The main Package Builder interface looks like this: This is the main Package editor interface. The discussion of this interface will be broken down into four areas which are: File Level Buttons Package Level Buttons Package Structure Tree Package Object Properties 1. File Level Buttons   The file level buttons are located in the top toolbar on the main Package Editor interface, and generally affect the entire Package. The first button on this toolbar is "Exit". This button will close the browser that the Package Builder is running in as well as closing the process. The second button on this toolbar is "New". This button creates a new Package. The third button on this toolbar is "Open". This button allows you to open a Package you have already created, for editing or running in debug mode in the Package Builder. The fourth button on this toolbar is "Save". This button saves your changes out to disk The fifth button on this toolbar is "Save As". This button allows you to save the currently running package to a new file name. The sixth button on this toolbar is "About". This button give you information about the program and it's owner (Convertabase). This button can also give you machine information. The seventh button on this toolbar is "Help". This button will open a browser window to the "Basic Training" section of Convertabase. The eighth button on this toolbar is "Convertabase Home". This button will open a browser to Convertabase's main page. The ninth button on this toolbar is "Refresh". This button will rebuild the "Package Tree" with the objects in the current Package. The tenth button on this toolbar is "Wizards". This button will display a list of wizards that are available for the currently selected Object in the Package tree. Some Wizards are always available. The eleventh button on this toolbar is "Options". This button will drop down a menu with Options that can be set by the user. The twelfth button on this toolbar is "Run". This button allows you to run the current Package. The thirteenth button on this toolbar is "Stop". This button allows the user to stop a Package that is currently running. The fourteenth button on this toolbar is "Cut". This button allows the user to remove an Object from one location on the tree and paste it into a new place. The Object is not removed from the Package until it is being pasted into its new location. The fifteenth button on this toolbar is "Copy". This button allows the user to copy an Object from one location to another location on the Package Tree. The sixteenth button on this toolbar is "Paste". This button allows the pasting of an object that has been cut or copied onto the tree. The object will appear above the currently selected Object on the tree (If you need to, add a junk Object as a first child, then paste the cut/copied Object on the junk Object, then delete the unwanted Object.) 2. Package Level Buttons   The package level buttons are located on the lower/second toolbar of the main Package Editor interface. When you click on the 'Database' button, a new database object appears in the treeview on the package editor tab. If you click on the database object, or one of its children, all the buttons that require a database will light up. Each package level (or second level) button represents an object. The first button on this toolbar is "Database". This button creates an object that allows the user to connect to any database that supports ODBC or OLEDB. The second button on this toolbar is "Transaction". This button creates an object which allows the user to begin, end, or encapsulate all the children of this Object in a transaction (Note: The database you are using must support transactions). The third button on this toolbar is "MoveData". This button creates an object which allows the user to configure the movement from a single query (a table, a view, or more) against one database and insert, update, or delete the results in/into another database. The fourth button on this toolbar is "SQL". This button creates an object which allows the user to run SQL against a database (selecting, manipulating, modifying, or editing data). The results of the SQL can be returned in a variable for use in other Objects in the Package. The fifth button on this toolbar is "ExcelDocument". This button creates an object which allows the user to import or export data to or from a database, or to or from an Excel file. The sixth button on this toolbar is "XMLDocument". This button creates an object which allows the user to import or export data to or from a database, or to or from XML files. The seventh button on this toolbar is "XMLNode". This button creates an object that specifies XML node information for reading or writing. The eighth button on this toolbar is "Cleanup". This button creates an object that will step through a SQL selection from a database, calling each of its children against a like-named field in the result set. (Note: The SQL selection should contain a key field so that the values can be applied back to the database.) The ninth button on this toolbar is "CleanField". This button creates an object that will apply constraints to a field; defaulting values, stripping characters, and applying formatting to data which will be written back to the database. The tenth button on this toolbar is "Branch". This button creates an object that allows the user to control the flow of the execution based on the value in a variable. One or more child Objects can be called, based on the variable passed to this object. The eleventh button on this toolbar is "Iterate". This button creates an Object that allows the user to control the number of times this Object's children are called, based on a variable or a count. The twelfth button on this toolbar is "Move Files". This button creates an Object which establishes a connection to another computer via HTTP, HTTPS, FTP or SFTP. The thirteenth button on this toolbar is "File". This button creates an Object that "Gets" (Down loads) or "Puts" (Uploads) a file to or from a server connected by the "Move Files" Object. The fourteenth button on this toolbar is "ParseFile". This button creates an Object which allows the user to open a file (4 terabytes max.) and begin to analyze the data for import into a database. The fifteenth button on this toolbar is "ParseRecord". This button creates an Object which will hold the record information for a file that is being parsed into one or more records from a flat file. Adding more than one ParseRecord object to a ParseFile object allows us to parse a file into more than one destination table or file with a single pass through the source. The sixteenth button on this toolbar is "ParsePoint". This button creates an Object that will hold the information about specific pieces of data which will be imported into its parent object--ParseRecord. The seventeenth button on this toolbar is "Document". This button creates an Object which allows the user to include any file in the Package that is needed to build that Package such as Excel files to populate, a database for look ups, etc. The eighteenth button on this toolbar is "Execute". This button creates an Object which allows the user to start other programs like Excel, or an executable that has already been completed to perform part of a conversion, web pages, etc. The Execute object can be instructed to wait for the process it launched to complete before allowing the package run to continue, continue the package run immediately, or wait for a specified number of seconds before allowing the package run to continue. The nineteenth button on this toolbar is "Input". This button creates an Object that allows the user to gather information during run time. This object is not recommended for use in Packages that will run unattended (services and automated timed executions are unattended processes) This Object can retrieve file names, date and times, simple values, etc., during runtime. The twentieth button on this toolbar is "Validate". This button creates an Object that allows the user to compare Variables and determine if the Package has produced valid data. The Validation object can report a user-defined message out to the interface, or report to a log file. The validation can also terminate the Package in an error state if that is desired. 3. Package Structure Tree The Package Builder's tree (or tree view) allows you to select the Objects you wish to edit and a lot more. The Package Tree gives you the ability to visually see the flow of the migration or integration you are building. This flow is an integral part of designing or debugging your process. Packages can be debugged by turning off objects. Entire branches of Objects can be turned off so you can concentrate on just one object, or a collection of Objects. This reduces lengthy execution times to speed up creation and debugging. The icons on the tree reflect whether the object is active or not. The tree allows you to drag and drop your Objects to restructure your Package as needed to conform to changing needs in the real world. 4. Package Object Properties The Object Properties Editor will display the properties of the currently selected Object in the Package Tree. Most Objects have properties that will show a button with Ellipsis (…) on the right hand side of the editor when selected although a few will not. This button will allow you to edit the property with a specialized editor. For example, SQL properties, which are available as part of many objects, will have a SQL editor that will highlight the grammar of a SQL statement. For example, the word "Select" will be in a different font or color than the name of a table, but the word "From" will be in the same font or color as "Select". The Property Editor will allow you to configure each Object and tailor its run time operation to your needs. Some Objects can be created with a wizard, and then edited via the property editor. Click the wizard button to see what objects can be created as a child of the currently selected Object on the Package Tree. Some simple Objects, like the Transaction Object, have no wizard and can only be created manually.