Rolling stock spreadsheet/database

[asciibaron]

Wait a minute here, we are digressing. The problem has not been properly defined to start going in the directions of card card systems and way-bills. Ed just said "inventory".

he said for hard and soft data - so i guess he wants a single db with the works and then can query (sort) for specific details.  the tangent came about because he wants to put assign specific train details to individual cars.  having an inventory and using that to populate the car cards is one thing, but to use an inventory to setup the layout is asking for trouble, even on the kidney.

[Two Truck Shay]

Good Lord man, you've put the prices on it. If your dear wife ever sees that you're sunk!!! 

[SirTainly]

I'm not sure what format it's going to end up, but excel sheets tend to be pretty portable, and I don't need internet access to add to them.

You don't need it, but hey it's one of those things you do because you can!

[Ian MacMillan]

Wait a minute here, we are digressing. The problem has not been properly defined to start going in the directions of card card systems and way-bills. Ed just said "inventory". He has not defined WHAT he wants to do with the inventory other than "to determine what I have/need for the future layout". Our thread host must divulge wants he expects to gleen from this storage of information. THAT will dictate what fields should be added to the table.

Most people are too quick to add every known field to a table but forget the fundamental questions:
  A) Do you really need all of that information
  B) Do you really want to input all of that information for each item
  C) Do you really want to maintain all of that information
  D) Now that you have all of that information, what am I going to do with it.

As with any system ( or layout ) design, you must have an end goal and define what you expect as a result set from the project.

No but if you design one DB have ALL the tables in it, and let your queries sort it all out for each thing that you want. Inventory query, Car Card query, etc. It makes no sense to design a different GUI for everything if you are building it for yourself. If you are looking to sell a product, then yeah make them separate programs. But when you look at it a car car or dispatch DB is really an inventory DB with extra fields.

Plus knowing how information centric Ed is, yeah he does want all that info and will maintain it religiously.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Well, I'm making some progress.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tGeOdZ7jfl6DbT0Ba_DSOVQ&output=html

The real goals are:
1. Inventory to know what I have for insurance, etc...
2. Identify what "services" on the future layout I have car coverage for (for example, the PH Glatfelter Paper Mill has 8 potential CR X71 boxcars to serve it), and which I don't (I still need a bunch of cement hoppers, and aggregate hoppers). This includes what general trains things are going to belong in. I noticed that I don't have nearly enough CN/CP cars for PYSE/SEPY (runs from Albany NY to Potomac Yard in NoVA), but do have somewhat decent coverage for various southern roads.

[JDouglasFisher]

The whole insurance angle of this project alone more and justifies the effort in my opinion. I speak from experience, had I had apartment insurance, AND a list of what HO scale equipment I had, I would still have it (or its replacement value)

The only thing different I would do is switch some of the columns around, for instance, Road Numbers should be placed beside Reporting Markings, and "Weathered" should be placed after Paint Scheme Notes.

I would also develop a column for MSRP, because as Ed noted in some rows, he paid for certain cars at drastically reduced rates, which the insurance company would just love to pay, versus what the MSRP would be. Not very likely come time to replace them that he may be able to score the same price on the same equipment again.

Just my 2 cents.

J..

P.S. keeping it a copy on Google is also a good idea, lets assume for a minute you have a house fire, good bet the computer gets smoked too. Atleast having a copy of the file hosted on Google Docs, even if your computer goes up in smoke, you still have the file readily accessible to you.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I hadn't thought of MSRP, but I should include that too. Thanks.

And I'm not worried about column order right now, since it's so easy to switch around.

This seemed to work fine for the data entry.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Yep.

Still waiting to take the pc plunge.

[Walkercolt]

'Cat, I need something between yours and a simple list. Seen alot of inventory softwares (and freeware) but haven't found what I want yet. Kinda like trying to find a new big-block station wagon today. : Kinda want something with a space for a photo thumbnail now. That would save a bunch of typing (which I'm not great at), and file size isn't an issue for me.(Two 1/2 terrabite portable mass storage drives.)