InformationWeek

Corel Preps Desktop Database

By Karen M. Carrillo

orel Corp. next month plans to ship the newest version of its Paradox desktop database system. The company assumed development responsibility for Paradox in October when it licensed the source code from Borland International.

Paradox 8 has been given a Windows 95 look and feel. "We wanted to appeal to desktop users who in the past have criticized the product's ease of use," says Roy Banks, product marketing manager for Corel, in Ottawa.

Tighter integration with other core desktop applications in Corel's WordPerfect suite is also provided. Database files can now be accessed from an applications bar, instead of having to go through the Windows applications menu.

Other new features include a project viewer that has a look similar to Microsoft Explorer's, a graphical query editor, and tools for publishing Paradox data in HTML format on the World Wide Web.

Beta users appreciate Paradox 8's ease of use. "We're using Paradox because, unlike with other systems, we can create very complex forms without having to program any code, which allows us to do very powerful things," says Dan Ehrmann, president of Kallista Inc. in Chicago, which specializes in developing custom database applications.

Beta tester Jeff Leach, an IS programmer analyst for TRM Copy Centers Corp. in Portland, Ore., is using Paradox to create applications that track customers, accounts, and contract information. The company, which installs and maintains copy machines in retail locations, also uses the database to take meter readings from machines and generate invoices.

Analysts applaud the improvements Corel has made to Paradox, but note that the database is far behind market leader Microsoft Access. According to Dataquest Inc., a consulting firm in San Jose, Calif., Access had 39% of the $285 million desktop database market in 1996. Paradox had only 4.9%.

Paradox 8 will be included for free in the WordPerfect 8 Professional Edition, which is due in August. It will also be sold as a standalone product for Windows 95 and Windows NT for $129.

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