WELCOME TO PSYBASE DATA SYSTEMS
"Creating real solutions to data problems!"
"Creating real solutions to data problems!"
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What is a Database? A
computer database is simply a program that allows the user to store information
in an organised manner. It is identical to a card filing system with the added
advantage that it is much easier to manipulate the information and present data
in different ways. Some Technical Terms
The
following are some terms that will be used frequently in this guide.
FIELDS
The
database program is designed in such a way that information is placed in
specific areas called Fields. These fields can contain various types of data
such as text, numbers, dates, pictures; the fields can also be designed to carry
out calculations based on the information from other fields. Examples
of Fields are Surname, Forename, and Date of Birth, Postcode, and Sex. The
reason for breaking down information into specialised fields is that it
increases the power of the database when we start to perform tasks such as
Sorting and Finding. LAYOUTS
Layouts
are simple different ways of displaying the same information. When data is
placed in a field it can be presented in a variety of ways. In some
circumstances we may wish to see data on a single page. Alternatively we might
want to view the data as a list. By creating separate layouts we can display our
information in many ways. RECORD
In
a FileMaker Pro database each person or pupil is a distinct record. Therefore,
if there are 100 pupils in a school there should be 100 corresponding records.
When you add a pupil you will create a New Record. To remove a pupil you Delete
a Record. BROWSE MODE
There
are three modes of operation that the database will use.
Browse mode is the most common as it allows the user to browse through
the records. If the user is looking at data or editing records then it is done
through browse mode. FIND MODE
This
is used when the user wants to find a specific record or find information that
is the same within a group of records. This is the most powerful and useful
command. LAYOUT MODE
This
allows the user to alter the design of layouts. The TARSIS user password does
not permit users to access layout mode. It is only within layout mode that
damage can be done to the system. PASSWORD
Most
databases are
password protected. This ensures that the information is kept secure and that
information cannot be altered without permission. There are several passwords
that permit different levels of user access. SORT
This is a process that allows the user to sort records in
a specific way. Fields can be sorted alphabetically or numerically, either in
ascending or descending order. BUTTONThis
is an icon on the screen that allows the user to carry out an operation such as
Print or go to a specific layout. LOOKING AT THE
VARIOUS LAYOUTS
The
following is a brief guide to each of the standard layouts Control Menu
When
the database is switched on the first screen to appear asks for the User
Password. Once the password is entered the database will always open at the
Control Menu layout. This layout gives the user a number of buttons to choose
from. By clicking on a button another screen or layout will appear. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
How do I move between
different layouts? On
the top left hand corner of the screen under the FILE command there is a box
with CONTROL on it. Using the mouse click on this box. A menu will appear with a
list of all the different layouts. The current layout will have tick next to it.
To go to another layout use the mouse to highlight the desired layout and then
click on it. The new layout will open. The new layout name will appear in the
box under the FILE command.
How do I add a new
pupil? There
are several ways to do this. If you are adding a new pupil then you can either
click on the Add PUPIL button in the welcome layout. This will automatically
create a new record and open up the PUPIL information layout. It
is also possible to create a new record within any layout by going to the MODE
command on the menu bar, click with the mouse, a pull down menu appears, select
NEW RECORD. A new record will be added ready for you to add data. How do I edit pupil
data? To
edit data, whether adding or changing information, click on the field box that
you wish to alter. The box will change to a solid line around it, a flashing
cursor will appear, then start to type. You should note that you can only type
within the area the box covers. Although you can type as much text as you wish
it will not be displayed. It is
also possible to use the TAB key to move through the various fields. Each layout
will have a set Tab order; this can be useful when adding a large amount of
information in different fields. How do
I move between records?
Use
the CARD INDEX to move between records
Located
on the top left corner of the screen the card index can be used to move forwards
and backwards through the records. The picture above shows 15 records with the
current record being number 1. To move through the record, place the mouse
cursor on the bottom of the index card and click once, you will now move to
record number 2. You can also click on the little tab on the right of the card
and slide it back and forwards to move through the records faster How do I enter or edit data? To
edit data, whether adding or changing information, click on the field box that
you wish to alter. The box will change to a solid line around it, a flashing
cursor will appear, then start to type. You should note that you could only
type within the area the box covers. Although you can type as much text as
you wish, it will not be displayed. It
is also possible to use the TAB key to move through the various fields. Each
layout will have a set Tab order; this can be useful when adding a large amount
of information in different fields. FileMaker
uses an autosave feature so every time you alter a file it is automatically
saved. How do I delete a record? To
delete a record go to the RECORDS command on the menu bar, click with the mouse,
a pull down menu appears, select DELETE RECORD. You will then be asked if you
wish to PERMANENTLY DELETE THIS ENTIRE RECORD, select the DELETE button. If you
hit RETURN then nothing will happen. When you delete a record it cannot be
retrieved. Take
care when using the delete command. Below it is the DELETE ALL RECORDS command.
