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Seeds Database User Guide Written: 19 May 2000 Revised: 29 January 2000 17 September 2005 © CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products Australian Tree Seed Centre PO Box E4008 Kingston Canberra ACT 2604 AUSTRALIA 1 Table of Contents Before you start 1 Forms 1 Form Controls 2 Important Concepts 3 Terminology Used in System 7 Seedlots 7 Bulk and Individual Seed Collections 7 World Zones and Country Groups 7 Regions 8 Getting Started 9 Starting the Seed Database 10 Seeds Database Main Menu 11 Seed Store 12 Seedlot 13 Individual Tree Form 15 Taxa 16 Treatments 16 Collectors 17 Prices 17 Costs 18 Contacts 19 Customer/Contacts 20 Contacts 21 Countries/Regions 21 Region Form 22 Query Customer Form 23 Query Contacts 23 World Zones 24 Country Groups 24 Query/Report 26 Query Store by Seedlots or Species 27 Query Store by Selected Parameters 28 User Defined Query Report 30 Stock Management 35 Query Active Customers 35 Query Seedlot History 36 Query Taxa History 36 Query Shipments 37 Print or Email Seed Catalogue 38 Order Entry 40 Quote/Consign 41 Selecting customer's name and address 43 Create a quote 43 Enter the details for bulk seedlots 44 Enter the details for individual seedlots 45 Auto select individual tree numbers 45 Quote details 47 Print quote or order documents 49 Email a quote 49 Bulk Up 50 View a quote or order 51 Sponsors 51 Carriers 51 Charge Type 52 Print Tax Invoice 52 Viability Standards 54 Viability Test 55 Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 2 Viability Test Schedule 56 Viability Tests per Year 56 Standards Query/Update 57 Standards Report 59 Seedlots in Standard 59 Recalculate Storage Statistics 60 Display Storage Statistics 60 Appendix 1 - Table Definitions 61 Table: Address 61 Table: Carrier 61 Table: ChargeType 61 Table: Collector 61 Table: Contact 61 Table: ContactType 61 Table: Country 61 Table: CountryGroup 62 Table: Customer 62 Table: CustomerAddress 62 Table: CustomerType 62 Table: DocHeader 62 Table: DocLine 63 Table: FixedCosts 63 Table: Genus 63 Table: IndividualTree 63 Table: Price 63 Table: Region 63 Table: Seedlot 63 Table: SeedlotHistory 64 Table: SeedlotStore 64 Table: Species 64 Table: SpeciesStore 65 Table: Sponsor 65 Table: TaxaHistory 65 Table: Treatment 65 Table: ViabilityTests 65 Table: Zone 66 Table: ZoneCountry 66 Appendix 2 - View Definitions 67 View: CustomerAddressView 67 View: DocumentExView 67 View: DocumentHeaderView 67 View: DocumentView 68 View: IndividualView 68 View: SeedlotView 69 View: ZoneDocView 69 View: ZoneView 70 Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 3 Before you start Before you start to use the Seeds Database, you should be familiar with the forms and form controls used in the system. A form control is a component of a form like a button or text box. The following sections will describe each of these components and describe how they function in the system. Apart from the functions of forms and form controls there are also a number of important concepts about the way the systems works that you must fully understand. Read the section on important concepts very carefully. Forms There are a number of types of forms used in the system but the two main types are menus and data entry forms. Some of the other types of forms used are - Message boxes used to display system messages; Dialogue boxes used to select options or gather parameters for reporting; And Datasheets used to display information in a spreadsheet like style. An example of a data entry form is shown below. At the top of the form you will notice the form name is displayed in the title bar. This is the name by which this form is referred to in this documentation. Below the title bar is an area in black that contains a number of buttons each bearing a standard icon. Following the black area is the main body of the form that has a number of form controls including, text boxes, combo boxes, radio buttons and a standard button. Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 1 The following sections will list each of the controls used on the various types of forms and describe how they function. Form Controls Control Description Menu button: The square button to the left of the text menu entry is the menu button. Click on the menu button to move to a submenu or a form. Exit button: This button is located only in the Seeds Database Main Menu. Click on this button to exit the system. Clear Form button: Use this to clear details on the form and reset any default values. Save button: This saves the data on the form to the back end database. If you don't click the Save button, you will lose the data you have entered. Delete Record button: Use this button only if you are the authorised person to delete records. Once a record is deleted it is gone, there is no way to undo a delete. Exit Form button: Use this button to exit a form and return to where you started from. Execute button: Click this button to execute a task eg. Run a query. Text box: This is where data can be entered or displayed. Combo box: A combo box is a text box with a drop down list attached. Click on the arrow and the drop down list will become visible allowing you to select a value from it. The drop down lists often display more information than is required to fill the text box. This is to overcome the Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 2 fact that often the value for the text box alone may have duplicates or it may be meaningless without this additional information. Combo boxes often copy extra data to a form. This extra data is sometimes visible and sometimes not, but it is always crucial to the operation of the system. So if there is a combo box on a form then use