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Gold Medal Software 3
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Gold Medal Software - Volume 3 (Gold Medal) (1994).iso
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ddf606a.arj
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HELPDOC.EXE
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CREATMOD.HLP
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╒═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│ Creating or Modifying a Database │
╘═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Provided with DDFile is a sample database called SAMPLE.DBF that is
already set up the same as the database structure used in version 5.0
and 5.1 of DDLabel. This is provided in case you do not want to
design and create a database of your own, design the screen, and
position the fields on the screen.
To copy the current database file structure, create a new database,
or modify an existing database, select "Create/Modify Database Files"
in the main menu. See "Creating/Modifying a Database" in the on-line
documentation. You will first be asked to enter the path in which to
copy the structure, create, or modify a database file. Enter only the
drive and directory. Do NOT enter a file name. Once a valid directory
is entered, a sub-menu with the following three selections will open.
A) Copy Current File Structure
B) Create a New Database
C) Modify an Existing Database
A) Copy Current File Structure
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will copy the database file structure of the
currently selected database to a new file in the drive and
directory specified before reaching this sub-menu. The DBT file
will also be copied if the currently selected database contains
one or more memo fields.
The structure of a database is the fields and their definitions.
This does not pertain to the actual data that will be stored in
the database.
This will also copy the DF1 and DF2 files so that you won't have
to redesign the screen and position the fields on the screen. In
other words, you end up with a duplicate of the current database
that is already setup but with a different name and no records.
After you type a filename and press Enter, you will be informed
as to what was copied where and asked if you would like to make
another copy. You will want to make as many copies as you have
files that need to be imported or simply for additional files to
enter records into.
B) Create a New Database
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will create a new empty database file structure.
Enter only the name of the new file you want to create without a
file name extension. The extension will automatically be DBF.
The fields; "FILTER" and "DUPLICATES" are automatically added to
a newly created database for the purpose of creating a filter and
checking for duplicates. See "Creating a Filter" and "Searching
for Duplicates" in the on-line documentation. These fields can
be deleted from the database if you wish.
See "Plan Your Database" below for further instuction.
C) Modify an Existing Database
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This selection will allow you to modify an existing database. A
database can not be selected if it is already in use. When
modifying an existing database, any field assignments will need
to be reassigned and fields will need to be repositioned on the
screen for data editing upon selecting the database.
Plan Your Database ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
If selecting B) or C) above, a window will open allowing you to
create or modify a database file. Before you go on, you may want to
list on paper the different fields that you want in your database in
what order you want them. You will be glad that you planned ahead
when you later design the screen and position the fields on the
screen for data entry and editing.
If new fields are added to an existing database they can be placed
between other existing fields by modifying the field order. This is
done with "Modify Field Order" located in the "Miscellaneous
Utilities" sub-menu from the main menu. For now they will be added to
the end of the field list. Each time a field is added to a database,
the field window is cleared and the new field is presented at the top
of the field window. The other fields can be redisplayed by pressing
the up arrow or <PgUp> keys.
Building A Database ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
There are four criteria that must be defined for every field in a
database file. They are Name, Type, Length and Decimals. Instruction
for defining these are provided on screen. You will have to enter a
Name and Type for every field. However you will not need to enter a
Length for date, Logical and Memo fields since they are automatically
set. And you will only need to specify a Decimal value for Numeric
fields.
An example list of fields might be:
Field Name Type Length Decimals Description
CARRT C 4 0 Carrier Route
FIRST_NAME C 13 0 First name
LAST_NAME C 15 0 Last name
COMPANY C 35 0 Company name
ADDRESS_1 C 35 0 Address line 1
ADDRESS_2 C 35 0 Address line 2
CITY C 21 0 City name
STATE C 2 0 State abbreviation
ZIP_CODE C 10 0 Zip code (zip+4)
AREA_CODE C 3 0 Area code
PHONE C 8 0 Phone number
DATE_ENTRY D 8 0 Date record was added
DATE_EXP D 8 0 Date membership expires
AMOUNT N 7 2 Amount of sale
TYPE C 4 0 Code field 1
SOURCE C 4 0 Code field 2
COMMENTS M 10 0 Memo field 1
This is a total if 17 fields. You may want more, such as PREFIX (Mr.,
Mrs., Dr., etc.) or MIDDLE (middle initial). These, of course, would
be placed before and after FIRST_NAME respectively.
The types of these fields are all the most common type which is
Character except DATE_ENTRY and DATE_EXP which are Date and AMOUNT
which is Numeric and COMMENTS which is Memo.
The uses for most of the fields are self explanatory. However the
last five fields in the example database are perhaps not as well
understood. For example, TYPE could be used for the type of customer
such as "P" (paying customer) or "I" (inquiry) and SOURCE could be
used for the source from which the lead was attained such as "M"
(magazine ad) or "W" (walk-in). The COMMENTS Memo field stores up to
64,000 bytes (64K) of miscellaneous information for each record.
You do not have to be exact with the field lengths at this time. They
can be changed later to suit your purposes. However the field names
and types can not later be changed without losing any data that has
been entered into the changed fields.
Press <Esc> when finished. You will be asked if you want Abort or
Save the database file structure. Answer <Y>es, <N>o or <S>ave.