This will delete all the records that you are working with and can cause a lot
of problems if used incorrectly. Never use the DELETE ALL command unless you are
very confident. Your password may
not allow you to DELETE RECORDS as a safety feature. How do I Find a particular
recordl? This
is probably the most useful procedure that a database can carry out. In order to
find a pupil or other field item you must put the database into FIND mode. To
do this, go to VIEW on the menu bar and click with the mouse, a pull down menu
appears, select FIND. The screen will change and all the fields will go blank. Go
to the layout, which contains the field that you wish to search on. Select
the field that you want to find on, for example Surname. Type in the surname and
then click on the FIND button, which is located on the left-hand side of the
screen in the middle. The correct record should now be displayed.
Note that below the card file icon on the left hand side, the comment ‘Found 1’ is present. This is because you have effectively taken that record out of the system and you are now working only with that record. Once
you have finished with the record you must return it with the other records. To
do this, go to RECORDS command on the menu bar and click on SHOW ALL RECORDS.
You should then notice that the word FOUND has vanished and all the records are
together. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO GO TO RECORDS
AND THEN SHOW ALL RECORDS AFTER YOU
HAVE COMPLETED THE FIND. You
can also use the CTRL +J shortcut to show all records. How do I Find a group? This
is exactly the same as performing a normal Find but in this case instead of
looking for one record we want to find records that contain similar data within
certain fields, for example: - To
find the number of pupil within Second Year (S2) on the database carry out the
following: Go
to VIEW, select FIND In
REFERRAL FORM layout click on the REGISTER CLASS box and type in 2 Click
on FIND The
number of records corresponding to pupils in Register Class / Year 2 will
appear. Now select the Layout you wish to view your results in, for example
SEARCH RESULTS or LIST. How do I perform a sort? When
you add pupils onto the database they are not stored in any order. The first
pupil record added is not necessarily kept at number one. The records will be
unsorted until the user tells the program to carry out a sort. The facility to
sort records is the main advantage of computer databases. It is possible to sort
data using any field. Text fields will be sorted alphabetically; number and date
fields are sorted numerically. To sort all the records by surname carry out the
following:- In
BROWSE mode go to the RECORDS command on the menu bar. A pull down menu appears,
select SORT.
A dialog box appears with a number of options. On
the left-hand side all the different field names are listed. On the left hand
side is the SORT ORDER. Usually this will be blank so you need to specify which
fields are to be used to sort. Using
the mouse click on SURNAME, then click on the MOVE button. The
Surname field should now be displayed on the right hand side. Now
click on SORT. You
should have returned to the original layout and the records will be sorted. The
word SORTED should appear under the number of records on the left-hand side. This
process can be used to sort on any field name. It is possible to sort in either
ascending or descending order. To change this, simply click on the buttons at
the bottom of the SORT dialog box. It
is also possible to carry out a multiple sort. This involves sorting the records
using several fields. For example: Class,
Sex, Surname. How do I Print a Page? You
can use the PRINTOUT button located on the on screen toolbar. If there is no
button then you can print manually. In
order to print a page, go to the FILE command on the menu bar and click down on
the mouse, a pull down menu appears. Select PRINT. A dialog box appears.
You must now specify exactly what you want to print. If you are printing a single page then you must select PRINT - CURRENT RECORD. This
tells the database that you are only interested in this record. Use CURRENT
RECORD for all single page forms and letters. Select OK and the page will print
out. How do I print a list? If
you are trying to print a list, which has a number of records, then you must
select the PRINT- RECORDS BEING BROWSED. You will need to do this if printing
out a list of records.
This
is done by clicking on the scroll bar to the right of the Print box. This tells
the database that all the records are to be printed or only those records that
have been found. Select
OK and the page will print out. Remember
the rule- Current Record for single records
Records being browsed for list of records. How do I spell check a Record? Once
you have typed in text you may wish to spell check it for errors.
Go to EDIT command on menu bar and click with mouse. A pull down menu appears, select SPELLING and the CHECK RECORD. How do I change from portrait to
landscape layouts? Some
layouts are set up to print in landscape format, i.e. Print by width. To
change from portrait to landscape carry out the following: - Go
to FILE command and click with mouse.
Select PRINT SETUP and click on the Landscape or Portrait button under ORIENTATION. Click
OK. Now go to FILE and PRINT. Remember to change back to portrait after
printing. How do I close the program? It
is essential that you exit the program correctly. FileMaker employs an auto save
feature, which means that when you make a change to the database, it is
automatically saved. If you switch off the computer without having closed the
program then it can cause a loss of data and may corrupt the file. There are
several ways to exit the program. Go
to FILE on the menu bar and click with the mouse. A pull down menu will appear,
select EXIT. The program will then shut down. Alternatively
go to the CONTROL MENU layout and click on the EXIT FILEMAKER button, again the
program will shut down. Further Help You
can contact technical support by clicking on the Psybase Logo on the Options
Menu layout.
This
will open the URL to www.psybase.com where
you can submit your query to the design team. We
will be happy to provide a response to any question. |
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Psybase is a trademark of Psybase Data Systems. All other products mentioned are registered
trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
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