Copyright

© 2012 R&F Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. For a complete copyright notice, please see the end of this document.

Overview

Purpose

COMPLETELY customize the information this app stores and displays. (Well, cross-reference, search and create reports, too.)

A personalized to-do list. Business transactions you care about. A coin collection with images. Anything.

Features

Modern: Local first - works offline, no cloud necessary. • Encryption - your mobile data is secure from theft. • Reliable - based on SQLite, the most widely deployed database engine in the world.

A solid selection of basic data building blocks: Barcode (scan) • Number • Currency • Date • Distance (mileage) • Drawing (signature capture, signature cards, …) • Duration • Email • Image • iOS Contact (association) • Note (multi-line) • Password (hidden text) • Phone Number • Time • Text • URL (hyperlink) • Yes/No.

Supplementary data building components: Choice lists • Users Interface (UI) Glyphs (headings, line breaks, …).

Special-purpose Appliances: Location (GPS) • Time Group (time tracking) • Expense Group (expense tracking) • Mileage Group (mileage tracking).

Power-user capabilities: Calculations and Merges (user-defined Formulas). • Record cross-references - e.g., assign a known Employee to a new Time Card. • Record sharing - have multiple Records reference the same Record, e.g. multiple Orders under the same Customer. • Record composition - include Records inside other Records, e.g. an Address inside a Contact. • Record design - define Records as Types in a generic manner and reuse those Types when designing other Records.

Data Synchronization: Synchronize across multiple desktop (macOS) and mobile (iOS) devices. • Synchronize through the cloud over a wired or wireless network connection. • Zero-setup - just log your device into Apple iCloud and tap a button. • Efficient - synchronize only the data that has changed, incrementally. • Built-in data recovery - automatically detect local device or remote cloud account replacement and automatically consolidate data. • Multi-way sync support: synchronize any number of desktop and mobile devices through a single iCloud account.

“If you look at any kind of modern organization and you think, ‘What are the foremost tools of power?’ You will find that it is information.” (Ricardo Semler)

Awards

The product has been selected as an Honorable Mention (3rd-place) Winner in the “Productivity” category for an App Challenge by The Linux Foundation and Intel at the Mobile World Congress 2014.

Subscriptions

Unlimited storage capacity and features such as reporting, cloud document exchange or time, expense and mileage tracking are available for purchase in the “App Features and Local Data” subscription.

Data synchronization across multiple devices through the cloud is available for purchase in the “App Data Synchronization” subscription.

Try before you buy for as long as 14 days.

Feedback Wanted!

The easyAsPieDB project is an invitation to collaborative design. Please let us know of any suggestions for improvement you might have or any problems you run into.

Request

Please help easyAsPieDB: rate it in the App Store or write a short review for it. Thanks!

Encouragement

Notice
	easyAsPieDB can be at first somewhat challenging to get to know in depth, but once understood often turns out to be surprisingly straightforward to use. Please make sure to take the time to learn the core concepts of easyAsPieDB information definition (“How easyAsPieDB Defines Information”) and information categorization (“How easyAsPieDB Categorizes Information”).

Feature List

Data Storage

Data Security

Data Design

Data Categorization

Data Visualization

Data Collection - User Interface (UI)

Data Collection - Never Enter Data Twice (NED2)

Data Review

Data Reporting

Data Utilization

Data Synchronization

How easyAsPieDB Defines Information

Types

A Type gives a name to a piece of information, in order to describe it in a way that’s easy to understand and conceptualize. For example:

• instead of saying: “a number of dollars and cents with two decimal places”, you might simply say: a Local Currency
• instead of saying: “a piece of plastic from a financial company used for payments”, you might simply say: a Major Credit Card
• instead of saying: “a person with a first name and a last name”, you might simply say: a Contact

Every Type requires a Label (a textual name) to describe its purpose.

Information
	In desktop PC terminology, Types correspond to file types and their extensions, for example .txt for “text” files (documents) or .jpg for “image” files (graphics).

Value Types

A Value Type is the most basic, indivisible building block of information. For example:

Only one Value can be specified at a time (or there can be no value at all).

Choice Types

A Choice Type is a collection of Alternatives. An Alternative requires a Label to describe what it represents. For example:

Only one Alternative can be selected at a time (or there can be no selection at all).