it to select the value you require rather than just typing it into the text box part of the control. Radio button: Radio buttons are used where a data item can have only one of two opposite values like "true" or "false". When you click in the circle the black dot toggles to the opposite of what was displayed when you clicked the control. A black dot in the circle indicates that the value is switched to the positive (or true) while an empty circle indicates the value is switched to the negative (or false). Standard button: A button on the bottom of a form (such as the Contacts button on the left) leads to another related form. When you exit from the related form you return to the form that you started with. Important Concepts The Seeds Database is a client server computer system designed to assist in the collection, storage and distribution of tree seeds. It may be installed as a single user system on a single computer or it may be scaled up to a multi user system on a local area network. Regardless of whether you have a single user or a multi user system, the architecture is exactly the same. There is a back end database where your data will be stored and a front end, or client application, consisting of menus and forms that are used to either enter data or to access the information in the back end database. The interaction between the client application and the backend database must be clearly understood. When you select a record, say for example, details of a seedlot, the data for that seedlot is retrieved from the back end database and displayed on your screen by the client application. You may enter new data or amend the existing details on the screen but these changes are not written to the back end database until you click the Save button. When the client application retrieves a record it assumes you are working on that record alone and it will apply all changes you make to the record that was retrieved. If you decide you want to proceed to some other action, like entering a new record after you have retrieved a record, then you must click the Clear Screen button to signal to the system that you have finished with the record you retrieved. If you don't click the Clear Form button in this situation you may cause unintentional updates to be written to the record you originally retrieved. Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 3 The Client application relies heavily on the use of Combo boxes and Defaults to speed up the task of data entry and insure the consistency and integrity of your data. The basic function of a Combo boxes has been described above however there are some important performance issues relating to Combo boxes if you are running the Seeds Database on a network. These issues are also relevant if you are running the system on a single computer but they are of less importance. The drop down list portion of a combo box is nearly always connected to a number of fields from the rows of a table in the back end database. Usually, when you click on the arrow of a drop down list all the fields from the rows of the table are retrieved from the back end database and loaded into the rows of the drop down list. This is reasonably fast and efficient if there are only a few records to retrieve but if there are a lot of records in the table then this will impact your network performance and the speed of the client application. In addition to these raw performance aspects you should also consider the prospects of having to scroll through even a 100 records to find the one you want. Obviously the optimum situation is to retrieve the minimum number of records possible to satisfy your needs. To achieve this, enter the first few characters of the value you are searching for in the text box portion of the combo box before you click the arrow of the drop down list. It doesn't matter if you enter character data in upper or lower case as the back end database has been configured to be case insensitive. The example following demonstrates this technique using a section of the Seedlot form. Fast Search Strategy Enter the letter ‘a’ in the Genus text box and then click the arrow of the drop down list. This will show all the Genera starting with the letter 'a'. If the value 'Acacia' is selected from the drop down list this value will be copied to the text box. In the Species text box enter the letters 'man'. When the down arrow is clicked, the drop- down list displays ‘mangium' the only species beginning with the letters 'man' for the Genus Acacia. With both the Genus and the Species drop down lists you can see that a code is displayed along with the relevant names. These codes are used by the system and demonstrate you should select records rather than just typing them in the text box. As previously stated, drop down lists nearly always connects to a database table but sometimes this isn't the case. Where there are only a few options for data values and these don't change then they are contained within the client application. An example of this would be the hemisphere codes for latitude. Regardless of whether the drop down list is connected to a database table or the values are contained within the client application the control behaves exactly the same. Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 4 When you enter some characters in the text box portion of a combo box then click the arrow on the drop down list the system will either return values starting with the characters you have typed when there is the potential to return a lot of records or it will position you in the list at the record starting with the characters you have entered if there is only a small number of records likely to be returned. The exception to this is rule is with Customer names. The characters you enter in the text box portion can occur anywhere in the Customer name eg. 