Hi Drew: I really hope that your toes are healing fast and that you are not in much pain. I also hope that you are ready for my big list of wishes! (yes, I am smiling now!)
I am sending you the complete UML diagram of the example for the tutorial. I am sending it in open document format because you are invited to modify it. I still want to keep this example simple. We are covering a lot of ground for people that, like me, are unfamiliar with all these concepts and ways of thinking. And getting too complex can hide the forest with far too many trees. I still believe that the examples must be archetypal of situations that the readers could encounter in their own applications and generic enough so that they can see the correspondence. On the other hand, I do want to use a data structure that would include ways of thinking data modeling that have not been covered yet. In particular I am interested in you Patient Account Table, as I think that billing could be something that many people would have in common when deciding to build a database application. I also want a solution that can help visualize and manage the schedule with flexibility and ease. The user should be able to identify available options and change them before the fact, adapting to circumstances. I am sure that this is also common across the board of potential users of Base. There are other elements that I have chosen to leave out. For example the diagnosis could be done according to ICD-9 or DSM-IV (TR) but the thinking and the procedure needed to implement this is the same as the implementation of the medication table. (That is, we have a n..n relationship that will require an intermediate table; the input form can use a drop down list built upon the records of the corresponding table, etc). Although a professional design could not go without it, someone who has read this tutorial should be able to develop this functionality based on the information provided so far. About 4/5 of this tutorial have been devoted to thinking the design of tables and their structure of connections. By contrast, coding them will be quite easy. My challenge comes now in developing forms and reports that are up to par with all that thinking. Following the philosophy of the tutorial, minimizing entry error is paramount. This requires the use of drop-down lists, maybe using functions to make sure capitalization is not a mess, time stamping, etc. Along with the UML design, I am sending you an odt document that describes crucial forms the example wishes to be able to develop, along with important considerations I have identified. I need you to tell me if the forms, as described, can be done; if not, what alternatives are available, and to teach me how to actually do them so I can describe this in educational terms. I am also sending you some questions regarding the use of SQL in Base. You might have noticed that all your comments have been incorporated in one way or the other in this tutorial, this is because you have a vantage position here: you know Base, you know database development for medical billing and records, etc. I only hope that this big wish list doesn't seem overwhelming, as I know that you are a busy person. I really hope to finish this tutorial before mid November. Let's see! In the mean time, I wait for you comments with great interest. Cheers, Mariano. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
