A Complete and Easy to Use Address Book Software

Supports foreign languages in data

Sorts by name, zip code, or user-defined information

Supports existing databases and mail merge in MS Word

By Vu Tuy Hoa
Translation by Nguyen Tam

Do you have a business dealing with both American and foreign customers and want to write their names in their languages on all letters and correspondences, including envelopes? You may consider using AB-2000 for your address book.

VNI AB-2000, published by VNI Software Company, is the first independent software package specializing in address book supporting foreign languages in names (a multi-lingual typing software such as VNI WorldTypeset is required). VNI AB-2000 runs on IBM PC and compatibles with Windows operating system and supports Windows 95, 98, 2000 and ME.

VNI AB-2000 offers all functions in maintaining an address book such as: the user can create a single or multiple databases for different address books; stores names and addresses with full diacritic marks for foreign languages; sorts by last name, first name, or zip code; prints labels for envelopes; prints address list; mail-merges addresses into a letter prepared by a word-processor such as Microsoft Word, etc.

* Fast and Secure

An address book maintained in dBASE, FoxPro, or Access is typically slow because it must be run from within a shell provided by a primary database program. Since it is written in a fourth-generation language, only the primary database software can understand, but the operating system cannot.

On the contrary, VNI AB-2000 is fast because it runs directly under the Windows operating system. Just like a full-fledge database management system, the storage capacity of VNI AB-2000 is unlimited. You can even create and use multiple address books simultaneously.

If you have used a database for maintaining address books or other data in the past, you must have experienced such "accidents" as corrupted indices. Once the indices are corrupted, data stored in the database is often unreadable or even lost. VNI AB-2000 makes sure that this problem will not happen, because the program can detect potential problems and fix the indices automatically.

* Multi-Language Support

You can write a normal address book program in such popular database software as dBASE, FoxPro, Access, etc. But to maintain an address book for foreign names and addresses with diacritic marks, you must write another specialized program to handle the irregularities. These programs are neither easily written nor easy to use. VNI AB-2000 helps you store and sort the foreign names accurately and you will not need to explore and put together many different programs for this task.

As a well-experienced multi-lingual software solutions provider for a vast diversity of ethnic groups in the United States, VNI Software has released many software packages in multi-language wordprocessing on PC, Macintosh, and Unix systems such as VNI WorldTypeset, VNI Tan Viet 2000, WebEye, Ong Do solar/lunar calendar, and recently, Let's Learn Vietnamese 1 and 2. VNI releases AB-2000 as a database management system with multi-lingual support.

* Sorting in VNI AB-2000 is fast and easy

You may sort them in any order: last name, first name, zip code or any other criteria. You just need to let the program know what field or fields you want to sort on. Then the entire address book will appear accordingly - no need to wait for processing.

Your addresses are printed out in the same sort order. For example, when you print a list of addresses, you may want to sort the address book by names; when you print mailing labels, you sort by zip code. VNI AB-2000 has pre-designed mechanisms which let you specify the sort order of the letters in an arbitrary language. For that reason, users may input names from other countries with full diacritic marks.

* User-Friendly and Fast Search

Search is another important function in any address book. VNI AB-2000 helps you find any name, city, phone numbers, zip code and e-mail addresses quickly and easily.

Besides, you may search for a single or multiple addresses by specifying a range (from and to) of zip codes, names or states, etc.

Once completed, VNI AB-2000 will list only addresses that match your search criteria. You may want to print just these addresses, not the entire address book. This feature is convenient for such instances: you invite your friends and guests to a business banquet, but you only want to invite local friends. You only need to provide VNI AB-2000 all destination zip codes, VNI AB-2000 will find and list the names/addresses based on the zip codes you have provided. Then print the invitations and labels from the list. Presto! Done.

VNI AB-2000 also allows you to group the addresses together with the GROUP function. For example, you are a car dealer who needs to place certain customers into groups according to the car makes and models they have bought, just enter the information in GROUP such as Toyota, Honda, Mazda, etc. When you need to retrieve a certain group of customers, you only need to specify that particular GROUP in the search.

* Labels Printing

Before computer became widely used, recipients and their addresses must be hand-written on every single envelope. However, such method is no longer acceptable in the computerized era, but rather to command the computer to print labels for your letters. VNI AB-2000 provides you several popular label formats. But you may also design your own labels with specific sizes to suit your needs.

You may print the labels on either dot matrix or laser printers. When printing on dot matrix printers, you no longer need to wait for the print job to process as in other Windows programs. VNI AB-2000 bypasses the Windows drivers and prints directly to the printers for faster output. You will regain the high speed of the dot matrix printers running under DOS as before.

* Support for Mail-Merge

Let's go back to the pre-computerized era. In the past, when you type a letter to send to multiple recipients, you leave enough space on your letter for a recipient's name and address, and then make several copies. Once you have the copies, you then fill in the blanks on the letters with each recipient's name and address by hand before sending out.

No longer. Nowadays, computerized mail-merge is the solution. Once your address book is being maintained in VNI AB-2000, you only need to create your letter in MS Word, specify the data fields for the recipients - and addresses if necessary, then select the Mail-Merge command in Word to retrieve data from your address book in VNI AB-2000. When printed, you would have the recipient's name and address on each letter.

* Re-Use of Existing Database

If you have a database program or maintain an address book in a database management system such as dBASE, Access or FileMaker, VNI AB-2000 allows you to re-use the database for your new address book in VNI AB-2000, saving you the time to retype. For example, if you have an address book in Access but want to convert it to VNI AB-2000 to update the data and to use the new enhancements offered by VNI AB-2000 (sort and mail-merge), you only need to export the address book to a dBASE database file (.DBF) or to a text file (delimited text), then import it directly to VNI AB-2000. After the import, VNI AB-2000 will allow you to adjust the discrepancies between the old format and the new one. You then have the same address book you have been using.

VNI AB-2000 can also export your address book to a different format to import back into another database program such as dBASE, Access, FoxPro, etc. You would have a complete bi-directional conversion solution for exchanging data with other users who are using different databases - before convincing them to convert to VNI AB-2000!

Where to Get VNI AB-2000?

Click here to order now:

VNI Software Company
14091 Goldenwest St.
Westminster, CA 92683
USA
Phone: +1-800-791-7656 (US)
       +1-714-891-7656 (International)
Fax: (714) 373-5080
Email: vni@vnisoft.com