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1991-09-26
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Base Station/Remote Site Consolidation Feature
Overview:
This feature gives you the ability to consolidate data from different ì
stations onto one master station. You can think of the individual stations ì
as 'Remote Sites' and the master as the 'Base Station'.
This feature was implemented because many users of this program have asked ì
for the ability to have a roving feature. One manager has many people ì
working for him in the field using this program on their individual laptop ì
portables. He asked if he could consolidate everyone's data onto his ì
desktop computer. With this Consolidation Feature, he now can.
Each Remote Site goes to the menu for Base Station/Remote Site ì
Consolidation. This menu has 5 selections:
1) Output records
[used from a Remote Site]
2) Input records
[used from the Base Station]
3) Change Start/Stop date of Consolidation
[used only with outputting records, Option 1]
4) View 'Log File' for Base Station
5) Category Consolidation Feature:
The Remote Site then selects the range of records that he/she wants ì
outputted to the consolidation disk. These are the dates that the records ì
for the Master File and Activity file were originally entered into the ì
system. With the ability to select out records by date of entry into the ì
system, you can make incremental consolidations, say every 2 or 4 weeks.
An unlimited number of Remote Sites can output their records onto their ì
individual consolidation disks. The Base Station, in turn, takes all of ì
consolidation disks and inputs them one at a time using option 2, Input ì
records. If the program detects that it is importing a duplicate record ì
into the Master File, it will stop, display the questionable duplicate ì
records to you, and then ask you for a decision: to overwrite the original ì
record with the newly imported one, or to abort the consolidation of that ì
one record into the file. All activity records from the consolidation ì
disks, of course, are added as is, without any validation.
The Base Station must have a hard disk, but the Remote Sites can have a ì
hard disk or be floppy-based. This feature can also be thought of as ì
providing the functionality of a Local Area Network without the bother and ì
uncertainty of being dependent on a network. Let's say that 4 data entry ì
people are using this program to take information over the phone. If their ì
supervisor wants access to the consolidated records of all 4 people, each ì
person could submit a weekly consolidation disk to the supervisor. The ì
supervisor, in turn, would have a fifth system that functioned as the Base ì
Station and contained only those records brought in using option 2, above.
è ==============
| OPTION 1: |
==============
"1) Output records"
'[used from a Remote Site]'
Choice of Data files to output:
In this option, you enter your choice of which files you wish to ouput as ì
the remote site.
Your choices are:
"1 = Client and Activity File"
"2 = Client File only"
"3 = Activity File only"
Additional criteria available for outputting Activity records:
By default, the program defines the date of the activity record as the ì
date of its creation, the date when it was first entered into the program.
You have an option here, however, of outputting activity records based on ì
the callback date, if any. This would be useful, for example, if you have ì
created activity records far in the past, with a current callback date.
Your are then asked this question:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Do you wish to use the callback date as an additional |ì
criteria for outputting activity records?
|
'T' or 'Y' = True; 'F' or 'N' = False |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Iµ you≥ answe≥ ye≤ t∩ thσ abovσ question¼ yo⌡ arσ theε prompteΣ fo≥ thesσ ì
dates:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
==== Definition of date range for Appointments ==== |
|
Input Screen for Beginning and Ending dates
Enter the first date of your outputting:
XX/XX/1991
Enter the last date of your outputting:
XX/XX/1991 |
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
è
After having defined the date range for outputting those records, you then ì
have these choices in outputting Activity records:
1 = Output by dates of creation AND callbacks
2 = Output by dates of creation OR callbacks
3 = Output by dates of creation ONLY
4 = Output by dates of callbacks ONLY
==============
| OPTION 2: |
==============
"2) Input records"
'[used from the Base Station]'
Potential Conflict of Activity Records:
By default, the program does not attempt to display or correct a potential ì
conflict of incoming activity records. It assumes that if you have made ì
multiple activity records on one day for one Client record, then you have ì
done so intentionally.
You have the option here, however, of the program alerting you to those ì
cases where an incoming activity record contains the same callback date and ì
company name as one already in the program.
If your exercise that option, the program will then display this message ì
when it observes contention in the incoming data with the existing activity ì
file:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Similar Activity Record Found: |
|
At this screen, you will decide what to do with the similar activity record ì
that has been identified. You can overwrite the old one with the new or ì
leave the original one intact.
"You have 3 choices:
1 = Delete old activity, append new one.
2 = Keep old activity, append new one
3 = Keep old activity, ignore new one. |
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
The activity records in question are displayed to you side by side so that ì
you can see what data is involved.
Regardless of whether you elect to use this 'Potential Conflict of Activity ì
Records' logic, the program will identify if any incoming Client records ì
already exist in the Client file. If a duplicate entry is detected, the ì
following message is displayed to you:
è
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Duplicate Record Found: Client File |
|
At this screen, you will decide what to do with the ì
duplicate record that has been identified. You can ì
overwrite the old one with the new or leave the original one
intact. |
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
As with the activity records the Client records are then displayed to you ì
side by side so that you can read the data.
==============
| OPTION 3: |
==============
"3) Change Start/Stop date of Consolidation"
'[used only with outputting records, Option 1]'
Option 3 is to change the start or stop date of the summary. It defaults to
these dates:
START DATE :'01/01/1901'
STOP DATE :'12/12/2999'
This means that any summaries that you generate will be for a 1098 year ì
period. Let's say that you would like to examine activities for a two week ì
period, during which you were on the road visiting a Client. In that case, ì
go to option 3 and enter the date on which the two week period began as the ì
START date, and the date on which the two week period ended as the END ì
date. Now your outputting will reflect just that two week period.
[Note: The date selection feature refers to when the records was ì
originally entered into the system.]
==============
| OPTION 4: |
==============
"4) View 'Log File' for Base Station"
Every time you use option 2 as the Base Station to import data, the program ì
keeps a log of each procedure, 'LOG.DBF', in this form:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Base Station Importing performed on 06/28/1989 |
Start Date: 01/01/1901 End Date: 12/12/2999 |
Category Selected: ALL |
Number of records imported from Client file: 5è Number of records imported from activity file: 178
Data imported for Ed Zung, salesman for the Bay area
Base Station Importing performed on 06/30/1989
Start Date: 01/01/1901 End Date: 12/12/2999
Category Selected: ALL
Number of records imported from Client file: 3 |
Number of records imported from activity file: 288 |
Data imported for Southern District salesman, Phil Smith |
--------------------------------------------------------------
When you import data as the base station, the program will create a six ì
line entry, starting with 'Base Station Importing...' and ending with your ì
comment. The program creates the first five lines automatically, while you ì
enter your comment for line six.
'LOG.DBF' is an ASCII file that you can manipulate externally with an ì
external word processor, if so desired.
==============
| OPTION 5: |
==============
Category Consolidation:
At this option, you can base your data outputting in selection 1 on either ì
a range of categories or a list of non-continuous individual categories. ì
For example, if you had selected a range, then you could combine all ì
records from categories 1 through 50. You can select any size range, from ì
a range of 50 to a range of 50,000 categories. If you had selected to ì
input a non-continuous list of categories, then you could enter up to 200 ì
categories for consolidation, such as to combine categories 10, 11, 15, and ì
20.
Note that this Category Consolidation logic is available in these three ì
locations in the program:
'Reports for Clients and Activities'
[Main Program Menu, Selection 3]
'Appointments Menu'
[Main Program Menu, Selection 7]
'Base Station/Remote Site Consolidation Menu'
[Main Program Menu, Selection 9]
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