'smi' would return:- Mr John Smith Smith and Jones Pty Ltd Smithers Corporation Ms Jane Smithers The reason for this is that it is very difficult to devise a system where names are entered in a consistent manner. In the list above Mr John Smith may be entered as John Smith, Mr John Smith, Mr J. Smith, J Smith and J. Smith. All these names may be the same person but as far as the system can determine they are different customers. By constructing the search of customer names in this manner you should be able to locate the record you want while avoiding duplication. Where a List box has the potential to return a large amount of records the client application will, where possible, fill in a default value for you if you click the arrow on the drop down list before entering any characters in the text box portion. With the Genus and Species combo box example used above the letter 'a' would be entered in the text box portion if you entered nothing and immediately clicked the arrow. The one place where a default has not been used is Seedlot. Given the potential for different uses of this field, either numeric or alphanumeric, it is difficult to be prescriptive about the default to be used. You must to remember to always to enter the starting characters of the Seedlot before you attempt to select a Seedlot from a drop down list. Combo boxes are not the only place default values are used. When a data entry form is in a state ready to accept a new record i.e. when it is first opened or after you click the Clear Form button, you will notice that sometimes a number of fields are filled in for you. The example below illustrates the use of these default values. Default Values When you first open a form or when you click the Clear Form button you will notice that some fields have values already entered. These values are the defaults values for that field. You should either overtype these fields with your real data or leave them alone if the data is missing for the field in question. Zeros in the field indicates that the program expects a numeric value. If you remove the zero from the text box then the value of this field will be set to "Null" or "Nothing" which is not interpreted as a valid numeric value. This may cause unexpected problems in the system. When you retrieve a record from the database a lock is placed on that record so that no one else can change that record while you are working on it. If you attempt to access a quote that somebody else has locked then the data will be retrieved but you will not be able to update it. Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 5 Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 6 In the situation where you are trying to edit a quote you may come across two situations where locked records prevent you from completing your task. The first is where the quote itself is in use by somebody else and the second is where somebody else is updating a seedlot you wish to include in the quote. As the client application takes a snapshot of the back end database when you select a record it cannot detect when a lock has been released. You must click the clear button and reselect the record again once the other user has released the lock. This locking mechanism is only applied to the sensitive areas of the database - seedlots, both bulk and individual, and document (quotes and orders). It is important that you do not retrieve records from these tables and get distracted with another task or walk away from your screen. Obviously, if you have records locked for extended periods of time you will prevent other people from doing their work. To recap on what you should have learnt from this section: - • Always click the Clear form button before you attempt to add a new record after you have been updating existing records. • If possible, always use values from the drop down list of a combo box. • Always enter a few characters of the start of the value you are searching for in combo boxes that have the potential the return a lot of data. • Leave default values alone if your data is missing a value for that field. • Click the Clear button and reselect the record if you encounter a lock applied by some other user. • Do not lock records from the Seedlot, Individual and Document tables for extended periods of time. Terminology Used in System Within the Seeds Database there are a number of terms used that may require some clarification. Seedlots A Seedlot is a collection of tree seed of a particular species, at a specific location, on a specific date. Collections of the same species at the same location and a different date should have a different seedlot number. Bulk and Individual Seed Collections Seed of a species is always collected from individual trees and it can be either kept separate or mixed together to form a bulk quantity. The collection as a whole is allocated a Seedlot number. If the collections from the individual trees are kept separate then the quantity from each tree is allocated a separate Individual Tree number and these are referred to as individuals. If the seed from each of the trees is mixed together then this is referred to as a bulk. The number of individuals mixed to make a bulk is always recorded. Bulks are identified by seedlot number only but individuals are identified by seedlot number and individual tree number. A seedlot can have bulk only seed, individual only seed or a combination of both bulk and individual. Tree breeders generally prefer to purchase individual seed in preference to bulk see as the identity of one parent (the mother tree) is known. Bulk seed is normally used in the initial stages of species