Microsoft KB Archive/107601

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Microsoft Open Enterprise Information System (EIS) Pack

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 4.0
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 4.0

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SUMMARY
The Microsoft Open EIS Pack is solution software used to design and create Enterprise Information Systems capable of delivering presentation data created from Microsoft desktop applications that work together.

MORE INFORMATION
Microsoft Open EIS operates as an integrated front-end, providing connectivity to data source applications such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Project, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Visual Basic.

The EIS Builder's dialog box-based user interface guides you through the process of creating the links to application data files to build a top layer of presentation windows. Each area of the "home screen" may display a different view of summary information. EIS Pack is event driven in that buttons allow you to "drill down" to successive layers of supporting data views.

EIS Builder consists of pre-defined macro scripts eliminating the need to program code. If you require more precision, you can incorporate your Microsoft Excel macros.

Communication channels include electronic mail, Microsoft Mail, and Microsoft LAN Manager.

Other industry standards include DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) in Microsoft Windows and on the Macintosh when running under system 7.0 or later. Other standards include OLE (object linking and embedding), and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which include ODBC (open database connectivity), MAPI (messaging application interface), and OCE (open collaborative environment).

To build EIS applications with Microsoft Windows products, you need:


 * MS-DOS version 3.0 or later
 * Microsoft Windows version 3.0 or later
 * A personal computer using a 386 or higher microprocessor
 * VGA or higher resolution monitor

To use the Microsoft Excel EIS Builder, you need:


 * Microsoft Excel version 4.0
 * A 3.5-inch high-density (1.44 MB) disk drive.

To run the sample applications you need:


 * MS-DOS 3.0 or later
 * Microsoft Windows 3.0 or later
 * A PC with a 386 processor and at least 4 megabytes of RAM
 * Microsoft Excel version 4.0 for Windows
 * 3.5-inch high-density (1.44 MB) disk drive
 * A VGA monitor

Open EIS Pack for the Macintosh is also available.

The Microsoft Excel EIS Builder for the Macintosh requires:


 * A Macintosh with a minimum of a 68020 processor
 * At least 4 megabytes of RAM
 * Apple System software version 6.0.2 or later
 * A 13-inch or larger monitor

The recommended configuration is:


 * A 68030 processor or higher
 * 8 megabytes of RAM
 * Apple System software 7.0 or higher
 * A color 13-inch monitor or larger

The EIS Limited sample application requires the minimum configuration plus a color monitor.

More information on this topic may be available from Microsoft Information Services. Microsoft Information Services are available on the World Wide Web by connecting to http://www.microsoft.com. The FTP site is located at ftp.microsoft.com.