by Tony Avallon, LACS

I am a writer and heavily into research, both focused and spurious, drawn to collect every printed word of information that I am absolutely certain I will use some day. Obviously, I forget where I file things, I never find the information I need when I need it, and wind up tossing out the whole stack.

For people like myself, askSam, a text-based database for unstructured information (word processed documents, correspondence, legal briefs, etc.) as well as structured information (address lists, client profiles, statistics) is a way to continue my compulsions without penalties. askSAM 4.0, the product under inspection here, confirms that "the little software that could" still can - and then some. The independent askSAM Systems of Perry, Florida has grown along with the rest of us, offering not only its flexible database for stuff you already have, but stuff you haven’t even dreamed about yet (like Web page info) organized, categorized, quickly findable and easily cross-referenced.

Installation is a snap. For this report, I didn’t perform my usual Windows pre-installation "clean boot." Instead, I just removed all Norton Anti-virus programs and booted my NEC (233Mhz Pentium MMX, 256 Mhz of memory) running Win98SE with everything in place. The installation - direct from the CDROM drive - was blindingly fast and flawless. After clicking through the usual legal agreements and filling out the brief identity stuff, I was greeted with the askSam splash screen - surrounded by what looks almost exactly like a Microsoft Word frame. And it is, along with a provocative "Search" bar beneath the usual button bars and drop menus.

The splash screen was automatically and quickly replaced by a "Start" window display. Within this are two areas: a "Create A New Database using..." area and a "Open existing file" area. There are two choices in the "Create..." They are Blank Database and Template Database. Below that, a second area allows you to Open Existing File with a list of existing files in a scroll-down window below. All very Windows-ey, all very familiar.

Manuals are only fair, the information is clumped together category style, so that you get primary, first-use information along with advanced information —confusing when you are starting and hard to find months later. The good news is that askSam has a solid online tutorial (called "Help" and "Read Me.") They gave me a leg up as I experimented with the program. That’s important, because just reading the information does little for you until you have something real in front of you with which to work. Soon, I was able to get a pretty good overview of where I was, what I could do and where I might go.

Unlike earlier versions, this 4.0 version emulates MS Word or the Internet Explorer user interface. This includes tips, multiple toolbars, etc., making it all feel familiar and intuitive. Every supplied database ("template") has a header that tells you how to use it. It also includes a list of start-up alternatives to guide you - in real time. even the blank templates.

For example, a new, blank template form starts with you assigning a name by way of a "Save New File" window. This also lists the existing ".ask" files (the extension of all your askSam data files. After assigning a name - say "Test" - you are delivered to a blank page overlain with a small "Entry Form Wizard - Define Fields" window. This permits you to "create a new entry form with the fields you define. You are to "enter the field names in the order you want them to appear." This is all old ground for anyone familiar with structured databases and sets askSam for your groundwork. Next, the Wizard has you define the properties (data field name, default entry form, field characters) which are shown already in their default mode. Moving on with the "next" button, you learn "This is all the information needed to create your entry form." It then offers you three choices: "Edit Data, Enter Entry Form, Save & Close" with explanations as to what they each mean. Choose one, then begin entering data.

If you decide to choose "Template Database," you are given the choice of templates designed by ask Sam which include address, clip, e-mail, Eudora, phone messages, and ToDo among many others. Choosing "Clip," I was asked to "Save New File" and entered "Newsclips. askSam opened a "Clippings File" with an introduction, a "how to" and a list of various types of clippings and how to organize them. Above all this is the usual Add", "Run a Report," Search" and "Pack This File" hyperlinks, all of them self-explanatory.

The abundance of information - in print and on the Web - creates its own conflict: storage of and accessing related bits of information from different media. This can be ameliorated through the use of a scanner. But it’s all bits and pieces, like Post-it Notes. With askSam I have a way of putting all of it into a database, categorizing it (especially useful for research) and making the critical links. Experimenting, I used the Web page "inhaler" in askSam (or "SurfSaver", see below) with formatting, graphics, photos and hyperlinks retained. I then plugged in some e-mail exchanges (once I ran them through Caere to convert them to .txt files) and include scanned print material (which askSam converted.) The result - via "New Database" template – was a file of all the material I have gathered under "Test."

Company literature claims "over 100 new features," and one can believe it: this askSam looks and behaves unlike any earlier version. It starts all searches from a "search line," initiated with the ESC key, then typing in the word or phrase you need and entering it. The results appear in a new "search results window" which displays all the documents retrieved by the search, with informational overviews. There are new import filters and askSam reads a dozen or more file types (MSWord, Word Perfect, Access, Excel among others. It supports huge file sizes (up to 16 terabytes!), ideal for legal and technical collections. And, as you work with copies, askSam has a "packer" for compressing overabundant file sizes. And the best features - complex Boolean, wild-card and phrase searches - has been an "askSam" hallmark for some time. You can save all search parameters for later use, or search multiple databases at the same time.

I can verify that askSam is a forgiving program. I messed around, made mistakes and re-started several times at first. One can trash what isn't wanted (just keep notes on what is good, what isn’t) right from the opening menu screen. And by so doing, you can learn where things are kept - the askSam subdirectories are easily accessible from within the program via the "File" pull-down or "Open File" icon - very much like MS Word or WordPerfect.

And askSam shows itself to be a powerful program, building reports, employing hypertext and other powerful search elements. Don’t even think of getting it all down in one - or even a dozen - evenings. You would be doing yourself, and this creative software program, a disservice. Its power is not built in or fixed so much that your imagination and patient experimenting won’t make it stronger and more useful to you.

NOTE: There is a new release of askSam, version 4.1. This features an import filter for Outlook Express, MBox (Netscape), HTML email filters, ability to create Picklists from report output, and new hosting options that allow users to publish askSam databases on the Internet.

Also, askSam offers a browser add-on called SurfSaver that essentially grabs the web pages you want and stores them directly into searchable folders. Unlike bookmarks or other such "capture" programs, this one works directly with askSam to create permanent, searchable archives.

Windows 9x, NT, ME and 2000. Requires a minimum 12 MB disk space

Powerful database program with surprising flexibility. One that you can run at any level of complexity you wish, giving it a kind of built-in customization. It works for you, in this sense. Unlike many other databases, everything is intuitive and/or guided by Wizards. And it is fast - even on an old 233 MHz machine!

Price: $ 150. for the Standard Version recommended), $395. for the Professional (which adds full text indexing to searches.. askSam Systems, POB 1428, Perry, FL 32348 http://www.askSam.com