@section(RTI Ingres Database System Available)

Athena will install Relational Technology's Ingres
database system Version 3.0 as Project Athena's supported
database management system.

Ingres is an acronym for "Interactive Graphics
Retrieval System."  It is a @b(relational)
database system.  A relational database
represents its data as tables. The user is not required to understand how
the data is stored in those tables. This model allows easy retrieval of data.
with a variety of methods: by forms, by an interactive query language, and 
by applications programs written in C or Fortran. Since the relational model
is used, queries are not restricted to those defined at the time the database
is designed; unexpected queries are easily adapted allowing for more
flexibility than is found in hierarchical database systems.

Relational Technology's Ingres comes with an embedded query language called
QUEL and also allows query by user-generated forms (QBF).  It has a report
writer function, and allows applications written in C and Fortran to access
data in the database.

@SUBSECTION(Access)

Before you can use Ingres on Project Athena, you must:
@begin(itemize)
@begin(multiple)
@b(Be validated as an Ingres user.)
To use Ingres in any capacity, you must first call the
Ingres Administrator at (25)3-1325 and get him/her to add you to
the database of people that Ingres permits to use itself.

@blankspace(1 line)
@begin(text, leftmargin +5, rightmargin +5, spacing 1)
Note:  Until the technical barriers that prevent wider use are resolved,
@b(Athena may limit Ingres
use to curriculum development projects) and those demonstrating a strong
need.
@end(text)
@blankspace(1 line)

Once you become a validated Ingres user, you can create and use @i(your own)
databases.
@end(multiple)


@b(Add the @p(~rtingres/bin) directory to your search path.)  All Ingres
commands are stored in the @i(~rtingres/bin) directory.
Unix will not normally find the Ingres commands unless you add this
directory to the search path in your @i(.login) file.

@end(Itemize)


@begin(subsection)
Documentation
@end(subsection)
Copies of the Ingres documentation are
available for reference in each Athena Unix cluster's manual racks.  You
can  also buy Ingres documentation at the Information Services
Publications Office in 11-209.  

Below is a list of the major Ingres documents.  Each of these has a
preface that explains how to use Ingres at Project Athena:
@begin(description)
@b(Introduction to Ingres)@\A survey of all the pieces that make up Ingres,
what each is good for, and briefly how to use them.  We recommend you
start here if you are new to Ingres and databases.

@B(Ingres Manual)@\This is a large volume containing all the major individual
Ingres manuals in one package.  It contains:
@begin(itemize, spread 0)
Ingres/MENU Users Guide

Ingres Application Notes

Ingres Reference Manual

Ingres/FORMS: Visual-Forms-Editor Users Guide

Ingres/QUERY: Query-by-Forms Users Guide

Ingres/REPORTS: Report-by-Forms Users Guide)

Ingres/REPORTS: Report Writer Reference Manual

Ingres QUEL Self-Instruction Guide

Ingres/APPLICATIONS:  Applications by Forms Users Guide
@end(itemize)

@b(Ingres EQUEL/C Users Guide)@\How to access an Ingres
database from a C program.

@b(Ingres EQUEL/Fortran Users Guide)@\How to access an Ingres database
from a Fortran program.
@end(description)

@subsection(IAP Ingres Course)

Athena will teach a complete Ingres  course  using
RTI's 
video instruction tapes during IAP from Tuesday, January 14 through
about Thursday, January 23.  The courses we be an all-afternoon
affair, with several hours of tape viewing and several hours of
laboratory work.  Advance registration is required.  Call
Evelynn Hammonds at (25)3-0115 or Jackie Stewart at (25)3-5226 to
reserve a seat.

@subsection(RTI Ingres is not Berkeley Ingres)

Please note that this supported, RTI Ingres is @p(not) the same as the
Ingres system that comes with Berkeley 4.2 Unix.  The RTI Ingres
Athena is supporting was developed 
by Relation Technology, a company founded by
the people who wrote the original Berkeley Ingres.  It is much more
developed that the original Berkeley
Ingres, with a set of front-end user interfaces that make it
much easier to deal with the system.


@subsection(Improvements on Version 2.1)

Some Athena projects tested an earlier version of Ingres, version 2.1.
2.1-format databases are incompatible with 3.0 and must be reformatted.
These projects should talk to their Athena applications consultant to
find out about updating formats.

Relational Technology has made a number of enhancements to Ingres in this
3.0 release including:
@begin(itemize)
A new front-end provides menu access to all the Ingres subfacilities.

A facility to create database definitions by forms instead of QUEL
commands.

New keywords in QUEL to allow multi-statement transactions

Improvements to the checkpointing, journaling and audit trail
        facilities.

A new text datatype allowing text up to 2000 bytes long to be
        stored in the database.

General performance improvements for short updates.

A new command, called @i(rtingres), is now provided to allow a
        forms-based interface to many Ingres shell level commands.

Enhancements to both QBF, the Query by Forms utility and
        VIFRED , the Visual Forms Editor.

The Report Writer, RBF has been improved to allow conditional
        capabilities in the report writer language.
@end(itemize)
Many other utilities have been improved and changed, the full list is
available in the cluster manual racks at the front of the Ingres manual.
Projects can also get the list from their Athena applications
software consultants.