Data Source: A 'data source' is any file, document, spreadsheet, database or other electronic 'container' that holds data in an organized fashion. 'Data' can be anything, but most commonly comprise names, addresses, sizes, titles, dates, colors, genders, etc.

   A 'database' is a common type of data source.  Access®, Act®, Alpha5®, Paradox® are but a few of the dozens of off-the-shelf databases that are available. Even when they are not marketed as a 'database', there are many other programs out there that are essentially databases. For example, Abacus®, Amicus Attorney® and Time Matters® (practice management programs) and BestCase® (a bankruptcy preparation program) are all database programs at heart.  Billing programs such as TimeSlips®, PCLaw® and The Tussman Program® are databases at their core. There are a variety of other more mundane (and free) sources for storing and obtaining data.

External Data Source: 'External' simply refers to the fact that the data being discussed is not a part of Pathagoras' Instant Database module. The Instant Database module is considered as the 'primary' tool to store and retrieve data in Pathagoras. All other sources are 'external.'

Comma Separated Value (CSV): A CSV file is a common method for data interchange among disparate programs. A '.CSV' file is as universal to sharing of information among databases as '.PDF' is for sharing of documents.

   Pathagoras uses CSV files to store its Instant Database records. (More accurately, Pathagoras uses a 'quote-comma' scheme to separate fields. Individual fields are enclosed in double-quotes and separated by commas.) Almost all programs can process data in CSV files, and that fact is exploited in implementing many of Pathagoras' database features. (Even though CSV files typically end with the extension '.csv', they can also bear the extension '.txt', '.dat' and possibly others. It's the content that is important, not the extension.

Direct Connection: A link (typically a 'field' between Word and the external data source) that pulls information directly from the external data source file.

Merge Field: A code embedded in a Word document that contains information that allows the document to link to an external data source. They are used to 'merge' the external data with the document being assembled. Merge fields typically display in a Word document with a grey background. They cannot be directly edited by the end user.

   As a rule, Pathagoras avoids using embedded fields. They are more difficult to create and edit and conceptually are more difficult for the end user to understand. Pathagoras greatly favors (and emphasizes) the use of 'plain text' variables. That said, Pathagoras works quite well with merge fields. For the user who has a solid working knowledge of how to create and use merge fields, they can greatly enhance document production.

Indirect connection: A process by which information is pulled from a secondary database derived from the original data source, but which is not the actual data source. For example, data from Act (an external data source) is exported  into a CSV file. Pathagoras will operate against that CSV file.

   To preserve its 'plain text' structure, Pathagoras makes significant use of indirect connections to data.