Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with software and database

tableau for mac??

crapples — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:52:56 -0800

Help me find data visualization software like Tableau, where the visualizations can be viewed and interacted with by end users. But the rub is that I need it to work in the Macintosh environment. Tableau allows me to create data visualizations that include "quick filters" so that with the click of a check box I can include or exclude groups or values, updating the charts automatically (see product tour here). Also, it has the capability to publish these visualizations to the web so that end users can also interact with the data in the same way. But, Tableau only works with Windows.

The critical feature is end users filtering data on the fly with charts that I have created. The charts need to be in a central place so updates are worry free, so a web based solution is optimal.

I need these features, or similar ones, that work for Mac. Any suggestions?

Desperate for data management

jonathanbell — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:48:25 -0800

I'm looking for a piece of creative database software but am not sure how to search for it or if it even exists. Any suggestions welcomed. What I'm looking for is some kind of database that automatically makes links and connections between the text. Each project would exist as a series of text boxes that could be moved about the desktop at will, or scattered and grouped automatically. Each project could hold as many individual 'texts' as you liked, and they could be added to or deleted at will, like a virtual cardfile. You could search manually, but also chose to highlight a word or phrase in one box of text so the programme could automatically bring up all other boxes containing the same word/phrase. It would an ideal way of organising information for a book, for example. Something like this must exist, but I have no idea what it would be called or how to go about searching for it. I'm using windows XP and Vista. Any pointers welcome.

Turning data into images/graphs dynamically

kenzi23 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:50:15 -0800

I want to propose to my manager a system/software/configuration to dynamically graph data but I don't know what the technical terms are or what software can do this kind of thing. I need your advice. I am looking for the generic name (or specific software if you have recommendations) for software that can take data from a database (in this case Lotus Notes) and dynamically create charts. More details: we have a database that tracks people, the work they are doing, in/out time, due time, who it's for, where the work is currently located, etc. I want to be able to graphically represent the whole or parts of the data in various ways, gannt charts, maps etc. Ideally there would be certain standard charts that one could click on to get a certain type of overview of the data, but I would also like something where a user can create their own chart from the data. These charts would need to appear with the most up-to-date data.

I don't know what this software is called so I am not successful in googling it. I am looking for search terms. Also, if there is anything specific out there that you know of that can work with a Lotus Notes database that would be good too.

I'm not in IT but I work with technology; I would not be designing the system, just giving a mock-up and proposal. The users of it would be managers/supervisors, also not IT people.

What do you call a non-web content management system that does workflow and translation memory?

Gucky — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:10:28 -0800

Help a stressed out writer with no understanding of enterprise software build consistency across an organization. What enterprise-wide content/workflow/collaboration/translation memory software am I missing? I can't seem to find the tool or tools I'm looking for. "Content management" is focused on publishing to web, when our use is mostly internal, gathering approvals and connecting to web content management and other databases.

I work in an organization that creates a lot of language -- marketing materials, documentation, software UI.

We need to keep it consistent in English, move it through many approvers and edits with version control, and then push it to or connect with various content systems (web, design, etc.) and translators.

In my, completely non-technical, opinion, we need some sort of content management system that allows writers to view and input; builds in workflow, timelines and approvals; and can be easily demonstrated in templates so people can see it in context and exported so it could move to our other systems as text.

It would be really, really nice if it could also house our translation memory so that if something changed in English, it could consistently change in every language.

I can't seem to find anything, internally or externally, that does what we need it to do.

Right now, I've got a cobbled together solution of Lotus Notes databases, informal timelines and a spot on the server to place the latest version. We can't be the only company facing this problem.

What am I missing? What search terms should I be using to find such a chimera? When IT tells me they can't find anything, are they right?

What's the best software for cataloging an art collection?

titans13 — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:47:05 -0800

What is a good software program for cataloging an art collection? I am helping somebody pick a piece of software to manage their extensive art collection at their home. I have heard of Past Perfect 4, but I know this may be overkill since this is something mainly used by museums. I am looking for something that will be simple to back up (either an automatic backup feature built in or a simple database file that I can manually set up a scheduled backup for). Thanks!

Simple database software with boomer usability

skwt — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:25:53 -0800

Database software for "what does right-click mean"? I work for a company that handles a lot of clients. It's run by a middle-age couple who don't really know what right-clicking means. They can use a web browser and Outlook Express. All our data is currently on paper and it's insane.

