The Integrated Data Analysis and Management System — A generator for enduser systems

Abstract

The Integrated Data Analysis and Management System (IDAMS) was developed at the Heidelberg Scientific Center to support enduser application specialists in interactive non-routine usage and manipulation of large data collections. It evolved into an Enduser System Generator which allows to conceive, design and build applications exploiting the system's facilities for interactive data manipulation and for creation of application specific procedures.

The following discussions put special emphasis on the design issues and the principles which were applied to provide a coherent interface to both programmers and non-programmers, extensible to specific application needs, and adaptive to the user's knowledge and developing programming skill. Following a short introduction the discussion will focus on IDAMS' high level query language, on issues of interactive user guidance, on the process of extension and customization, with some conclusions based on observations in actual usage.

The process of application development by DP professionals, i. e. design, creation, and maintenance of data bases and application packages is not elaborated. The emphasis is put on the system's facilities allowing an enduser to create his own simple applications.