>- see footer for list info -< so the problems are 1. you get the data at the last minute 2. each school has a different template 3. the data provided changes each time
1 and 3: you're probably screwed, as you can't prevent that. but what can you do to mitigate the problems? How different are the schools' templates? e.g. is it a case of School 1 has fields ABCD, but School 2 only has fields AB? Or is School 2 fields WXYZ instead, i.e .completely different? If there's some commonality, i'd try to use one template that could be applied to all, and using some logic to work out which fields to show or hide. Or failing that, 4 templates to cover each of nursery/primary/secondary/special. Duncan Cumming New Media Developer Customer Relations Management / Education Fife Council 700 4105 / 01592 414105 >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 30/10/2006 11:11 >>> >- see footer for list info -< I have an application that displays school budget information every year. The appication provides information on S52 and standards fund budgets. http://www.bgfl.org/services/budget/default.htm Select Schools a-z and then select a school ... You'll get the idea from there .... So, The data for this system is provided each year on an excel spreadsheet. There are approx 500 schools and boat loads of columns ...... I upload this information to an SQL database table (there is a table for nuresery, primary, secondary and special) each of the reports for these schools have a different layout. So I make a template for each and then display the data. There is also a different layout for each again for an excel view that can be downloaded. (I had to do this as the HTML differs in 'colspans' etc for the EXCEL view) - Thats a real pain doing it twice ..... So all works well. Then next year comes along and the grants have completely changed. The view is different the excel column names are different and so the templates are different. (AGhhh) multiply this by four years (So far) and you start to see how much of a pain this app is. As always I get the data the day it has to go live ... Which means a real late night getting everything transferred and re-writing the template each time ... Also every few months the Standards Fund changes ..... I am looking for ideas to automate this? I am going to DEVCON and would love to talk to anyone who is interested in this app. Its a real pain and I know there must be a MUCH better way of doing it if my CF skills were bettter. Is anyone else working for an LEA that provides this info ... (DFES directive)? - How do you do it ? Regards - Paul _______________________________________________ For details on ALL mailing lists and for joining or leaving lists, go to http://list.cfdeveloper.co.uk/mailman/listinfo -- CFDeveloper Sponsors:- >- cfdeveloper Hosting provided by www.cfmxhosting.co.uk -< >- Lists hosted by www.Gradwell.com -< >- CFdeveloper is run by Russ Michaels, feel free to volunteer your help -< ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed and should not be disclosed to any other party. If you have received this email in error please notify your system manager and the sender of this message. This email message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses but no guarantee is given that this e-mail message and any attachments are free from viruses. Fife Council Tel: 08451 55 00 00 ************************************************ _______________________________________________ For details on ALL mailing lists and for joining or leaving lists, go to http://list.cfdeveloper.co.uk/mailman/listinfo -- CFDeveloper Sponsors:- >- cfdeveloper Hosting provided by www.cfmxhosting.co.uk -< >- Lists hosted by www.Gradwell.com -< >- CFdeveloper is run by Russ Michaels, feel free to volunteer your help -<