I'd like to digitize everything, but I'd like to keep it usable for both of them. I myself don't know anything about databases, but I have 1st-year university-level comp sci abilities. I've been experimenting with Openoffice's Base, and it looks like it would do the job, but I'm wondering if there's a way I could do it that:

- has a more warm and fuzzy GUI? (You know those kindergarten GUIs on grocery store displays?)

- is even simpler to manage? (Although Base seems pretty straightforward so not a big deal.)

- does fast searches? I'm worried (maybe totally groundlessly, I have no idea) about how doing searches on an .odb file will perform when there's 1000 entries in it. I need to be able to search it and get results within a second or two. The office computers are decent (average 2007 desktop PCs).

- does concurrent multiple read/write? Another huge bonus would be if there was an easy way to create a database that could be accessed by more than one computer on a local network (or over the internet). I'm not sure how read-only multiple-user stuff would work there. Is it possible for two users to read and modify a single database at the same time?

Thanks

Software for phone logs?

slow graffiti — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:53:12 -0800

I have binders full of paper phone logs. I want to move them to some electronic format. What to use? I work in a research lab and I have to recruit subjects for our study and document my calls with them. All my predecessors have done this on paper, but I'd like to slowly move out of the dark ages and use some sort of software, but I'm sort of clueless as to the best way to go about it. Here's the circumstances:

- because of privacy regulations, everything must be used with Cryptainer

- we've already got all the info except the notes from what happened during the calls in Paradox, and everything also on paper. The info I need to record seems too extensive to just make another field in Paradox, but not having to maintain addresses in both Paradox and another program would be nice, but not essential.

- the fields I need are pretty simple: an ID #, contact info, family relationships, and portions of the study already/yet to be completed, and a free entry field for notes from all the previous phone calls.

I know Excel would work ok, but is there something better? If the best solution isn't free, it might be very difficult to get funding to buy the software, but I'd try.

help me pick a OSX personal database?

penciltopper — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:26:50 -0800

Mac Mess Filter: help me choose personal database software. OK, so I've got a Mac and I can't find anything on it because I'm a slob that just saves everything in one "bucket".
How's that working out for me? Not so great.
By "personal database" I don't mean something like Access or OO.org's Base, keeping track of a vast record collection; I mean something that will take scans, PDFs, old emails, web clips, screenshots, etc. as drag-and-drop and do most of the searching/indexing for you.
Right now I just have all that kind of thing scattered all over my desktop - every so often when the desktop gets too crowded, I just sweep it all into a folder and hope I don't need/can find it in there at some later date.

I got a chance to use another Mac that had SOHO Notes (used to be StickyBrain?) installed, and it seems really cool.
I looked around, and it has several competitors.

Then I got concerned with "Ok, now I put everything into the Personal Database software and delete the originals (why keep two copies?), continue to use it for years, and the software craps out/company folds/alien space bats attack and now I can't get my stuff out of it again. So maybe I should just keep everything as files in the bucket, but organize with some sub-buckets, etc. (Does Leopard help? I'm still running Tiger.)

So if you know about this, and/or have used any of the following, please tell me what you can about:
SOHO Notes
Yojimbo
Bento
??? (another personal DB)
getting off my duff and making an organized file structure, labeling everything consistently, and letting Spotlight take it from there

Recommend me a data modeling tool

Manjusri — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:11:05 -0800

I'm beginning a project to document and restructure a set of existing Microsoft SQL Server databases, and need to quickly recommend a software package for data modeling and generating a data dictionary. I'm looking for a recommendation and/or general advice, pros, cons, etc. that will help to make and justify a selection. I last used ER/win for this purpose and found the data dictionary features to be somewhat lacking. The ancient version I was using probably bears little relation to the current product however. A couple other team members have mentioned experience using products such as "Red Brick" and "Quest" if I have the names right.

Terminology Management software solutions

gemmy — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:28:45 -0800

Software for keeping lists of terms and definitions organized? Help me tame the glossary monster. My work publishes several sector-specific reports each quarter, containing updates on what's been happening in that sector and in the market. These reports also contain a "glossary" with definitions/descriptions - like brief bios of the people mentioned in the report, acronym definitions, and explanations of specific terms used in the text. There is substantial overlap with the terms used, both between sectors and over time. The full glossaries have so far been stored in a flat Word file for each report - split up by sector - and the lists get updated each quarter. This has worked OK for a while, but the lists have now become unwieldy. There is also a lot of differences in wording between sector versions.

