Re: A question regarding Past Perfect

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Russell Hanson (riverroadrambler@gmail.com)
Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:24:01 -0700



Message-ID: <eeea499a0806120624p6837d640ieb63c0687b933ef7@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:24:01 -0700
From: "Russell Hanson" <riverroadrambler@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: A question regarding Past Perfect

  At its most basic, all you need to track items coming into your museum is a spreadsheet (i.e. the free one in Microsoft Works included with most new windows computers) . You have to decide what you want to store in the computer and then make a column for each item--and then go ahead and fill it in and make backups. Once it is in spreadsheet form, you can do basic searches, sorts, and make reports if you have presentation software like Power Point. You use a different spreadsheet for each type of thing you want to store -- people information; documents; photos; items etc.
  The disadvantage is that the different spreadsheets are not linked together with any automatic relationships (i.e. if Bill Jones donates an item, your people spread sheet is not connected to your item spreasheet even though they both may have Bill Jones in them).
   The next level up is a database where each spreadsheet now becomes a
"table" and you can link tables together on common information (fields). It is more complicated to use, but a lot more powerful. If you get one, like Microsoft Acess or Sql Server, then you again start with defining your tables, fields, just like a spreadsheet, but you include the links to other tables. Then you create reports from queries (searches and nicely formatted outputs). And over time you get all of the tables you want set up, all the reports you want, and maybe forms to enter information in the tables. It is not hard, just tedious and evolving as you think of more things.
  Past Perfect is a bunch of tables, reports, queries, entry forms, etc pre-built for you on a database. Someone has started with a blank database and created everything they think is necessary and useful for museums. If you have the money and the time to enter everything it likely is pretty good to use. It is part of a small office system.

  Until I moved away two years ago, I was the volunteer office system support person for the Rochester, MN Red Cross office--7 people, a dozen computers. We needed programs for a database, email, presentations, office suites etc. Red Cross eventually created a web based US wide centralized system that each chapter logged into and entered/retrieved data, but before that we had to run our own computer (a server) to run our own shareable database. We had to have a server to run our email system (MS Exchange). We had to buy MS Office or alternative and support (we used techsoup.org) . We had a fund raising database program too (Raiser's edge). It was very complicated running database server computers, mail servers and keeping each set of programs up to date on all seven office computers. If I were starting over with this office, I would seriously consider something new called Google Apps (applications), a web based small office system. Microsoft is also trying the same internet based application suite and office system. I haven't looked at theirs as they are following Google's lead.

  If you want to share the spreadsheet through the internet, try Google Apps. It is free to non-profits and takes on most of the software needed for a small business including free word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software, email boxes, calendar, etc, that is fully shareable with others who have internet access (best with high speed). You don't have to have any local server nor expert IT person. It is accessible from any computer on the internet. It costs $10 so you can have your own internet address each year.
  I am testing it. It looks like a good solution for non-profits who want their own office suite, email, data storage, etc. I like the built in ability to share (with read or edit control) any document, spreadsheet, presentation I am working on. It requires you to sign up for a Google account (like a MSN or Yahoo account).
  What I think I can do with Google Apps all for free:
      -- internet site for museum (I still have to make the content) -- I paid $10 for the address, but google will hold the pages free
      -- email for the museum with email boxes for each person on staff or wanting one
      -- shareable word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software to replace MS Office
      -- create web forms for people to enter data directly into my own spreadsheets
      -- shareable calendar(s) for organization
      -- frills like google talk, a special start page on the web for each of the museum users to share stuff and show what we want to
      -- detailed security levels
      -- web based easy set of forms to manage the whole system
      -- access to everything through any internet connected computer at the level you have set (i.e. I can choose to let anyone in the world read a spreadsheet with the list of items in our museum, and let five people edit it to update the items, etc).
      -- store emails, spreadsheets, etc online at google's servers. You get a lot of free space and can buy more if you want to. They do the backups. You can, of course, make local copies of your stuff so you can work on it off the internet.

     Note: there is not a database connected with this. Having worked for the past 25 years as a computer professional, I can tell you that it is very easy to transfer a series of spreadsheets to a database and set up the links--if the database lets you have access to the underlying tables directly or has an import function.

   I haven't done very much with google apps, just trying out all the features. I think the first thing to do for a spreadsheet for a museum artifact list is define what you want to track (the fields or columns in the spreadsheet).

On 6/8/08, gardner87@netzero.net <gardner87@netzero.net> wrote:
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> We are looking for a way to c omputerize the recording of items in our
> house museum. Past Perfect was suggested. We recently were told not only
> does it cost $800 to purchase but there is a yearly fee for using?
>
> We are wondering if there are alternaqtives to Picture Perfect? We are
> wondering if you use it would you say it is worthy of the cost and yearly
> fee.
>
> Pontiac IL Yost House.
>
> Carol Gardner
>



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