Price:
The basic version of the program costs $149.95 and an upgrade from earlier versions is $89.95.  The Pro version provides full indexing for fast searches on huge databases and costs $395.00. There were no street prices to be found on the web, but I did find an site where a used Version 3.5 could be purchased for $79 and a Pro Version 3.5 for $99. askSam has a 30-day free trail demo version on its website.

"askSam is easy to use for the beginning database user, yet it can meet many needs of  experienced users. I would recommend this program to a user that needs to track and search many free form documents."

System Requirements:
This is a 14.6 MB download and it is indicated that it takes 16MB of RAM and 30 MB of hard disk space. On the website the stated system requirements are "an IBM compatible computer with at least a P90 processor with 16 MB of RAM, 30 MB of free disk space and will run on Win 95, 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP and Windows NT".  The Pro version installed on my computer at 26.5 MB in the askSam directory plus my small databases ranged in size from 282 MB to 1,186 MB. 

Ask Sam Systems, PO. Box 1428 -121 S.Jefferson St, Perry, FL 32348 800-800-1997 www.askSam.com

Support:
90 days free phone support, unlimited free email and fax support, plus unlimited access to a Technical Support web site.  Higher levels of direct support are available starting at $35 per hour.  www.askSam.com

askSam, Version 4.1.2.356

by Garl M. Satterthwaite 

askSam is an easy-to-use database program for a beginner or an experienced database professional. askSam allows you to create two different types of databases. You can either create databases that are free-form, combined free-form and structured databases, or completely structured databases. A free-form database lets you store documents without defining the fields and the record lengths. In a free-form database, you can store memos, emails, faxes and other text documents into a searchable file. You can search on a single word, field or date. You can also search for phrases. 

After I received askSam, like many technical people, I quickly scanned the documentation and went directly to the installation. I installed the program from the single CD provided with absolutely no problems. I installed askSam on a 550MH Pentium III with 128M RAM. My operating system is Windows 98 Second Edition.  

After the installation, I opened the installed database file called "readme.ask". This file provided a  "Quick Tour" that took less than ten minutes. Then I ran the "Tutorial" which took another 30 minutes. Both were understandable and well written. I did stumble a couple of times in the tutorial, but nothing serious. This readme file also contains a very extensive users guide, examples, templates, and answers to questions on upgrades, training, new features, and support. I later logged on to www.askSam.com and found much of the same information. Over 115 testimonials in 7 diverse application areas are presented on the askSam website. 

askSam comes with two manuals. The first manual contains 73 pages and provides information on getting started and basically the same tutorials found in the readme file and online. The second manual is an extensive Users Guide that contains over 400 pages covering every aspect of the program. 

After a quick scan of the manuals, I elected to create three combination free-form and structured databases using some emails I had been collecting in Microsoft Outlook. The first database I created by importing 359 documents. The import went smoothly and took but a few seconds. I then imported a different set of 275 documents into a second database. The third import was not so easy. I tried to import documents that had attachments and that did not work. I then saved each attachment to a separate file and then successfully imported them into my third database. I was learning as I proceeded and there were a few times when I was confused, but I worked through my problems. 

The databases that I created were a combination of free-form and structured formats. The email was structured with the following fields - Folder, To, From, Subject, Date, and Message. The length of each of these defined fields was unlimited. I was able to import directly into this structure since each email used this structure and followed each defined field with a special character. I searched my new databases and created reports. The searches were quick and easy to navigate. The reports highlighted some areas that needed clarification so I emailed the Product Manager and received an answer the following day.  While I still have a couple of problems we are dealing with, I am sure they will get resolved with a little more training. 

I intend to use askSam to allow me to search the mountains of email I receive related to genealogy. I belong to several genealogy interest groups and receive email every day related to a geographical area or a particular surname of interest.  For the last year, I have been saving these emails in Microsoft Outlook in folders related to area or surname. With askSam, after importing the emails as I described above, I can perform a global search for a surname in a specific location and determine if other researchers are investigating the same families. 

Since database programs are adaptable to requirements and askSam is easy to use and especially flexible, I believe that with today's information overload, this program can help me sort through mountains of email data and find the information I need for my research.  

askSam is easy to use for the beginning database user, yet it can meet many needs of  experienced users. It does not have the sophisticated report capabilities of some commercially available structured database programs, but it can provide any user with a capability to organize and search their documents for any word or phrase. For me, both versions seem a bit pricey for my needs, but askSam prices are competitive when compared to other commercial database programs.