Abstract: The present invention involves a computer system and method which implements a marketing management system. The computer comprises a processor, at least one database containing marketing information, and a database segmentation manager the segmentation manager is coupled to the processor and database. The database segmentation manager includes a node organizer for maintaining concatenated nodes defining a subset of data from the database. The node organizer includes a dataset node for creating a subset of said database according to query criteria and creating a temp table storing a portion of the fields and rows obtained by the query criteria. The segmentation manager further includes universe display software enabling an external user to view the database and nodes. The computer further has a graphic workflow manager capable of providing a visual representation with a plurality of items from the database and having a place and an order of a plurality of work tasks relating to the database.

Abstract: The present invention involves a computer for implementing a complex database management system. A processor has at least one complex database with extraction software. The database extraction software is capable of creating a perspective based data model from a user selected data table of the database. A query is specified by user selection of attributes from a data table of the database. A perspective based data model is created from the user selected data base table of the database and related tables. The extraction software creates a query structure defining a plurality of paths providing a selected portion of the information in the database, which is presented to the user based on the perspective based data model. The query structure defines a plurality of paths and having a plurality of nodes, each of the nodes having a corresponding operand. A downward evaluation of the query structure is performed, proceeding from a starting object down downwardly through the paths.

Abstract: A control system for lighting a bank of fluorescent lamps, includes input terminals (10, 11) for a mains voltage (e.g. 240 v) and output terminals (20, 21) to which the bank of lamps is connected. A transformer (T1) provides a reduced voltage (216 v) as compared to the mains supply voltage. The transformer (T2) provides a supplementary voltage (24 v). Upon start up of the circuit, a control circuit (CC) operates contact (A1) to energize the transformer (T2) so that terminals (20, 21) receive both the reduced voltage from (T1) and the supplementary voltage from (T2) (i.e. 240 v) which is sufficient to ignite the fluorescent lamps. The control circuit (CC), after a predetermined delay (e.g., 15 seconds), switches contact (A1) to disconnect the supplementary voltage from (T2). The lamps then continue to operate on the reduced voltage (216 v) thereby reducing the power consumed by the lamps.