Specifications

Page 10 DocSTAR Level 2 Service Training Workbook
Section 1: DocSTAR v2.3x Database and Index Design
? This section will cover the design & function of the DocSTAR filing and retrieving
system: The DocSTAR Database and Full-Text Index.
To understand the DocSTAR system of filing and retrieving, it is important to define filing
and retrieving. In a DocSTAR system filing is the process of storing unique information
about a document in such a way that it will facilitate quick retrieval of the same document
at a later date. Retrieving is the process of using unique document information to find a
document that was filed on an earlier date.
The DocSTAR system of filing and retrieving is a two-part system. The first part is the
heart of a DocSTAR system: the DocSTAR database, Document.MDB. Document.MDB
is the filename of the DocSTAR Database, which is based on a Microsoft Access
database engine. Document.MDB can be found in the database folder
(C:\DOCSTAR\DATABASE). The second part is the Full-Text Index, Zylab ZyIndex. A
number of files make up the Full-Text Index, they are all in the MAINIDX folder
(C:\DOCSTAR\DATABASE\MAINIDX).
What is a Database?
A database is a collection of information related to a particular subject or purpose, such
as tracking stored documents. A database may contain one or more tables. A table is a
collection of data about a specific topic. Tables organize data into columns (fields) and
rows (records). Fields are part of the structure of a table while records are the actual
data that fills in the fields along the row. See Figure 2.1. Using a separate table for each
topic allows you to store that data only once but reference it many times from other tables
within the database. Each table has it’s own index or indices. An index is a database
feature that speeds up searching and sorting in a table. Each table may have a primary
key. A primary key is a field in a table that uniquely identifies each record in that table.
The primary key of a table is automatically indexed. Fields whose data type is Memo,
Hyperlink, or OLE can’t be indexed.
Figure 2.1: Table Design