An important concept to understand is that you, the user of easyAsPieDB, have the freedom to define new Choice Types and the Alternatives that are valid for a particular Choice Type.

Record Types

A Record Type is the most high-level unit of information, usually something you need to keep track of. It is a collection of Fields. A Field has a particular Type (in other words, a Field is of a particular Type): a Value Type, a Choice Type, or even another Record Type. A Field also requires a Label to describe its purpose. For example:

An important concept to understand is that you, the user of easyAsPieDB, have the freedom to define new Record Types and the Fields that are expected within it.

Information
	What is the difference between an Alternative (in a Choice Type) and a Field (in a Record Type)? When it comes to a Choice Type, only one Alternative can be selected. When it comes to a Record Type, all Fields can be specified at the same time.

Notice
	Please note that a Type of a Field cannot be changed, once it has been assigned. You will have to delete a Field, discarding all data for that particular Field in all Records of the modified Record Type and create a new Field with a different Type.

Composition vs. Reference

An important concept to understand is that a Field in a Record Type can involve another Record Type. Thus, an important issue comes up: how should one Record Type include another Record Type, exactly? Directly, like a quotation inside a paragraph in a text document, or perhaps indirectly, like a reference to a footnote outside of a paragraph in a text document (at the bottom of a page)? There are two alternatives here: Composition (of another Record Type) and Reference (to another Record Type).

Notice
	Composition vs. Reference is the only part about easyAsPieDB that is a little bit tricky. Take your time to try to understand this topic.

Composition

In Composition, a parent Record Type includes a child Record Type as an integral part of itself. For example, a Paragraph (a parent) including a Quotation (a child): it does not make sense for a Quotation to exist on its own, outside of a Paragraph (well, a Quotation would have to be on a Page or perhaps on a Cover, but it would have to be somewhere). Moreover, only one Paragraph can include the same Quotation, all other Quotations - even if identical - would have to be copies of the first one.

In Composition, a child Record Type (composed) is also called a Composed Type.

Reference

A Reference to a Record Type is an association of a parent Record Type with a child Record Type. A child Record Type is able to exist independently of a parent Record Type. For example, a Paragraph (a parent) indicating a Footnote (a child) through a superscript (a number that is set slightly above the normal line): a Footnote can exist on its own even without any Paragraphs at all. Moreover, multiple Paragraphs can point to the same Footnote.

In a Reference, a child Record Type (pointed to) is also called a Referenced Type.

Lifecycle

In Composition, the information for a child Record Type is created and discarded at the same time as the information for a parent Record Type.

In a Reference, when the information for a parent Record Type is created, the information for a child Record Type initially does not even have to exist and can be created and associated with a parent Record Type at a later time. The information for a child Record Type is able to exist independently and survives the information for a parent Record Type, if the latter is deleted.

Cardinality

In Composition, there is always one parent Record Type and one child Record Type (one-to-one correspondence).

In a Reference, multiple parent Record Types can reference the same child Record Type (many-to-one correspondence).

More Examples

Another example of Composition would be a Contact (a parent) that includes an Address (a child). It does not make sense for an Address to exist on its own, outside of a Contact (well, an Address would have to be a part of a Map Marker or perhaps a GPS Location, but it would have to be a part of something). There is always one Contact and one Address.

Another example of a Reference would be an Order (a parent) that includes a Customer (a child). A Customer can exist on its own even without any Orders at all. Also, multiple Orders can involve the same Customer.

Information

It is not possible for a Record Type to include itself (as a Composed Type) or reference itself (as a Referenced Type), either directly (as an immediate child Record Type) or indirectly (as a grandchild Record Type). A parent Record Type can work only with child or grandchild Record Types that are different from itself. Otherwise, it would copy itself or would keep pointing to itself forever in an infinite loop.

Appliance Types

An Appliance Type is really just a Record Type, but with some built-in special-purpose functionality that involves its Fields, such as mobile hardware integration (e.g., getting the current GPS location) or interdependent mathematical calculations (e.g., quantity, cost and amount). For example:

Glyphs

A Glyph is the most basic, indivisible building block of easyAsPieDB User Interface (UI). It is concerned with how the information is formatted and presented, rather than what that the information really is in itself. For example:

Formulas

See Also

• the “Record Types” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Defines Information” section

A Formula is a custom recipe specified by a user that describes how to create a Field using information in other Fields within the same Record. A Formula is a collection of Elements. An Element is able to not only reference another Field, but also specify a mathematical operation, contain a predefined number, etc. Each Element of a Formula is processed one by one in the order that was specified by a user to produce a Value for a Field.

