DbankDbankLatest: Dbank 97-1 for Windows 95/NT (32-bit version) is now available (8.62 meg).
Do you have trouble keeping track of all the time-series data on your hard disk? Would you like to organize your time-series data so they are easy to locate?
Dbank is a network-ready, tree-structured filing system for time-series and cross-sectional data that runs under Microsoft Windows. The program is modeled after the Microsoft Windows' File Manager; however, its fundamental object is a "time series" rather than a file. In addition to providing numerous tools for managing, manipulating, viewing and plotting time-series and cross-sectional data, Dbank exports data to many statistical packages and spreadsheet programs with ease. Dbank also provides the basic statistical tools such as summary statistics, correlation, covariance, auto-and partial-correlation, and linear regression.
Dbank may be useful to people who need the same data in different formats because they routinely use more than one statistical/spreadsheet package to analyze their data. It is likely to be useful in corporations/institutions with large databases that need to be shared with many users at different locations. Dbank has been found to be especially useful in university environments where there are typically many users of the same data, but where users require different ASCII formats of the data. Dbank provides a user-friendly solution to this common problem, and can be run directly from a network server without any user installation. Dbank has been used to manage over 100,000 time series on servers running LAN Manager and NetWare.
Key features of Dbank are:
Dbank data banks are typically organized into groups of series. A "series" is simply a collection of data. A "group" within Dbank is simply a collection of series and other groups. Dbank data banks possess a hierarchical tree-structure similar to the MS-DOS file system.
Dbank has many commands for managing your data. For example, you can easily ADD series to the data bank, EDIT the data stored in a series, MOVE a series from one group to another, and COPY a series to another series, group or data bank. Dbank has a command to DELETE a series, one to VIEW the data stored in a series in a spreadsheet format, and commands to RENAME and PRINT series in the data bank. You can also create new series from existing series using an extensive MAKE facility with over 70 built-in functions.
The 32-bit version of Dbank defines a time-series object for Microsoft Windows that enables you to manipulate time-series stored in Dbank using the full power and flexibility of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Dbank's time-series object, in effect, becomes part of VBA. For example, Dbank's time-series object makes it easy, from either Microsoft Excel or Visual Basic, to copy a time-series stored in a databank, edit the data, and then update the master.
Dbank can read many types of ASCII data files, including:
Dbank also allows you to update data banks from a remote host via FTP or modem. Dbank's FTP facility allows data providers to distribute and sell data to their customers via the Internet.
Dbank manages data with MULTI-YEAR, ANNUAL, HALF-YEARLY, QUARTERLY, MONTHLY, WEEKLY or DAILY periodicity. The DAILY frequency allows you to specify a 5, 6 or 7-day week. Dbank also has a NULL frequency meant for cross-sectional or undated data. The program can handle missing values in the manipulation of series with different periodicity and start/end dates. Dbank automatically expands the frequency of a series so that it can be easily compared to other series with a higher frequency. This feature allows you to plot series of different frequencies on the same screen.
Dbank allows you to easily export your data to any one of the following statistical/spreadsheet packages: AREMOS, TSP, Micro TSP, GAUSS, LIMDEP, LOTUS, QUATTRO, EXCEL, SAS, SST, SYSTAT, MINITAB, RATS, BMDP, SPSS. Dbank can also convert your data to a lower frequency during the export process.
A built-in Internet Assistant can be used to create web pages of an entire data bank, complete with ActiveX graphs and the ability to view data directly in your spreadsheet.
Dbank allows you to issue Structured Query Language (SQL) commands on the series in a data bank. You can construct queries on the series titles ([Title]), the series names ([Name]), the series "memo" ([Description]), the frequency of the series ([Frequency]), and the "long-name" of the series ([Long Name]). Any of these items can be combined into a single SQL query using the File Query SQL statement command. For example, the SQL statement
[Title] like "*BALANCE*" and [Frequency] = "Q"
finds all the quarterly series in the selected data banks with the string "BALANCE" in their titles.
Dbank allows you to delete, copy, compare, merge, move, rename, and squeeze data banks. It also allows you to make read-only data banks, and "network-only" files that can be read only if they reside on a network drive.
Sample Dbank sites: Claremont Graduate School, National University-Singapore, Yale University
Sample Dbank data banks:
Dbank is also incorporated as part of TREND by the Singapore Government to distribute economic data on the Singapore economy electronically. To purchase TREND, please contact:
Chief Statistician
Department of Statistics
(Attn : Electronic Information Services)
100 High Street #05-01
The Treasury
Republic of SINGAPORE 179434
Phone : +65 323 8119
Fax : +65 323 9689Email Address : info@singstat.gov.sg
Dbank is currently distributed as shareware in a compressed file called DBANKWIN.EXE that can be downloaded via anonymous ftp from the Internet site ftp.winsite.com in the /pub/pc/win3/util directory. A 32-bit version of Dbank is also available.
Suggestions for improving Dbank are always welcome and should be sent to dbank@singnet.com.sg or FAX: +65 542 8669.
Information current as of 19-September 1997 and may differ from version found on ftp.winsite.com. All brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.