software database

[randbrod14]

Am looking to organize my orchid collection into a database which will help provide information (picture, when/where bought, repotting date, flowering times, etc) on each individual orchid. Any ideas with an approach and software to help me out?

[Roberta]

I use a database that I created in Microsoft Access. First critical piece is to identify each plant with a unique identifier (I just use a sequential number) If I divide a plant, the new divisions get a new number. The origin can go on the tag and in a comments section, but the scheme only works if each plant is unique. Then you can set it up with the basic information in a "master table" (genus, species or grex, parentage, where you got it, when you got it, how much you paid, etc. etc.) with that unique ID as the key. With the key you can then link related tables such as bloom date and potting date (one would hope that you have many for that plant), photos (use hyperlinks to photos stored outside the database, or it will get huge very fast... photos as objects are stored as uncompressed bitmaps).If the links are in a table, you can link multiple pictures to a given plant. Use Date format for dates, number for price, and use text for other fields unless there is a good reason not to, to give yourself maximum flexibility.

If you use a spreadsheet you lose the ability to have those one-to-many relationships, but it works. Still, for photos use hyperlinks to external files.The unique identifier is still critical - you may have more than one of a particular species/grex and they very likely have differences.

Assuming Microsoft product, if you get an annoying "Do you really want to do this?" when you click the link to the photo, PM me... there's a hack to fix it, the annoyance has been there for many years.

---------- Post added at 08:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:05 AM ----------

Another approach... if you have Orchidwiz already, you have a database for your own plants already (the Journal) If you want an exhaustive orchid reference, it is a product well worth owning anyway. Then you can link your own plants to their references in Orchidwiz with all sorts of information. It still works best with a unique ID for each plant.

[estación seca]

It's not hard to do a spreadsheet, as Roberta mentioned above.

An Orchid Board member has written an orchid database application:
An orchid tracking system . . .
Versions for Mac and PC exist.
The Fiction & Apps of Andrew Nicolle

[SouthPark]

I have attached a recently made-up excel (.xlsx) workbook spreadsheet example. A little excel spreadsheet experience is needed to use it, but it's pretty much straight-forward to use for spread-sheet users.

The attached excel workbook doesn't involve macros. Completely safe.

There are some columns that involve general microsoft excel functions, such as the column E, or column J or column L. These columns automatically perform an operation and fills out some details - so those columns need to remain untouched - except for cases where you notice that the cell is not doing the automatic filling of information - in which case you just need to manually copy the formula contents of the cell directly ABOVE the blank cell, and then PASTE the formula contents to the blank cell. And then the auto-filling will work.

The bottom section of the excel window will show various 'tabs' which can be selected by mouse cursor ---- such as rlc, c, paph etc etc. These allow the user to jump around to the various orchid categories.

The spread-sheet is free for anybody to use and modify, and distribute. Always make lots of back-ups of the spreadsheet files (for safe-keeping).

Roberta mentioned a useful feature in her Microsoft Access database for orchids - namely a unique ID codeword. This will certainly be extremely useful for those having lots and lots of orchids.

My excel workbook spreadsheet currently doesn't have a unique ID feature. But one plan could be to use 'macro' scripts in excel to generate a unique ID.

For example -- if we want to generate a new ID, one method could be to have an excel macro button that allows you to tell excel which cell you want to generate the unique ID. The generated unique ID will just appear where you want it. Options for ID? One option is Epoch time. So based on the current date and time, excel (or any computer) can generate a unique value ---- an epoch time value.

So we just tell excel which cell we want to generate the unique ID value (so that we don't have to do it ourselves), and it will generate it. This particular spreadsheet (attached) doesn't have this feature. But macro-functions should be able to get the job done.

[UPDATE] - I have also included a .xlsm macro-enabled excel workbook spreadsheet (attached), which demonstrates the generation of unique ID values based on number of seconds (relative to a fixed reference date and time).