I'm not familiar with what data you are storing, but I've worked many years in database management and programming.
The problem with Access and Filemaker is, if you decide to go that route, you've just become a programmer. They tell you how easy they are to use, and in the modern point and click world we live in, they are right. But are they easy to use well?
There's 3 main parts of a system like this to be considered:
Database structure - How to store the data.
User interface - Entering the data.
Query and reporting - Getting the data out.
Get any one of these wrong, and you've got headaches.
I could give you endless examples of bad programming, but I'd like to share one most people never consider, but comes up quite a bit.
Let's say we're tracking admissions. We have a Fee table with 3 entries, Child, Adult, Senior, each with a different price. Each day you enter the number of admissions sold at each price, and at the end of the month, you run a report that tells you the number of admissions sold in each category and the total amount taken in. Simple enough.
The board gets together and decides to go up on the Adult ticket price, so you go in change the amount. But when you run the report for any previous month, your numbers are all wrong because the system is using the new price.
How to fix? Put effective dates on each price in the Fee table, add a new record with the new price and effective dates, and have the query look up the correct fee for the dates the admissions were sold.
The world of programming is full of these types of pitfalls. So for those that want to do-it-yourself, be prepared for lots of testing, error checking, and verification. The computer does exactly what you tell it to, never what you want it to.
Rachel, you may want to follow David's lead when he'd "
rather go with something made by a company that can help with the technical aspects when needed than having to create something from scratch that I'd have to manage."
Best of luck to you both, no matter what you decide.------------------------------
Bill Browne
Westlake LA
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-11-2019 10:42 AM
From: David Clapp
Subject: Collections Software
Good Morning All,
I'm starting to research new databases as part of me starting my position here with the Biggs Museum of American Art. To preface this, our collection has approximately 3,500 objects ranging from prints/drawings to small scale sculptures to furniture. We also have about 3,500 books that are catalogued with the Library of Congress numbering system that isn't in our database and appears to be a Herculean task to try to configure an Excel doc to import into our database. It may be possible to move into the archives world too as we have a few collections by living artists that could very well want to donate everything, including materials for an archive.
With this being said, we are currently using PastPerfect 5 without the web/online and barcode modules. I don't mind PastPerfect, especially when it comes to having the Library and Archives modules built in, but I'd rather get something that fits the mannerisms of our team, our collection and general museum needs (e.g. web publishing), etc. I have been looking at TMS but am unable to remember from previous employers on if it allows for separation of 3 umbrella collections (museum collection, archive collection, and library collection). With this being said, I have a few questions before contacting the sales team at Gallery Systems (and feel free to add anything relevant too!):
- Are there any recurring costs to having the web based TMS? e.g. the cloud based servers.
- Are we able to have our own cloud based server for the web based TMS?
- Are we able to have that collection separation in TMS?
- Are we able to tie objects back to donors or lenders without having to skip over the accession number as seen in PastPerfect 5?
- Is there a database that's more specific to art museums that has the library and archives modules/sections that I'm missing?
I'm definitely open to different collections databases outside of TMS and PastPerfect. I've used Rediscovery Proficio and it wasn't terrible but I didn't love it. I'd rather go with something made by a company that can help with the technical aspects when needed than having to create something from scratch that I'd have to manage.
Thanks in advance!
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David Clapp
Registrar/Collections Manger, Biggs Museum of American Art
dclapp@biggsmuseum.org
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