I am looking for some recommendations for software that might help me keep the terms and their definitions organized in one place - with just one entry per term (that would help with consistency across sectors). However, I also need to be able to export subsets of the definitions for use in our reports. I looked online and found AnyLexic, which seems like it might be along the lines of what I'm looking for. So I'd also like to know if anyone has experience with this particular program.

-Windows 2000/XP environment
-Need to be able to export a subset of definitions to Word/Excel or CSV.
-Reasonably priced for a non-profit

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Good programs for sharing contacts and calendar info in a small company?

redteam — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 23:43:09 -0800

What are good programs for sharing contact and calendar information in a small office? The most attractive piece of software I've found so far is "ACT!" The office looking for this program (a small architecture firm) has under 10 users all running Windows 2000/XP. They want something easy and that can be run offline, exclusively offline is preferable.

They used to run "Now Up-to-Date" and totally hate it. They want to replace this program with something better and more user-friendly.

The program should be very easy to use, easy to install/maintain, well-supported, doesn't require a dedicated server, and is reasonably priced.

Is ACT! really the best thing out there?

Also, can you give me some keywords for what this kind of software is called?

Other frameworks akin to Ruby on Rails?

killdevil — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 16:14:49 -0800

What are the best database-driven Web application development frameworks out there right now? More specifically, please orient me to toolsets you know of that are similar to Ruby on Rails. I have a couple of database-oriented Web applications I'll be working on in the near future. I'd love to avoid (re)writing lots of the low-level code (recordset handling, security, user input validation, &c, &c, &c ) that every such application needs in order to function, as I've done numerous times in the past. Rather than dust off some of my own home-rolled libraries, I'd rather take the time to choose and learn one of the integrated open-source frameworks that have come into being over the past few years.

I know of Ruby on Rails, obviously, and have heard of a a couple of python-based frameworks that seem philosophically similar to RoR. Please note that I'm totally language-agnostic -- I'm quite handy with all the languages that form the "P" in "LAMP" and with some others as well, but I don't mind picking up some new syntax if it'll simplify my development task in the end.

Help me understand my options!

Software to track project/client information?

iguanapolitico — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:42:41 -0800

What kind of software can I use to keep track of information on each client and/or project that I'm working on? I do all my work on a computer. But I carry around this three-ring binder that contains all of the information/notes that I need for all of my projects and clients. I start with one sheet for each client (a form that I designed using Excel) and all of these client sheets are filed in the binder alphabetically (complete with A-Z tabs). I staple on additional sheets for each client as necessary.

I also use these little color-coded tags for flagging clients that have active projects, or that I provide web hosting for, or that I have a question about, etc.

It's some stellar organization and it has worked for years, but boy does it seem stone-age. Plus, what if this binder is washed away in a flash flood? (I really, really don't lose things, ever, but the flash flood thing is always a possibility.)

So I'm thinking of keeping track of all this stuff with a computer. Are there software programs that handle this sort of thing that are customizable? So I can customize all the information I need to store, such as client name, contact information, FTP information, billing dates/info, dates and notes on project progress, etc, etc? So I can flag or color code clients that are active, or that need attention, etc? So I can sort by different criteria? Do I just need to break down and create my own database, or do you have recommendations for existing software? And ... software that is both Mac- and PC-compatible? (My laptop is a Mac, desktop is a PC.)

(Or, is this something that I can manage with Excel, without creating/drawing a form by hand for each client? I'm really not up on Office-type products past basic word processing.)

It shouldn't be web-based because I might need to use it on a laptop somewhere without internet access.

(But is this something that would be do-able with Excel, that I could import into Google Spreadsheets so I could access the info remotely? I wouldn't need a tutorial on that, but if the answer is "yes," I could go figure it out.)

I really like using the binder. I like to be able to grab a pencil and jot down a note without having to fire up an application. And I like to keep as few apps open as possible. But now I'm beginning to worry about safety. This information should be backed up. I back up my computer regularly, and make fun of people who don't do the same, after all. Sheesh.

I feel that this is a supremely stupid question, but that the right answer will be based on a consensus of recommendations, or will be just too hard for me to go through with. (I just don't see myself building my own database any time soon; I can't even make the time to get my client login section operational on my own web site.)

