The Dean Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 There is a non-profit theatre that physically mails postcards to their clientele (a list of about 4,000 people), and do some email marketing/announcements, as well They also have lists of donors, officers, etc. In the past these lists have been poorly maintained, and there is much duplication and waste. The person who did most of the work is gone, but she started using Filemaker Pro to do the bulk of the work, but got very little done before leaving the company. Nobody left in the company knows the software, and none are particularly computer literate, although they work on them all day, so they can do the basics. They have limited Excel experience, and I converted all the lists into Excel format, so they could at least deal with the data. So the question is, should these people learn Filemaker Pro, get another software package, just fix up and share the Excel files? Is there a good cloud option they can use? I'm really hoping some of you have actual experience with some different methods, and can share your pros and cons. I have done research, and continue to do more, on the available options, so this isn't to replace that work, but to enhance it. Here are some things that may be important to your recommendations: There is no server at the theatre. So the software needs to be internet based, or perhaps works with a file they could put in a shared file on one of the computers. The point is, they should all be able to address the same database. There should be different levels of access, so that only the GM (for example) can change certain info, or certain records. All the computers, except one, are PC. The lone Mac is an older mini, that pretty much sucks. The software must work on PC. If it works on both platforms it is a bonus, but not necessary. They have no committed IT presence. This needs to be simple, It doesn't need to be super flexible, but some modifications should be easy to make, and without a lot of expense. At the least, it should be easy to transition to something more powerful, should they need it down the road. The currently print labels for the postcards, so the solution should support that, at least for the time being. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this, and for posting suggestions if you have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Would Base meet your requirements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Would Base meet your requirements? That's what I was going to suggest, as well. Do they have MS Access? I could put together a simple address database in a few days. But, they'd need Access and someone to setup the ODBC connections and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 Would Base meet your requirements? That's what I was going to suggest, as well. Do they have MS Access? I could put together a simple address database in a few days. But, they'd need Access and someone to setup the ODBC connections and all that. Base is actually what I was going to have them use, a little over a year ago. Some of the computers have Access, but most do not. I just figured I would put Open Office on all the machines, and they could try Base, sharing the file. I have to say, that seemed to make the Marketing person (and the GM) a little bit nervous. When the Marketing person found she could upgrade their File Maker Pro (which she was familiar with) to the new version, and get the Non-Profit discount, they went in that direction. (Part of the list had been in an older version of Filemaker Pro.) Unfortunately, they never did much with the program in the year they have had it. I have never had the need to use Base (or Access). Is it very easy to program? I would guess there are templates that are pretty easy to modify. Can import their File Maker Pro and Excel databases? Because of the problem posed by having no server, I was thinking it might be better to use an online database program, or one designed especially for mailing lists. I considered using Google Docs (their spreadsheet program) or perhaps their new database program, Fusion Tables. I don't know all that much about Fusion Tables, and I have some concern about the privacy of the information. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, as it reinforces what I was going to do last year. I still hope they can find something a little more turnkey, but that may be asking for too much. If Access is the choice, I may have a freelance project for you, Dan. Can you do the same with Base? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Base is actually what I was going to have them use, a little over a year ago. Some of the computers have Access, but most do not. I just figured I would put Open Office on all the machines, and they could try Base, sharing the file. I have to say, that seemed to make the Marketing person (and the GM) a little bit nervous. When the Marketing person found she could upgrade their File Maker Pro (which she was familiar with) to the new version, and get the Non-Profit discount, they went in that direction. (Part of the list had been in an older version of Filemaker Pro.) Unfortunately, they never did much with the program in the year they have had it. I have never had the need to use Base (or Access). Is it very easy to program? I would guess there are templates that are pretty easy to modify. Can import their File Maker Pro and Excel databases? Because of the problem posed by having no server, I was thinking it might be better to use an online database program, or one designed especially for mailing lists. I considered using Google Docs (their spreadsheet program) or perhaps their new database program, Fusion Tables. I don't know all that much about Fusion Tables, and I have some concern about the privacy of the information. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, as it reinforces what I was going to do last year. I still hope they can find something a little more turnkey, but that may be asking for too much. If Access is the choice, I may have a freelance project for you, Dan. Can you do the same with Base? I don't know much at all about Google Fusion. So can't help much there. Base I've looked at very briefly quite a while ago. I'll take a glance at it and see what it can do. I've used Access... a fair amount. Certainly not an expert, but better than average I'd guess. I'll gladly look into it and help. Its kinda like a stress relief for me - databases and websites. Sorry, I glossed right over them not having a server in the initial post. I guess my eyes just couldn't accept that an office in 2009 isn't networked. I think you can set the database up on one comp and share it, like you were saying, essentially making that comp a server. My, albeit brief, experience with internet-based databases is that they cost money. So, I've always shied away from them because when is money not tight. Do they have a website? And if so, how is it hosted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 I don't know much at all about Google Fusion. So can't help much there. Base I've looked at very briefly quite a while ago. I'll take a glance at it and see what it can do. I've used Access... a fair amount. Certainly not an expert, but better than average I'd guess. I'll gladly look into it and help. Its kinda like a stress relief for me - databases and websites. Sorry, I glossed right over them not having a server in the initial post. I guess my eyes just couldn't accept that an office in 2009 isn't networked. I think you can set the database up on one comp and share it, like you were saying, essentially making that comp a server. My, albeit brief, experience with internet-based databases is that they cost money. So, I've always shied away from them because when is money not tight. Do they have a website? And if so, how is it hosted? Google Fusion Tables is new, maybe in beta. I plan to check it out in the next day or so. Their website is, I think, is hosted by their advertising agency...but I will check on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Sorry, I glossed right over them not having a server in the initial post. I guess my eyes just couldn't accept that an office in 2009 isn't networked. I think you can set the database up on one comp and share it, like you were saying, essentially making that comp a server. I know several of our security programs use an Access database, and it's a simple matter of just mapping a drive on the remote PCs to the "server" PC, to access the data. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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