A Formula can be used for a Calculation or a Merge.

Calculations

A Formula for a Calculation can be assembled from the following Elements:

The result of a Calculation is always determined as a fractional, numeric (non-textual) Value. However, the Field that is supposed to receive the result of a Calculation can be of any numeric (non-textual) Value Type, for example Number or Currency. The particular choice of a Value Type used for a Field with a Calculation is called a Result Type.

Notice
	The particular Result Type chosen for the Field with a Calculation determines the final Value for that Field. For example, the Calculation of “four divided by three” results in the Value of 1.333, but if the Result Type for a Field is Number (non-fractional), the Value of 1.333 has to be converted to the nearest whole (non-fractional) number: 1, discarding the fractional part: 0.333.

Arithmetic Operators

A Formula for a Calculation can specify an Operator. An Operator is a basic mathematical operation. The following Operators are supported:

Functions

A Formula for a Calculation can specify a Function. A Function is a built-in mathematical or trigonometric calculation.

A Function always takes one or more Arguments (inputs) for the calculation it performs. Function Arguments are enclosed in parentheses. Each Argument is separated by a comma.

For example, the mathematical Function abs, “an absolute value of x” can be written as “abs(x)” and takes only one Argument: the quantity to calculate an absolute value for. The mathematical Function roundn, “round x to n decimal places” can be written as “roundn(x,n)” and takes two Arguments: the quantity to round and the desired number of decimal places.

Mathematical Functions

The following mathematical Functions are supported:

Trigonometric Functions

The following trigonometric Functions are supported:

A Basic Formula

For example, the Formula “take a quantity and multiply it by two” can be written as “Fractional Number * 2” and can be broken down into individual Elements as follows:

The Formula above would be processed in the following manner:

The input of 0.123 would result in the calculated output of 0.246.

An Advanced Formula

For example, the Formula “round a quantity to just one decimal place and add the number two to the result” can be written as “roundn(Fractional Number, 1.000) + 2.000” and can be broken down into individual Elements as follows:

The Formula above would be processed in the following manner:

The input of 0.333 would result in the calculated output of 2.300.

Sample Formulas

Merges

A Formula for a Merge can be assembled from the following Elements:

Information
	Any Field can be used for a Merge Formula by being automatically converted to Text. For example, a Date Field will be converted to “day - month - year” (in the appropriate date format), a Time Field will be converted to “hour : minute” (in the appropriate time format), etc.

The result of a Merge is always determined as a textual (non-numeric) Value. The Field that is supposed to receive the result of a Merge has to be of the Value Type of Text. The Value Type used for a Field with a Merge is called a Result Type.

A Basic Formula

For example, the Formula “merge three Fields with custom separators in between” can be broken down into individual Elements as follows:

The Formula above would be processed in the following manner:

The input of “Record #1”, “01/01/2024” and “9:00 AM” would result in the merged output of “Record #1 @ 01/01/2024, 9:00 AM”.

How easyAsPieDB Categorizes Information

Concepts

easyAsPieDB merges concepts well-known from the world of databases, such as Records, Fields and Tables, with concepts well-known from desktop computing, such as Collections. The notion of a Type (as described in the “How easyAsPieDB Defines Information” section) serves as “glue” across all those ideas.

Records

Just like a Record Type, a Record is also the most high-level unit of information, usually something you need to keep track of. It is a collection of Fields.

Record Types vs. Records

An important concept to understand is that a Record Type (information definition) is not the same thing as an actual Record (information content). The former represents what information can be stored in general; the latter represents the information that is stored in particular.

For example, if a Record Type (information definition) includes a Field labeled “Date of Birth” that is supposed to be a Date, then it is not possible for a Record (information content) to include, for example, Text for that Field instead:

If an explicit distinction has to made between the two, a Type of a Record is called a Record Type and an occurrence of a Record is called a Record instance.

Values

The information content that has been stored in a Field of a Record is also called a Value. A Field can include an appropriate Value, but does not have to; in that case, a Field is said to be “empty” or “undefined”.

