Johan, I have set up a few sheet music and CD/recording archive libraries using Filemaker Pro (windows and mac + very cross platform friendly) and can let you have a 'clone' copy of the file (and anyone else on the list who is interested). This is a copy of the database file but without any entries, just like you would have to start out. They are all in v5.5 although Filemaker is now onto v8 I think, but it'll work fine in any version since 5.5. One file has nearly 10,000 records and filemaker handles it fine, a full A-Z re-ordering takes only a couple of seconds. I have it set up with entries (they're called 'fields') for: Title (of each individual piece, including those within a selection or suite etc.) Selection, Show or Film Title (from which it derives) Composer Arranger Publisher Publication Date Timing Selection Contents (So one can view all the numbers within a collective work) Format - Radio buttons that you click on to define things like: Finale File Printed Score Reference Score Published Sheet Music Published Music Album Instrumentation - Check boxes for categories: Orchestral Concert Band Choral Solo Instrumental Piano Vocal Score Category - Check Boxes for: Album Fantasy March Overture Selection Suite Waltz Hymn Fanfare Plus a field for instrumentation details - there are just so many variations it is impossible to pidgeon-hole everything into a specific category. It also has a 'Loan' section so you can track any music that goes out of the library. You can easily customise the database to your requirements and you don't _have_ to use all the above choices but believe me, it's good to have them onboard when things expand! The problem with using a word processor or spreadsheet in difference to a fully blown database is in the restriction of searching capabilities and the presentation of the data from within the file. With filemaker you can have many different 'layouts' for viewing, printing and presenting your data but it all stays within the same file, you just move seemlessly from one environment to the other. AND you can export and import easily (this includes to speadsheets and other database applications). You can also set up the layouts so that certain fields are restricted to viewing or entry, or the user is given a preset choice of entries, as some of my files are. You can even link fields across different database files. It is very versatile and I couldn't imagine ever using anything else, even for the smallest of libraries. Obviously (the downer), you have to put the data in first, but a little judicious planning can save days of work at a later stage. But once entered you can manipulate it any way you wish. Expect it to take a few sessions to get you head around the program, but isn't that the case with any good piece of software? Why not download a trial version and run my file, see what you think. You'll also have a whole load of other database related files like address book or contacts, personel records, invoicing, etc., at your disposal. You can (and should) use it for just about anything where you need information stored collectively and then presented or searched upon in different ways. In this way the application can be used for many quite different tasks. Jonathan |
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