Approach Database and PSM

[David Porritt]

David:

I use "Time & Chaos" from Isbister International.

http://www.isbister.com

It is a great scheduler, customer database, to-do list etc.

dave

David ilvedson wrote:

> List,
>
> I've heard this from Gregg before and although Piano Service
> Manager is everything "I've" needed in a database/scheduler for
> my customers, it made me wonder just what do other piano
> technicians want from a database for their business?  Please
> respond with your wish list.
>
> David Ilvedson, RPT
> Pacifica, CA
>
> Gregg Newell wrote:
> "That program was never really what I needed in the first place
> and ,I believe, grossly overpriced."
> >
> > I'm sorry PSM didn't suit your needs as well as you hoped. I worked
> > very hard on it to make it as widely useful as possible. It's still used
> > by quite a few technicians and continues to sell well. It runs fine on
> > DOS, Win 3.1, Windows 9x or Macintosh/RealPC. A free demo version is
> > available at our web site. Its the only program of its kind I know of
> > with 800 number support.
> >
> > While you are certainly entitled to your opinion, I would take issue with
> > your assertion that it was overpriced. Frankly, for the amount of time I
> > put into the project and the number of copies I sold I would have been
> > better off to just tune pianos. The market is very small in our field,
> > necessitating that complex specialized software be priced higher than
> > say a program like Microsoft Word which will sell tens of millions of
> > copies.
> >
> > I have close to 1000 hours of programming and beta testing in the program.
> > At least several hundred hours have been spent by Marty and I over the
> > years helping "newbie" computer users who simply didn't have a clue what
> > they were doing use PSM or their computer. The amount of support time
> > required by a program of this type is enormous.
> >
> > I'm not really complaining, and not sorry I wrote PSM. The programming
> > expertise I gained with PSM and other programs gave me the skills to
> > write RCT, which is very successful.
> >
> > >Now the only reason I won't have what I need is if I didn't create it
> > >correctly.
> > >     I have already opened all the database files in both Approach and in
> > >FileMaker Pro so I know it's possible. I guess the step now is to create
> > >a form to import all the info into. PSM does split up the info into more
> > >than one database as you so intelligently suggest. I did not find a file
> > >that showed the main screen or form which opens 3 databases initially.
> > >They are customer, piano, and schedule (this last one alternates with
> > >the invoice database). These are all tiled on screen at the same time one
> > >above the other. This is the view I wish to create for my wife ( at
> > >least initially). I will sit through the tutorials but that is a little
> > >like asking directions when we're lost isn't it? :>)
> >
> > I hope you are successful in this. Filemaker Pro is a great program. I
> > did not know that it could even read dBase 3+ or Clipper (PSM) files. I
> > would be very interested in helping you in this project. I'd love to
> > see a set of Filemaker Pro templates which could be used in Windows.
> >
> > You may even rediscover why I've had to charge what I did for PSM. It
> > takes lots of time and expertise to set up the user interface,the screens
> > and relationships.
> >
> > I've thought many times of writing a Windows 9x and Macintosh version of
> > PSM but the market size for that niche product didn't make it worth while
> > in the last few years and it doesn't seem to me that it is worth it now
> > either. I'm going to reevaluate this later this year. If anyone has
> > comments on this feel free to email me privately. I would have to almost
> > completely rewrite the program.
> >
> > Maybe programs such as Filemaker Pro will eventually make specialized
> > database programs such as PSM obsolete. That would be fine with me!
> > However there are large numbers of users who are simply not as computer
> > savvy as you and can't set this up.
> >
> > -Dean
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >  Dean L. Reyburn, RPT      RPS, Inc.          email:  dean@reyburn.com
> >  2695 Indian Lakes Road                      web page: www.reyburn.com
> >  Cedar Springs, Michigan, 49319 USA
> >  1-888-SOFT-440 (or 616-696-1002)                    Fax: 616-696-8121
> >
> >
> >
> >
> David Ilvedson, RPT
> Pacifica, CA
> ilvey@jps.net



--
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David M. Porritt, RPT
Meadows School of the Arts
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
mailto:dporritt@swbell.net
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