Databases that help your business succeed

Delian Systems Ltd.

Standards

This page introduces a few of the standards that we apply to many of our databases.

 

1. Drilldown

In contrast to many databases that have been designed to “get the data in”, we give attention on how to access any data both rapidly and intuitively. This involves the concept of ’drilldown’ that we use extensively. One example of this is in the timekeeping system where the time that individuals log against jobs is used to prepare invoices. From a screen listing jobs, a single click can select one job whose details are then displayed. Another click will then display a list of invoices created fro that job. Another click will then show a list of the time recorded in each week for one of the staff members charged on that invoice. A final click will then display the full timesheet for that staff member for any selected week. Thus a few mouse clicks can provide access to a wide variety of data held and this example is only one of many alternative routes that have been made available to the user.

 

2. Letters

Many of our databases have letter generation facilities. These use letter templates that can be prepared in Word and then copied into the database. Each template contains a combination of fixed text and data field inserts. The creation of a letter uses a rich text field to assemble the combination of fixed text and data inserts to provide a draft to which any additional text may be added. These letters are stored within the database where they can then be referenced rapidly and copied across to Word for printing.

 

One of our CIPTS installations that records clinical information for patients and is also use to generate letters to patients, GPs, consultants, next of kin etc. has over 230,000 letters that have been created using these letter writing facilities

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3. Flexible menus

As each user logs on to the database the menu that they are presented with adjusts so that they only see the menu options that are appropriate to them and that they have authority to access.

 

 

4. Data entry on the fly

Depending upon the authority of the user, new entries may be made to lookup lists by entering them as part of the data entry of records that use these lookups

 

 

5. Current lookups

Lookups may be set to current or non current so that new records show only the ‘current’ lookups whilst older records show the full set including non-current

 

 

6. Unbound forms

To minimise the locking requirements and maximise the performance when large numbers of users have logged on concurrently, detail forms are not bound to the data but perform an initial read on loading and write the updated data back at the end when the user “saves” the data. This also makes it easy for the user to “Cancel” the input or update if mistakes have been made.