Tables

A Table is a container. It is a collection of Records, every Record of the same Record Type. For example:

It is possible (and often preferred) to create more than one Table for Records of the same Record Type, for example:

Collections

A Collection is also a container. It is a collection of Tables or other Collections. It is a cataloging structure analogous to the traditional office filing cabinet. For example:

Information
	Both Tables and Collections are called Containers, since both are used to contain and categorize information.

Information
	In desktop PC terminology, Collections correspond to “directories” and Tables correspond to “documents”. Records in a Table can be thought of as “sentences” in a text document. Fields in a Record can be thought of as “words” in a sentence.

Subcollections

An important concept to understand is that Collections can contain not only Tables, but also nested Collections. Effectively, the Collections-inside-Collections capability allows for an in-depth, tree-like structure of information. For example:

[Home]
├── [Private]
│  ├── [Accounts]
│  │  ├── Banking
│  │  └── Credit Cards
│  │
│  └── [Contacts]
│    ├── Family
│    └── Friends
├── [Business]
│  └── [Contacts]
│    ├── Customers
│    └── Coworkers

Nested Collections, thus Collections-inside-Collections, are also called Subcollections.

Why Even Bother to Define Types?

Most conventional database or spreadsheet software products do not define Types, but only introduce the notion of a manual table. If you want to work with, for example, Contacts, you have to create a manual table with appropriate columns, such as a “First Name”, a “Last Name” and so on. So far the process is analogous to the way easyAsPieDB works, but easyAsPieDB defines a Record Type with Fields, rather than a manual table with columns. A Record Type is used to create a managed Table with Records for that particular Record Type.

If you wish to maintain a secondary list of Contacts with a conventional database or spreadsheet software product, you have to create another manual table and go through the process of adding all the appropriate columns all over again. Not so with easyAsPieDB: since you already defined an appropriate Record Type for Contacts, all you need to do is create a secondary managed Table with the same Record Type. Everything else happens automatically.

Some conventional database or spreadsheet software products do allow a user to predefine a blueprint for a manual table and automatically create new manual tables from such a blueprint. However, what if you need to augment the layout of the information that’s already there, for example by adding a new “Birthday” column to your Contacts? In a conventional database or spreadsheet software product, you need to edit every one of your manual tables one by one to add that new column everywhere. Not so with easyAsPieDB: since you already defined an appropriate Record Type for Contacts, all you need to do is add a new Field to that single Record Type itself. All your managed Tables for that Record Type, even if there is a hundred of them, will be updated automatically.

How easyAsPieDB Works With Information

Searches

A Search is a Record pre-filled by a user that describes a comparison (in other words, a query) against other, existing Records. It is a collection of Fields. Each Field of a Search includes an Operator and a Value. An Operator describes how exactly to perform a comparison. A Value is the content to compare against. For example:

When searching:

• each Field in a Record is compared against a corresponding Field in a Search to determine whether there is a match
• every Field in a Record that is not specified in a Search is ignored
• all Fields in a Record have to match all corresponding Fields in a Search for the entire Record to be considered a match

Templates

A Template is a Record pre-filled by a user, out of which new Records can be created quickly. When creating a new Record from a Template (as opposed to creating a new, blank Record), not only a new Record gets created, but also all the information already available in a Template is automatically copied into the new Record, before that Record is presented to a user for further modification. For example:

When creating a new Record for the Time Tracking Record Type, you can either:

• always create a new, blank Record and always enter the “Start Time”, “End Time” and “Break” manually

or:

• create a new Template
• enter the “Start Time”, “End Time” and “Break” manually inside a Template only once
• always create a new Record from a Template and have the “9:00 AM”, “5:00 PM” and “1h:00m” information copied automatically

Templatability

There might be situations when a particular Field in a Record is never particularly useful when creating a Template, since that Field is supposed to always contain unique data. For example:

When each and every Record of the Order Record Type is supposed to have a unique “Order Number”, it is never useful to have a pre-defined “Order Number” copied in automatically.

The Templatability attribute for a Field in a Record Type indicates whether that particular Field is relevant when creating a Template. When marked as “no” (false), a Field is altogether hidden away when creating a Template.

Reports

Please see the “How easyAsPieDB Reports Information” section.

How easyAsPieDB Presents Information

Views

easyAsPieDB presents different Views depending on the nature of information a user is working with at the moment. For example:

Each View consists of a top navigation bar, an item list (or other visual representation of information) in the middle and an optional toolbar at the bottom.

