.

If you want to learn PatternStream and do the coding yourself...for this project and others in the future, one seat-license for the full development version of PatternStream is $17,000. Otherwise, my company can do the coding (price TBD) which would run at your site using a $5000 run-time license for PatternStream.

This solution allows you to do many useful things with bookmarks and hyperlinks, also indexing, cross-references, and table of contents.

Providing all the variability of a database (accessed through SQL) and all the variability of FrameMaker is a non trivial solution.

My company: Active Lightning www.activelightning.com

Makers of PatternStream: Finite Matters Limited www.patternstream.com

Arnis Gubins

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Jan 21, 2003, 2:14:29 PM1/21/03
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You can use Framescript to make an ODBC connection to an SQL database.
See http://www.framescript.com

Alternatively, look at database publishing tools.

A direct link tool is Patternstream at http://www.patternstream.com

A tagged (XML or user-defined) database output tool is Miramo at
http://www.miramo.com

You can also roll your own solution using either Frame's MML mark-up
language or if that is insufficient, then you can output direct to MIF
format. All of the programming is done at the database report writer
stage with this approach.

sallyseaver

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Jan 21, 2003, 3:29:19 PM1/21/03
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Yes, I think that probably FrameScript would meet your needs. I'm sorry that I didn't point you there before.

Be sure to look at documentation in their FrameScript Database Retrieval Guide (fsldb.pdf).

Kevin A. Braun 99501

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Jan 23, 2003, 12:31:29 PM1/23/03
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Thank you Sally and Arnis for your assistance. I appreciate it. kab
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