Organizing software in an enterprise

daHIFI — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 06:08:33 -0800

Any good tips on managing approved software applications within an enterprise? We're trying to keep track of the applications that we use at my job, approved software, recommended software &c. We currently have 13,000 workstations and over 8,000 unique software applications installed. Our Websense proxy blocks people from downloading any .exe, .zip &c. and we have a group that handles the download requests. In the past I have maintained a list of approved and rejected apps on an internal wiki but it's becoming too cumbersome to keep track of it.

One of the guys came across Primasoft's software organizer which has given me the idea that we really need a database to keep track of this stuff. I'd like to use a PHP/SQL site for easy access, but this would be my first attempt at trying to program something from scratch. Before I start coding I wanted to ask if anyone knew of an existing implementation that I could use.

"There's no place like home...."

Afroblanco — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 10:55:07 -0800

Need a tinker-free Linux/MySql install for Ruby On Rails. Also, seeking advice for getting started in RoR. Ok, I'll start this out by saying that I have little-to-no interest in operating systems. I've run Windows for the past decade or so because (for me, anyway) it's a no-effort solution that requires the least tinkering possible.

HOWEVER, I've recently been teaching myself Ruby On Rails, and it seems that RoR is most comfortable in a Unix/MySql environment. So here are the questions -

1) Am I correct in the assumption that the standard RoR setup is Unix/MySql? Is this what RoR is most comfortable with? Has anyone successfully run RoR on WinXP/SqlServer?
2) What Linux installation requires the least tinkering to get it to work properly?
3) Which Linux installation has the best community support?
4) Is there a way to install linux as a dual-boot on my WinXP system without reformatting, repartitioning, and reinstalling everything? Bonus points for solutions that involve only free tools.
5) What are some good MySql resources? Specifically, I'm looking for guides to dealing with installation and administration. Also, what are the best MySql community sites?
6) What resources would you suggest for someone starting out in RoR? I'm currently reading Why's (poignant) Guide to Ruby as well as Agile Web Development In Rails. Are there any other books or guides that you would suggest? Are there any places where I can get some good sample code to play around with? What are some good community sites? (I should mention that I'm an experienced programmer, so I'm specifically looking for help with Ruby, not programming in general)

Sorry for the ton and a half of questions. If you could answer *any* of the above, your help will be greatly appreciated.

Access: making me screech since 2002.

By The Grace of God — Tue, 02 May 2006 09:05:31 -0800

Infuriating Microsoft Access questionfilter: I have a database that I inherited in which queries are set up to pull records which have dates of birth between certain dates. It works right in one database but is not working right in another, for a very particular reason.. In this first database the query design view is set up to pull records with the criteria Between #01/01/1900# And #05/02/1990# in the date of birth column and it works great. I tried to duplicate it in the second database in the same column and whenever I move off that line or save it, Access puts in these quotes, so it looks like this: Between "#01/01/1900#" And "#05/02/1990#" What's going on here?

Access 2002, winXP Pro. The date of birth columns are differently named but contain the same data. I have (laboriously) regularised the data so it's all DD/MM/YYYY. There is no validation in either database.

Seeking Database Software

Mckoan1 — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 08:22:50 -0800

Could someone recommend a Database Software package that is less complicated than Microsoft Access. I just need a package for entering customers' addresses and phone numbers and have six or seven fields that can be sort. As you can see, a very simple database; yet one that is effective. Thank you!

What software should I use for my philosophy project?

Kosh — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 12:40:42 -0800

I was recently hired as a work study at school to work on a project and I'm having some trouble deciding how to organize the information... I'm working for the Philosophy department at my school. The project I came up with was compiling philosophy-related media into a central database... for instance, I'd watch a film one of the professors wanted to use, summarize and annotate it for relevance to philosophy, remark on the philosophical questions raised, etc, and post it on the site for the other instructors to use.

The site at this current stage is just going to be an internal thing for the faculty to be able to look at, and basically a tool to augment lesson plans--I would want an instructor who wanted to do a unit on empiricism, for example, to be able to go to the "empiricism" category and see a list of books, films, articles, websites, etc. that deal with the topic in some way or another.

What's a good piece of software that I can use for this project? Ideally it would be simple; the only thing I REALLY want is the ability to arrange things by category (possibly with tagging capabilities.) Allowing for multiple users would be really nice but isn't strictly necessary. Free or low-cost stuff only, please; I don't have a budget, as it's a small department.

