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The distance learning Focus course is the perfect home study course to ensure that you succeed in this exciting field. Our uniquely flexible Focus home learning course has no time limits. You can start your home learning course whenever you like and there are no deadlines to meet, so you can adapt your distance education course to meet your needs, all from the comfort of your own home.

Once you have registered on the distance education Focus course you will be assigned a personal tutor who specialises in their field of study. Your dedicated personal tutor is always on hand to answer any query you may have, no matter how big or small, and you will also have access to a dedicated course advisor who offers guidance and advice.

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Focus Course

A Distance Learning Course of 1 Lesson
Course Description
This series is designed for both FOCUS end users and application developers. It covers basic FOCUS concepts and terminology, its file structure, and the Master File Description. It details application developer facilities, and covers using FOCUS with TED, creating reports, graphs, and file definitions, and looks at data manipulation and screening techniques. Additional topics include accessing file definitions, using MODIFY requests, and the Dialogue Manager, FIDEL, and MAINTAIN facilities.
Course Syllabus
GETTING STARTED

Provides an introduction to the FOCUS environment and its features and terminology.
  • General Concepts
  • File Structures
  • Master File Descriptions
  • Facilities for End Users
  • More Facilities for End Users
  • Application Developer Facilities

WORKING WITH FOCUS

Shows users how to work in FOCUS using TED.
  • General TED Concepts
  • TED Commands
  • Terminal Operator Environment
  • Types of Windows
  • WINDOW Commands

BASIC REPORT PREPARATION

For anyone who is interested in learning about basic report preparation using FOCUS.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • Starting a Simple Report
  • Printing Values
  • Creating Report Requests
  • Record Selection

CREATING SIMPLE REPORTS

Shows users how to use FOCUS to create simple reports.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • Line and Page Formatting
  • Headings and Footings
  • Techniques for Formatting Reports
  • FOCUS Hot Screen
  • Using the Hot Screen

CREATING COMPLEX REPORTS

Shows users how to use various techniques to create sophisticated reports with FOCUS.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • Advanced Sorting Techniques
  • Creating Matrix Reports
  • Additional Formatting Options
  • Ranking Data
  • Subtotaling Operations
  • The WHEN Clause

ADDITIONAL REPORTING TECHNIQUES

Explains what you need to know in order to perform additional reporting techniques.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • The JOIN Command
  • The MATCH Command
  • HOLD and PCHOLD Files
  • SAVE and SAVB Files
  • Retrieving Data

FUNDAMENTALS OF GRAPHS

Provides an introduction to graphing concepts and techniques used in FOCUS.
  • Conventions and Graph Types
  • Graph Requirements
  • Setting Graph Parameters
  • Bar Charts
  • Bar Chart Parameters
  • Histograms

ADVANCED GRAPH TOPICS

Explains how to create and format graphs for presentation on various types of platforms.
  • Conventions and Graph Types
  • Connected Point Plots
  • Scatter Diagrams
  • Adjusting Graphs
  • Display Options

DATA MANIPULATION FOR REPORTING

Explains how to create and format graphs for presentation on various types of platforms.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • Expressions
  • Prefix Operators
  • The COMPUTE Command
  • The DEFINE Command
  • Comparing COMPARE and DEFINE

ADVANCED SCREENING TECHNIQUES

Explains how to create and format graphs for presentation on various types of platforms.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • DECODE and EDIT
  • INCLUDES and EXCLUDES
  • Screening on Masked Fields
  • Screening Accumulated Data
  • Additional Screening Procedures

CREATING FILE DEFINITIONS

Explains how to create and format graphs for presentation on various types of platforms.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • Describing the File
  • Describing Segments
  • Field Declaration

ADJUSTING FILE DEFINITIONS

Shows users how to adjust file definitions in FOCUS.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • Field Attributes
  • Editing Options
  • Additional Ways to Describe Fields
  • Creating an MFD

ACCESSING EXTERNAL FILES

Shows users how to describe external files to FOCUS.
  • Defining External Files
  • Fixed Format Files
  • Variable Segment Files
  • Other DBMS Files
  • Optional Interfaces

BASIC MODIFY REQUESTS

Provides an overview of the basic MODIFY requests in FOCUS.
  • What is MODIFY?
  • Entering a Basic MODIFY Request
  • Reading and Describing Data
  • FREEFORM
  • PROMPT and CRTFORM

SEGMENT MODIFICATION

Provides further instruction in maintaining and understanding files and databases in FOCUS.
  • The MATCH Statement
  • Root Segments
  • Updating Segment Instances
  • Deleting Segment Instances
  • Modifying Unique Segments
  • Modifying Descendent Segments

COMPLEX MODIFY REQUESTS

Provides an overview of the use of FOCUS and how to use it to perform complex MODIFY Requests.
  • Course Conventions
  • Course Databases
  • The COMPUTE Statement
  • The VALIDATE Statement

ADDITIONAL FILE MAINTENANCE

Provides further instruction in maintaining and understanding files and databases in FOCUS.
  • Course Databases
  • Messages
  • The LOG Statement
  • Case Logic
  • Branching
  • Designing a Sample Application

DIALOGUE MANAGER AND FIDEL

Provides an advanced look at the Dialogue Manager and FIDEL features found in FOCUS.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • Dialogue Manager
  • Control Statements
  • FIDEL
  • PF Keys
  • Cursor Control

MORE FEATURES OF FIDEL

Provides an overview of the additional features of FIDEL and how FIDEL is used with MODIFY and Dialogue Manager.
  • Course Conventions and Databases
  • FIDEL in MODIFY
  • Additional FIDEL Features
  • FIDEL and CRTFORMs
  • FIDEL in Dialogue Manager

MAINTAIN FACILITY

Explains how to use the FOCUS MAINTAIN facility to maintain FOCUS files.
  • Course Overview
  • Basic MAINTAIN Procedures
  • Developing Screens
  • The Winform Properties Dialog Box
  • The Create Field Dialog Box
  • Creating Buttons

CREATING A MAINTAIN APPLICATION

Teaches users how to build cases, create a grid, and use other commands to complete an application in MAINTAIN.
  • Course Overview
  • Developing Cases
  • Case Codes
  • Using a Grid
  • Additional Commands
Qualifications

Printable Transcript

On completion of this course you may print a transcript off as evidence of your progression throughout the course.

Study Options

This course is an online course. With online study you have access to your entire course from the start of your studies. You can access your course materials, and submit all of your question papers to your personal tutor, online from anywhere in the World using your unique student account.

Fees
 

Online

Online with Elearn

Yes
No
£50.00
N/A
N/A
N/A

Enrol with Elearn
Studying Online. If you would like to study online we cannot accept payment for course fees in instalments, instead course fees must be paid in full at the point of enrolment. The reason for this is due to the fact that when you study online you have access to all of your course materials from the outset.

 

 

 

Requirements for Entry

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

Study Hours

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 40 hrs.

Additional Information
This course is different to other courses hosted on Elearnuk. The course is supplied by Stonebridge Associated Colleges in conjunction with Stonebridge IT School.

Once you have enrolled and paid for your course you will receive an email within 24-72 hours. The email will contain your username and password to login to your course.
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