MAPPER

Business Information Server (BIS)
Company type	Software
Industry	Computer software
Predecessor	MAPPER Systems
Founded	1960; 66 years ago
Founder	Louis Schlueter, Bill Grey, Chuck Hanson
Products	Fourth-generation programming language, Business Information System software
Owner	Unisys Corporation
Website	sites.google.com/view/businessinformationserver/home

Business Information Server (BIS), formerly recognized as MAPPER Systems, is a fourth-generation programming language initially created by Sperry Univac and presently owned by Unisys Corporation. Its roots trace back to the 1960s, with significant development during the 1970s. Over time, MAPPER has undergone continuous improvements and expansions, including the integration of ICE (Internet Commerce Enabler). It is compatible with backend databases like Oracle. While originally deployed on Sperry's Univac 1108, current implementations operate on platforms such as Windows NT, Sun Solaris, and Linux, with the Windows graphical user interface recognized as the most sophisticated.

History

MAPPER, an acronym for MAintain, Prepare, and Produce Executive Reports and informally dubbed "Most Amazing Programming Product Ever Released," was later rebranded as BIS but remains widely referred to as MAPPER among its user community. Its inception was as an internal application within Sperry Univac’s Roseville, Minnesota manufacturing facility to oversee hardware production processes. Initially called CRT RPS to distinguish it from RPG, its first external adopters included the Santa Fe Railway and the Kansas City municipal government, where it gained traction in public sector environments. The concept was developed by Louis Schlueter in 1967, with Schlueter, Bill Grey, and Chuck Hanson leading its creation despite initial skepticism from Sperry’s programming staff.

The name MAPPER was adopted in 1975. Designed for efficient use of system resources, it was written in Assembler language and initially had limited string manipulation capabilities that were improved over time. The introduction of macro functionality expanded its versatility. Widespread distribution began in 1979, propelled by UNIVAC 1100 system developments and increasing customer interest.

During the mid-1980s, Sperry actively promoted MAPPER through marketing efforts such as campaigns featuring a "MAPPER Man" mascot and localized initiatives including a Scandinavian-themed MAPPER song. Under Sperry’s management, MAPPER managed operations across eight factories with more than 1,300 applications—99% created by users outside IT departments—and served over 3,700 registered users. Daily usage statistics included upwards of 500,000 manual function initiations alongside approximately 405,000 automated executions across more than 90,000 applications, processing over 355 million lines of report data with average response times near 0.4 seconds. The platform operated in conjunction with batch COBOL programs and mainframe transaction processing systems.

Initially available in 15 languages (later expanded to 23), including Chinese and Japanese, MAPPER supported a worldwide clientele valued at over $3 billion. Revenues from MAPPER significantly contributed to the $7 billion merger between Unisys and Burroughs; however, following the merger, the product was marginalized and renamed BIS, which restricted its market exposure despite extensive international deployments—such as Japan’s industrial sector relying on 500 MAPPER mainframes during its economic expansion.

A survey conducted by Unisys in 1989 revealed that out of 224 UNIVAC 1100 customers, 140 utilized MAPPER; by 2006, over 600 installations were running MAPPER on Windows NT systems.

One of MAPPER’s key features is the LOG Ledger that records all transactions with secure access governed by a Coordinator role. Remarkably, it predates LOTUS123 by more than ten years as an early spreadsheet solution.

Features

An initial overview of MAPPER was presented in Michael Nicoll-Griffith's 1983 article titled "MAPPER Was the First User-command Language." Later, in 1988, Louis Schlueter authored the book "User-driven Computing."

The operation of MAPPER depends on a designated MAPPER Coordinator, who employs specialized tools to oversee development activities and prevent improper use. The platform includes more than 150 distinct functions, each accessible through specific scripting commands.

Thanks to its user-friendly design, many individuals advanced to become "RUN" developers, crafting applications tailored to their particular data processing requirements.

Data structure

The fundamental unit of data within MAPPER is termed a "report," which closely resembles a Microsoft Excel worksheet. Reports sharing identical column formats are organized into collections called "drawers," and up to eight drawers combine to form a "cabinet"—with systems supporting as many as 4000 cabinets. Report widths vary from 40 to 998 characters depending on the hardware environment. On Core MAPPER platforms such as Windows, Unix, and Linux, drawer sizes must be even multiples of two; however, on 1100/2200 systems, odd-sized drawers are permissible.

Reports within a drawer are sequentially numbered starting at 1 up to the maximum allowed; report number zero functions as both a template and filter. Drawers are identified by letters ranging from B through I, while cabinet numbers begin at zero and increase by increments of two. Odd-numbered cabinets serve as read-only views into the data housed in their corresponding even-numbered cabinets—for instance, cabinets 0 and 1 contain identical data but differ in access permissions. Drawer A holds a unique status, existing across all cabinets as a shared resource for temporary datasets, prototype scripts, or documentation. For example, report three located in drawer C of cabinet 36 is referenced as 3C36, or simply 3C when operating within cabinet 36.

Unlike traditional spreadsheets, MAPPER reports do not include embedded formulas; instead, commands or functions manipulate reports to generate new copies with processed results for further analysis. This design facilitates customized data handling tailored to users' specific needs.

MAPPER employs a visible-record approach—what is displayed corresponds exactly to stored data. Within drawers, reports maintain fixed-length lines padded with spaces or tabs to aid navigation. Columns have fixed widths that can extend up to 999 characters. Data fields may be positioned in fixed columns or arranged as free-form text entries. A variety of functions allow rapid data retrieval and efficient organization, typically delivering response times under one second even when querying datasets exceeding one million records under significant CPU load.

Earlier iterations enforced security controls at the cabinet level; modern versions incorporate more granular permissions at the drawer level. Access rights can be assigned per drawer, allowing users read-only or update capabilities as appropriate.

MAPPER was also an early adopter of ODBC standards.

Command language

MAPPER dynamically derives its data structure based on column headings, enabling commands such as Search (to extract subsets), Sort (to rearrange rows), and Totalize (to compute subtotals by categories like type or date). It supports merging multiple reports via Match, along with more sophisticated operations like Calculate and Update, which perform several steps within a single command. Commands may be combined sequentially, permitting complex processing workflows with minimal scripting effort. In essence, MAPPER operates as an early macro language that simplifies coding complexity and enhances automation efficiency.

Real-time efficiency

MAPPER functions by reacting to user inputs instead of perpetually reading data, with commands stored as interpreted resident code within active memory. Its re-entrant code architecture allows thousands of users to run commands simultaneously with high efficiency. To reduce disk access delays and improve performance for multiple users, data is spread across several shallow reports. A system administrator, known as the Coordinator, oversees resource utilization and can limit access for users whose processing activities degrade system responsiveness.

Run language: Application Development by Non-IT Professionals

MAPPER introduced the "Run" command—first implemented at Santa Fe Railroad—allowing users to automate command sequences similarly to Excel macros. This scripting approach minimizes programming mistakes and supports logical structures such as branching, loops, interactive prompts, and calculations using any database field within established security parameters.

Cooperative processing

MAPPER enables cooperative processing across networked systems, permitting coordinated task execution including remote operation initiation. It supports full SQL syntax for querying external databases and integrates query results into subsequent workflows. Additional features encompass hosting websites through its proprietary .asp interface, an embedded JavaScript engine, XML output for business-to-business applications, and manipulation of SOAP objects, thereby expanding its functionality in sophisticated enterprise environments.

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