I was thinking wiki format would work well (would allow faculty to add information on their own, pretty easy to edit stuff), but I'm not too familiar with the various wikis outside of MediaWiki (which seems too large and complicated for a small project such as this, though I could be wrong) but if anyone knows of anything better, I'm open to any suggestions.

(Also, cheating a little here with two questions, but if anyone has any philosophy-related resources that they really like--blogs, films, books, articles, television shows, radio shows/podcasts, music, whatever--and think are worth including in a project such as this, I'm open to those too, but I'm more interested in the answer to the software q.)

Please let me know if I need to clarify anything here. Thanks!

CD database

spartacusroosevelt — Sun, 14 Aug 2005 19:04:11 -0800

I need to create a phone number directory on CD. I could just create an alphabetical directory with anchors in html, but I would love have a search function with dynamic pages. Is there a straightforward way to do this on CD?

Acronym for this breed of software?

Tubes — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 23:21:23 -0800

There's a breed of software which you point at a database and which then generates an add/edit/delete web interface for all the tables. (examples a, b) I've seen a four-letter acronym used to refer to it, but I can't come up with it and I'm spending way too much time surfing to find it. Help!

Best Windows macro recording software?

uk_giffo — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 12:39:55 -0800

I've taken on a little mini project and I think the best way to get the job done will be to use one of those little bits of software which can copy and then simulate mouse movements etc. Some background details -

My boss wants me to find a solution to this problem: There's this ancient Facilities Management system that's used where I work. Essentially it records hourly water and air temperature readings from hundreds of individual sensors placed within the water system. I don't know what kind of database this data is stored in (it looks like an ancient proprietary database that's just been built upon over the years) before it gets retrieved via the Windows frontend app, but using this app only allows you to look at readings from up to 10 sensors at a time (I don't know whether this is due to enforced restrictions within the frontend or the database, or both). My boss wants me to find a way for him to be able to automatically see periodic readings from all the sensors at once, or at least all the sensors from a certain building, and not through the frontend.

The way I wanted to approach this was to access the database in which the values are stored, and circumvent using this restrictive frontend - I was hoping it would be an SQL db or something like that. But because I frankly don't understand the implemented technologies quite enough I concluded the only way to get at the data automatically and periodically is through one of those mouse recording and playback programs - this would then open up an excel spreadsheet, import the data into it 10 sensor readings at a time and finally I'd do something with VBA to make it more presentable, maybe run off regular reports etc

My only doubts about this approach come from the fact that the frontend (which the recorded mouse macro will be using) is unlikely to stay static - things may be added fairly regularly to the frontend screen which could mess up my mouse macro e.g. if I record the mouse moving to the sixth file in a view of directories (or at point x,y) and selecting it and then if a file gets added to the beginning of this view my previous file is now the seventh one, so any mouse recording software would need to be fairly "intelligent" or at least have pretty decent scripting abilities.

Wow, having just read that back to myself and realised it's nowhere near as clear and concise as it should be I hope you can get understand what I need to get done. If anyone has any comments on the approach I've decided to take and the best mouse macro software I should use they'd be much appreciated.

Databases needed for looking up song years of release

mdpc98 — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 14:49:30 -0800

I have been given the task of looking up the year-of-release for a large number (~8000) songs. Many of these titles are European, Latin American, and South American. Allmusic.com is okay, but slow and not as comprehensive as I require--esp. for uncommon titles. I'd bet that I have to find some specialized databases. Anyone have a suggestion?

Recommend simple and cheap Mac database software.

ajr — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 13:59:18 -0800

Any recommendations for simple and cheap Mac database software?

Freeware or shareware to read .fp5 files?

Metametadata — Wed, 15 Sep 2004 13:37:46 -0800

Does anyone know of a freeware or shareware database program that can read and edit .fp5 files? I know they're proprietary to filemaker. I use filemaker pro 5 at work and recieved a license through the company. On occasion I need to work from home and reference these files. Needless to say I'd rather not have to shell out the $300 for a personal filemaker pro license and work isn't interested in buy it for my home pc either. Anyone know of a way I can at least peek into the file?

Catalog my music collection as a webpage?

punishinglemur — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 13:04:02 -0800

I'm looking for a program that will catalog my music collection as a webpage. I'd like something that alphabetically lists artists, and each artist entry can be expanded to list songs. Preferably the program would work from an M3U playlist or based off my file structure (songs are in folders according to artist).