PatternStream Questions and Answers

The following is a listing of questions by topics about FML's PatternStream database publishing software. To locate answers to the questions, click on the applicable question hyperlink or go to the PatternStream Questions and Answers listing page. Detailed user-based questions and answers are located on the User Q&A page.

If you have a question that is not listed on the page, please don't hesitate to contact us via email, phone, fax, or mail (see contacting FML).

Topic Areas

Advantages

• What are PatternStream's advantages?
• How does PatternStream enable rapid database publishing set up?
• Can't all methods publish complex formats including tables?
• How does PatternStream obtain information from so many data sources at once?
• Why is PatternStream's cross media publishing capability important?
• How are PatternStream database publishing projects set up, saved, run, re-used, saved as, and re-purposed?
• Why is it advantageous to publish more than one document with a set up?
• What is extensibility and why is it important to PatternStream and database publishing?

Applicability

• When does desktop database publishing make sense?
• What types of documents can be published with PatternStream?
• Who needs PatternStream?
• Can PatternStream be used for web publishing?

Database Connectivity

• What types of databases can be used with PatternStream?
• What are ODBC and SQL?
• Can PatternStream publish from multiple databases at once?
• How is ODBC setup to access databases?
• How do I obtain an ODBC driver for my database that is not included with my Windows operating system?

Documentation

• What documentation is available with PatternStream?
• How can I obtain copies of PatternStream documentation?

Dynamic PDF

• What is dynamic PDF?
• What kinds of documents might be published as dynamic PDF?
• Can you show any examples of dynamic PDF?