Views of Containers

Containers View

Path

the very first (root) View

Purpose

The Containers View is concerned with multiple Containers: Tables and Collections. It presents a list of available Containers. It allows for information categorization (see “How easyAsPieDB Categorizes Information”).

Actions

Containers

The Containers View supports two distinct modes of operation: the viewing mode and the editing mode. Each mode of operation allows for different actions.

Viewing Mode

Name			Purpose	Location
Back			move back to the last viewed Collection	navigation bar
Edit/Done			switch the list of Containers across the viewing mode and the editing mode	navigation bar
New				navigation bar
		Type	create a new Record Type
		Collection	create a new Collection
		Table	create a new Table
Record Types	select		present a subsequent Types View and show available Types of information (filtered for Record Types)	item list
Choice Types	select		present a subsequent Types View and show available Types of information (filtered for Choice Types)	item list
Collection	select		drill down into a Collection and show Tables and Collections inside it	item list
Table	select		present a subsequent Records View and show Records inside the Table	item list
Home			move to the topmost (root) Collection	toolbar
Find				toolbar
		Text	find Containers by Text (i.e., Container names or content inside Containers)
		Reset	reset search, show all Containers

Editing Mode

Name		Purpose
Delete		delete a Container: a Collection or a Table
Collection	select	present a subsequent Collection View and edit Collection attributes (e.g., a Label)
Table	select	present a subsequent Table View and edit Table attributes (e.g., an icon)

App

Name			Purpose	Location
Help				toolbar
		User’s Guide	display a User’s Guide
		Contact Us	send a message to support
		Rate in the App Store	rate easyAsPieDB in the App Store
Tools				toolbar
		About	present a subsequent About View and show app version
		Backup	backup your data to the cloud
		Restore	restore your data from the cloud
		Synchronize	synchronize data across multiple devices through the cloud
		Subscriptions	show license information, purchase extended app functionality
		Settings	present a subsequent Settings View and customize app settings

Collection View

Path

Containers View (the "New" Collection or "Edit" Collection action) >>
    Collection View

See Also

• the “Collections” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Categorizes Information” section

Purpose

The Collection View is concerned with a single Collection. It presents an editable list of Attributes of a Collection. It allows for Container modification.

Attributes

Table View

Path

Containers View (the "New" Table or "Edit" Table action) >>
    Table View

See Also

• the “Tables” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Categorizes Information” section

Purpose

The Table View is concerned with a single Table. It presents an editable list of Attributes of a Table. It allows for Container modification.

Attributes

Information
	When defining a Table, only Record Types can be used for its Type. Other groups of Types (Value Types, Choice Types and Appliance Types) are not available in the Type picker View, since Tables are supposed to store entire Records only. However, Records can further include individual Values, Choices and Appliances inside them.

Views of Types

Types View

Path

Containers View (the "Record Types" or "Choice Types" action) >>
    Types View

Purpose

The Types View is concerned with multiple Types: Record Types and Choice Types. It presents a list of available Types. It allows for information definition (see “How easyAsPieDB Defines Information”).

Actions

The Types View supports only one mode of operation: the editing mode. Editing can occur across two groups of Types: Record Types and Choice Types.

Editing Mode

Name		Purpose	Location
New		create a new Type for the current Type group: a Record Type or a Choice Type	navigation bar
Record/Choice		switch the list of Types across Type groups: Record Types and Choice Types	segmented control
Delete		delete a Type: a Record Type or a Choice Type	item list
Record Type	select	present a subsequent Record Type View and edit Record Type attributes (e.g., Fields)	item list
Choice Type	select	present a subsequent Choice Type View and edit Choice Type attributes (e.g., Alternatives)	item list

Information
	To create a new Table for a particular Record Type (as opposed to creating a new Record Type), use the “New >> Table” action in the Containers View and select the desired Record Type for the new Table’s “Record Type” attribute.

Record Type View

Path

Containers View (the "Record Types" action) >>
    Types View (the "Record" group, the "New" or "Edit" action) >>
        Record Type View

See Also

• the “Record Types” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Defines Information” section

Purpose

The Record Type View is concerned with a single Record Type. It presents an editable list of Attributes of a Record Type. It allows for information definition.

