Description: Letter from the editor describing the contents of the issue.

Description: Discussion on the issue's contents.

Description: This article describes in detail how Microsoft Excel spreadsheets can be used to develop and test relational database projects.

Description: In this article, Microsoft describes how it is meeting the insurance industry's need for increasingly powerful software tools.

Description: In this article the author introduces a new column, Cool Tech, which will provide information each quarter about open-source software and projects from the web.

Description: This article is about how to start a career in the technology field.

Description: Satirical article about different computer programming languages.

Description: Feature article that introduces readers to the R computer language.

Description: End-User Computing (EUC) applications (such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and others) provide a great benefit by allowing users to directly manage, control, and manipulate data. Unlike SAP, Oracle, and other Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications that facilitate the automated and integrated flow of transactions and data, EUCs are neither ponderous nor difficult to modify. In fact, EUCs allow businesses and users to quickly deploy solutions in response to shifting market and economic conditions, industry changes, or evolving regulations. They can also help plug functionality gaps for ERP systems. Alas, those same elements that make EUCs so appealing (and vital in providing timely information) can also make them challenging to manage and control effectively.

Description: This is the first of two articles discussing technologies used to control data. this article covers data management strategies.