[AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not

Andy Lacey andy at minstersystems.co.uk
Sun Dec 14 10:31:21 CST 2003


Martin

Well Gustav originally said:

>>We have the same need. As it is close to impossible to create and maintain
a set of demo-data that mimics real life, we >>pick a copy of a relevant
client's data and "anonymise" these by renaming all customers and other
identifiable data (like >>employees' names and project names) to fantasy
names."

I took that a little further with:

>>At the moment I like your idea Gustav of deliberately "corrupting" the
rest of the data so that it's there but 
>>unrecognisable. If I did that to selected fields (names, addresses, phone
nos, email addresses and so - not too many I
>> don't think) I think that would do nicely. I guess I could even do it by
encryption so that it's reversible. That way my
>>on-the-road salesperson could "corrupt" all but one customer, then
un-corrupt all after first meeting and re-corrupt all
>>but a second customer when they get to the next place."

Andy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com 
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Martin Reid
> Sent: 14 December 2003 14:37
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: Re: [AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not
> 
> 
> Andy
> 
> I missed that post. Just out of interest can you explain how 
> it would work?
> 
> Martin
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Andy Lacey" <andy at minstersystems.co.uk>
> To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'" 
> <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 4:41 AM
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not
> 
> 
> > Hi Susan and Martin
> >
> > Actually I'm really happy with Gustav's suggestion to scramble the 
> > other data, so there's no rewite involved but to clarify.
> >
> > To access the main customer screen with the customer's 
> basic details 
> > one needs to identify the customer. Ok you can enter his 
> unique code 
> > but who's going to remember all of those? No, what you do 
> is pull down 
> > the combo, enter the start the start of his name and 
> navigate to the 
> > right entry. And being as a single customer name (imagine a large 
> > conglomerate) may appear many times because each subsidiary is a 
> > customer you need to be looking
> out
> > for the right company name and location.
> >
> > Then customers have orders, they have projects, they have invoices, 
> > they have contact names, quotations, contracts, 
> manufacturing jobs and 
> > so on
> and
> > so on and so on. So, to give an example, to display a contract's 
> > details (without going via the main customer screen which 
> you can do 
> > but don't hve
> > to) one can, if one knows it, enter a contract number, but 
> no-one does, so
> > what the user does is pull down a combo which again shows 
> customer and
> > enough details to identify the contract. And this kind of 
> exercise is
> > repeated over and over again in order to give users rapid 
> access to the
> > screens and/or reports they want. And the info on the combos varies
> > according to the type of data being sought (financial, production,
> quality,
> > distribution....).
> >
> > So it ain't easy - but I think a variation on Gustav's approach
> (encrypting
> > and de-encrypting the data) will work great, and thanks to everyone 
> > who contributed their ideas.
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Andy Lacey
> > http://www.minstersystems.co.uk
> >
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> > > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Martin 
> > > Reid
> > > Sent: 14 December 2003 09:05
> > > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> > > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not
> > >
> > >
> > > Could you drop the combo and have them key in the company 
> name then 
> > > do a filter?
> > >
> > > Open a blank form?
> > >
> > > Just bouncing ideas to avoid a rewrite
> > >
> > > Martin
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Andy Lacey" <andy at minstersystems.co.uk>
> > > To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'"
> > > <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> > > Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2003 7:41 AM
> > > Subject: RE: [AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not
> > >
> > >
> > > > No Martin that's just not so in this case. How, for example, do 
> > > > you use a combo to select something without displaying the
> > > records around
> > > > the one
> > > you
> > > > need? It's not a training issue.
> > > >
> > > > Andy
> > > >
> > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> > > > > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of 
> > > > > Martin Reid
> > > > > Sent: 13 December 2003 15:26
> > > > > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> > > > > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Of course the simple appraoch is to train up the users.
> > > > >
> > > > > Martin
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > From: "Andy Lacey" <andy at minstersystems.co.uk>
> > > > > To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'" 
> > > > > <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> > > > > Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2003 5:44 AM
> > > > > Subject: RE: [AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > No, but if I encrypt (ie scramble in a structured way)
> > > then I can
> > > > > unencrypt
> > > > > > that one and encrypt another customer afterwards.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Andy
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > > > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> > > > > > > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On 
> Behalf Of 
> > > > > > > Gustav Brock
> > > > > > > Sent: 13 December 2003 12:02
> > > > > > > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> > > > > > > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Hi Andy
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I see. But my idea wouldn't work if the sales person was 
> > > > > > > visiting several clients per day - except if all
> > > customers were
> > > > > scrambled and
> > > > > > > he brings a list telling which real customer, 
> say, "McAllen 
> > > > > > > & Daughters Ltd." represents.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > /gustav
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Not sure what you mean by "mixed up" Gustav. Take one of
> > > > > > > many screens.
> > > > > > > > Here you can select a financial period and 
> year; select a
> > > > > > > customer or
> > > > > > > > a customer group or leave blank for all customers, hit
> > > > > Print and a
> > > > > > > > report will show the orders for those criteria, a
> > > summary of
> > > > > > > > expenditure, render it into GBP if it was export and so 
> > > > > > > > on.
> > > > > > > And that's
> > > > > > > > just one of many, many examples. Now the pitfalls are
> > > > > that a) the
> > > > > > > > sales person may/will drop down the combo to choose the
> > > > > customer,
> > > > > > > > thereby showing other customers or b) may inadvertently
> > > > > select the
> > > > > > > > wrong customer and print the report (and hand it
> > > over to his
> > > > > > > > client before he realises his mistake - aargh!) 
> or c) hit 
> > > > > > > > Print without selecting a customer and therefore list
> > > > > activity for all
> > > > > > > > customers. This is the sort of thing I'm talking
> > > about. And as
> > > > > > > > I
> > > > > > > stressed right
> > > > > > > > from the start there are oodles of such situations in
> > > > > the system
> > > > > > > > so attacking each one individually is not an option.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > At the moment I like your idea Gustav of deliberately
> > > > > > > "corrupting" the
> > > > > > > > rest of the data so that it's there but 
> unrecognisable. If
> > > > > > > I did that
> > > > > > > > to selected fields (names, addresses, phone nos, email
> > > > > > > addresses and
> > > > > > > > so - not too many I don't think) I think that would do
> > > > > > > nicely. I guess
> > > > > > > > I could even do it by encryption so that it's 
> reversible.
> > > > > > > That way my
> > > > > > > > on-the-road salesperson could "corrupt" all but one
> > > > > customer, then
> > > > > > > > un-corrupt all after first meeting and re-corrupt all
> > > > > but a second
> > > > > > > > customer when they get to the next place.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > --
> > > > > > > > Andy Lacey
> > > > > > > > http://www.minstersystems.co.uk
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > --------- Original Message --------
> > > > > > > > From: "Access Developers discussion and problem 
> solving" 
> > > > > > > > <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> > > > > > > > To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving" 
> > > > > > > > <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> > > > > > > > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Sort of like a filter only not
> > > > > > > > Date: 12/12/03 13:44
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Hi Andy
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Hmmm ... but why are the data initially mixed up?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > > > >
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