One of the strongest features of Aibase is the support for information chunking. Information chunking, an user action, depends on many highly-optimized Aibase-functions. We use the most general meaning of chunking: Any information consists of pieces (chunks). Chunking changes the number and size: Breaking information down into smaller pieces (chunking down). Categorizing information into larger pieces (chunking up, abstraction).

Chunking can multiply the efficiency of single persons and companies in information processing, and so the creativity. It's simple, timeless, and the need for robust methods makes this a part of the information world, as another basic skill.

At the beginning we have an incoming long document, e.g., a device manual, a multi-page specification, lecture material from university, other course material, with higher complexity, possibly a bit boring (to say the least). No problem; experienced users can break a complex document of 100 pages into Aibase documents (with mostly lists and trees) in less than a day, almost mechanically. An existing document for the start is one example, but one can also break down something like E = m c^2, if someone looks for a new sport :) In such case we are also responsible for finding related documents.

What is wrong with the original document? - It can already be useful in presentation, for reading, but there is still something else: Deducing own actions, and own extensions. The ITAC (Information-To-Action-Coefficient) of a complex document is the weak point. We need a method that keeps us active and creative.

We want a fast understanding of all information revelant to our goals, and don't miss vital information. We break the source document down into pieces, regardless of how complex the information is. Theoretically, no information source is safe from us. Breaking down works reliably, even under harder personal conditions. Understanding and selective memorizing result from the interactive work. And the resulting documents are still there for later use; more understandable, more extendable than before.

The following illustrates the concept in Aibase:

Items (an object type in Aibase) are all we need for breaking down in record time.

At first we create an item with the text "Our Title" and press F2. This single key-press causes 3 things, automatically:  A new document is created, with the same title, and the new document is now in view. We use the document-title as head of our document tree: We add a few placeholders below the title, as first tree level. (We use the V key for a quick duplication of placeholders).

Why do we add placeholders in the first level? - This is not required, but it makes us more flexible: We can use each placeholder as a list, by adding items. We can change the order of lists and can exchange items between lists. And a group of short lists is easier for the human brain than one long list.

The incoming document often contains headings, sub-headings and details close to each other. This is not optimal; better is an overview first, then the overview of a smaller section, and so on, until we reach the specific details.

We transfer text from the source document into Aibase, by copy-and-paste, and we append items to our placeholders, sub-items to items, and so on. We condense the information, reformulate text and delete words. If not possible, then we think up a single text line, but place the long text in the note. Or more extendable: We press F2 and put the text in the linked document, where we can start the next document tree. We can also delete the tree in a single step, then press R to go back to the recent document. Aibase is optimized to the extreme, we don't need any dialogs for creating or deleting documents. Copying an item requires only C (not Ctrl+C), and so on...

The interactive work itself results in understanding and own creativity.