Australia's Science Forum

Hi all .

I'm just about to embark on a total re-arrangement of the Storeroom and Pre-room and want to make a database which records where everything is .

This will be a printed copy but also want an electronic version so that staff or more importantly , relieving Labby can quickly find stuff .

So options are to have it on the Staff Science Faculty Drive ( DET will know what I'm talking about) so staff allowed can access it . Others have suggesting google drive ...again so certain staff can access it .

Questions .

Was thinking about using Excel or google sheets so staff can use the "Find" function . to quickly find things .
Microsoft Access was also suggested as it is a data base software but I am not familiar with it and I doubt staff may be either .....it looks extremely complicated and I'm not keen on that much of a learning curve .

So wondering what you may be using and why and if there is perhaps some user friendly database software that's worth looking at .....budget for this is zero .

Thanks

Definitely not Access - that's a huge overkill!

What about Google Sheets? You own the Master copy and share it with everyone who needs it. They can view, search etc but can't edit it. Looks like Excel with a few minor differences.

Thanks Prima . Yeah , that was where I was thinking .
Do you know if there is a way to insert a picture into a cell in excel or google sheets ?
You can insert a pic but it "sits" on the spread sheet and isn't "locked" to anything ..... I am only an excel beginner....and probably missing the obvious here .

Hi Richard
Yes, I just use Excel at this stage but save/share as a Google doc. I like the idea of using a proper data base. Have had some experience in the past with using them, but it is a while ago. For now I'll stick with Excel and keep looking at Access. Onenote can be useful for filing instructions, photos and your own notes - probably not ideal for just locating an item, though.

We use excel for our Where Is It? book. I have used Access in the past and it wouldn't be any better than Excel for this list. I have it saved in the Science Staff drive and I print up a copy each year for the staffroom. Although that said, most of the staff still come and ask me where things are instead of looking it up themselves!
If staff really don't know what an item of equipment looks like they can always google it to find out...

bigmack wrote: ↑08 Feb 2019, 14:01 Thanks Prima . Yeah , that was where I was thinking .
Do you know if there is a way to insert a picture into a cell in excel or google sheets ?
You can insert a pic but it "sits" on the spread sheet and isn't "locked" to anything ..... I am only an excel beginner....and probably missing the obvious here .

Hmmmm it seems that Google Sheets is more basic than I thought it was. You're right, bigmack, an image just floats around. I'll have to think a bit more!

Hey thanks for all your suggestions . OK , will forget about Access . ....till tossing up between Excel and Sheets .

In both I've found you can put a hyperlink to a picture file which means its attached to the row but if I use Excel on the Staff drive and someone moves the picture folder into another folder EG , then the link no longer works whereas it seems if I have a Google drive Album the Google sheets hyperlink is more reliable . Although I haven't tested it to see if people sharing the Sheet can access it unless I share the album too.

Yes I agree that googling the pics of items would work and I can tell you I did that a lot when I was starting out here , .....just would have been nice to have it right there ....but I can live with that .

So another question .
Wondering how you group things like say Data loggers and probes so they stay in a group during an alphabet sort . Do you have to do
Datalogger Temp probe
Datalogger pH probe
Datalogger Light sensor
Datalogger voltage sensor

etc or is there a better way?

That would probably be the easiest. Perhaps a brand name instead, eg Pasco? Or include an additional item "Pasco" and give its location as "Refer to Dataloggers"?
We have a similar Excel spreadsheet, no pictures. As you say, melsid, we are probably the ones who use the list more than anyone else so a picture doesn't really matter!

Hey bigmack ... mine is on excel (master and password protected) and then I have google sheets which has everything from all resources, chemicals, rocks, textbooks the lot ... when i update items I then update in google sheets for teachers to view ... Happy to email / share with you to check out ... Kindest K8

Thanks Kate , PM sent

bit late on this, but have a look at a program called QUARTZY you can add pictures etc and the price is well within your budget, at least it was when I started using it a few years ago Good luck, I also have a word doc for easy finding ( and as a running stocktake)
cheers