FMPRO Session 4
Database
Layout Types
Viewing Your Data
The data in your database will
not be of much use unless you can see it. Databases enable you to create layouts
that display your information with various views. The four common categories
of layouts are:
The Blank Layout
- Create a custom layout up to
a 96" square.
The Detail View
- The detail view shows you all
or almost all the information about a single record. In a contact’s database,
this would include a person’s first name, last name, address, city, state,
ZIP, and phone numbers. Looking at a detail view is analogous to looking at
one information sheet inside a binder. The purpose of this view is to provide
as much information as possible for one record. The types of detail layouts
are:
- Standard: Fields viewed in a
single vertical column.
- Single Page Form: This defaults
to a letter size 81/2" x 11" form and sets the body line automatically.
The List View
- This view shows you many records
at a time with information about each record. This looks similar to the rows-and-columns
format of a spreadsheet. It serves two purposes: (1.) it enables you to scan
many records in a short time. (2.) it provides, at a glance, the information
that you most often need (such as a phone number).
- Most databases enable you to
select which fields you see in the list view. Usually, you select the fields
that you need to see most often such as First Name, Last Name, and Phone.
- The absence of a list view in
some databases forces you to look at your records one at a time–analogous
to "leafing" through pages. This is frustrating because it makes looking through
your database a slow process. Never buy a database that does not provide a
list view. The types of list view layouts include the columnar report and
the extended columnar report.
Columnar Report:
Fields viewed in multiple columns.Extended Columnar Report:It allows fields to extend horizontally
to 96" on the layout. Always use the type "extended columnar report" (not "columnar
report"). Specify the field order. You can drag the fields to reposition them
in a different order. Use a header for your columnar lists.Using the Detail & List Views
- Suppose that we want to call
Gilbert Amelio at Apple to make sure that he builds a lightweight multiprocessor
powerbook with a CD-ROM drive and built-in speech recognition. Using the list
view, we can see about 20 records but only the first name, last name, and
phone number of each record.
- We scroll through the list until
we see Gilbert’s phone number. All we want is Gilbert’s phone number,
so the list view provides as much information as we need.
- We call him, and, of course,
we do not get past his secretary, so we decide to send him a fax. The list
view does not show his fax number, so we double-click on his record and go
to the detail view. This enables you to see more information than the limited
list view–including Gilbert Amelio’s fax number. Then we skip off
to our fax machine and send him a fax.
Specific Use Layouts
This category often uses sliding
objects.Labels: This allows a special layout for
custom mailing labels. Preset your layout for up to 56 different Avery brand
labels.Envelope:Defaults to a layout for a No. 10
envelope.Form Letters:Current Selection of Records
- An important idea in viewing
data, it refers to the set of records that you are currently using. The current
selection can be all the records in your database or a subset of all the records
in your database. For example, a subset of all the records in your database
may be the people who live in California.
- Returning to the binder analogy,
suppose that the binder contained 1,000 information sheets. When you are using
the entire binder, then the current selection is 1,000 sheets. If you pull
out and use only five sheets, then the current selection is five sheets.
- Understanding the concept of
a current selection is crucial to using a database well because you perform
many operations (such as sorting, printing, exporting, and searching) based
on the current selection.