introduction concentrating on the suitability of the species in the area. World Zones and Country Groups World zones and country groups are used for reporting of sales of seed if you are in the business of exporting to different countries. A World Zone is simply a name given to a particular set of country groupings. You may have any number of World Zones with differing Country Groups for different reporting purposes. A world zone may encompass the whole world of it may be a smaller section of it. You could have a World Zone name of, say, "World Zone 1" which encompasses the entire world. A Country Group within this World Zone may be called "South Pacific" which, for example, may contain the following countries: American Samoa Cook Islands Fiji Guam Kiribati New Caledonia Niue New Zealand French Polynesia Papua New Guinea Pitcairn Islands Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Samoa Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 7 [...]... the demonstration version of Seeds Database, type Test for both your name and password If you have entered a valid user name and password the Seeds Database Main Menu will be displayed If, however, you have made an error then you will be advised and requested to re-enter a valid user name and password Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 10 Seeds Database Main Menu The Seeds Database main menu is the entry... data you must: • Enter the relevant seedlot Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 9 Starting the Seed Database 1 Select the Start button , go to Programs menu then select Seeds Database Microsoft Access will start and the Seeds Database login screen below will be displayed 2 Type in your Name and Password and click OK If you click Cancel at this screen the Seeds Database will shut down completely requiring you... literally "is not nothing" i.e It has an Order Id The reverse of this is, IS NULL, which means, "is nothing" or it doesn't have an Order Id The other special values are LIKE and NOT LIKE You use the LIKE operator with the special character * which means any character or group of characters, or no characters at all If you wish to construct a search phase that is the equivalent of "starts with" then you... Database Manual v5VN.doc 29 User Defined Query Report The User Defined Query Form is used to make up complex searches Once you have made one search you can save the search, and then run it again or modify it as required Explanation of items in the form Query Name Type a name for the new query, or select from the drop-down list to choose an existing search Query Source Choose the database table or database. .. the square button to the left of the text label that describes the option The Exit button on the top right hand corner is the only way you can exit from the Seeds Database Clicking this button will close the Seeds Database down completely Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 11 Seed Store The Seed Store submenu provides options to enter information on new seed collections and related data The Seed Store submenu... system that are common to each other The Seeds Database Main Menu has the six sub-menus: • • • • • • Seed Store Contacts Order Entry Query/Report Viability Standards Utilities Enter and view seedlots and related data Enter customers and related data Seed quotations and orders and related data Query the database and produce reports Germination test results and standards Database administration To select a... least one region that covers the entire country e.g Country Region Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 8 Getting Started There a two phases you will need to go through when setting up a new Seeds Database The first is to enter the data for all the secondary tables in the database These secondary tables provide the data for the combo boxes used in other parts of the system Taking... created and all the relevant Countries have been assigned to them Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 25 Query/Report The Query/Report submenu has options to search and report on the database in a variety of ways The Query/Report sub-menu comes with nine options: • • • • • • • • • Query Store by Seedlot or Species Query Store By Parameters User Defined Query/Report Stock Management Query Active Customers Query... individual tree when it is entered into the Database The default value is zero Stock Weight This is the current weight per individual tree number in the Database Reserved Weight This is the weight of seed per individual tree reserved by quotations for seed sales The default value is zero Viability This is the number of germinants per 10 grams for the individual tree Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 15 Taxa The... searching the entire database Form tabs Form tabs provide a way of displaying different panes within a window You click on the tab at the top and the pane is brought to the front This has the effect of making it look like there are a number of sub forms within the form In the User Defined Query there are three panes defined within the window - Select, Sort and display as shown below Seed Database Manual . requested to re-enter a valid user name and password. Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 10 Seed Database Manual v5VN.doc 11 Seeds Database Main Menu The Seeds Database main menu is the entry. NB. For the demonstration version of Seeds Database, type Test for both your name and password. If you have entered a valid user name and password the Seeds Database Main Menu will be displayed seedlot. Starting the Seed Database 1 Select the Start button , go to Programs menu then select Seeds Database. Microsoft Access will start and the Seeds Database login screen below will