Attributes

Record Type Fields View

Path

Containers View (the "Record Types" action) >>
    Types View (the "Record" group, the "New" or "Edit" action) >>
        Record Type View (the "Fields" attribute) >>
            Record Type Fields View

See Also

• the “Record Types” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Defines Information” section

Purpose

The Record Type Fields View is concerned with multiple Fields of a Record Type. It presents an editable list of Fields of a Record Type. It allows for information definition.

Actions

Name		Purpose	Location
New		present a subsequent Record Type Field View and create a new Field for a Record Type	navigation bar
Field	select	present a subsequent Record Type Field View and edit Field attributes (e.g., a Label) for a Record Type	item list

Record Type Field View

Path

Containers View (the "Record Types" action) >>
    Types View (the "Record" group, the "New" or "Edit" action) >>
        Record Type View (the "Fields" attribute) >>
            Record Type Fields View (the "New" or "Edit" action) >>
                Record Type Field View

See Also

• the “Record Types” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Defines Information” section

• the “Templates” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Works With Information” section

Purpose

The Record Type Field View is concerned with a single Field of a Record Type. It presents an editable list of Attributes of a Field. It allows for information definition.

Attributes

Choice Type View

Path

Containers View (the "Choice Types" action) >>
    Types View (the "Choice" group, the "New" or "Edit" action) >>
        Choice Type View

See Also

• the “Choice Types” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Defines Information” section

Purpose

The Choice Type View is concerned with a single Choice Type. It presents an editable list of Alternatives of a Choice Type. It allows for information definition.

Attributes

Views of Records

Records View

Path

Containers View (select a Table) >>
    Records View

Purpose

The Records View is concerned with multiple Records. It presents a list of Records available in a Table. It allows for information search and review.

Actions

Name			Purpose	Location
New			create a new, empty Record	navigation bar
Record	select		present a subsequent Record View and preview the chosen Record	item list
Find				toolbar
		Text	find Records by Text
		Date Range	find Records by date range
		References To…	find Records that reference (point to) a particular Record
		Reset	reset search, show all Records
Searches			present a subsequent Searches View and show a list of Searches	toolbar
Templates			present a subsequent Templates View and show a list of Templates	toolbar
Reports			present a subsequent Reports View and show a list of Reports	toolbar
Share				toolbar
		Publish (HTML)	render Records in the HTML format and Open (view) or Save
		Export (CSV)	convert Records to the CSV format and Open (view) or Save
		Import (CSV)	convert data in the CSV format to Records
Options			present a subsequent Options View and customize View display options	toolbar

Information
	To edit or delete an existing Record, either: 1.) use the swipe-from-right-to-left gesture on a particular Record along with the revealed “Edit” or “Delete” actions, or: 2.) select a Record in the Records View list to open it in a subsequent Record View and use the “Edit” or “Delete” actions in the bottom toolbar.

Record View

Path

Containers View (select a Table) >>
    Records View (select a Record) >>
        Record View

See Also

• the “Records” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Categorizes Information” section

Purpose

The Record View is concerned with a single Record. It presents a read-only list of Fields available in a Record. It allows for information preview.

Actions

Name		Purpose	Location
Edit		present a subsequent Fields View and show editable Fields of a Record	navigation bar
Duplicate		duplicate a Record	toolbar
Delete		delete a Record	toolbar
Move Previous		show the previous Record in the current Table	toolbar
Move Next		show the next Record in the current Table	toolbar
Options		present a subsequent Options View and customize View display options	toolbar

Fields View

Path

Containers View (select a Table) >>
    Records View (select a Record) >>
        Record View (the "Edit" action) >>
            Fields View

See Also

• the “Records” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Categorizes Information” section

Purpose

The Fields View is concerned with multiple Fields of a Record to be modified. It presents an editable list of Fields available in a Record. It allows for information preview or modification.

Depending on the Type of a Field, the Fields View allows for immediate, inline information editing (e.g., for Text) or will present a subsequent Field View for information modification (e.g., a calendar for a Date).

Actions

Field View

Path

Containers View (select a Table) >>
    Records View (select a Record) >>
        Record View (the "Edit" action) >>
            Fields View (select a Field) >>
                Field View

See Also

• the “Records” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Categorizes Information” section

Purpose

The Field View is concerned with a single Field of a Record to be modified. It presents an editable View of a Field. It allows for information modification.

Depending on the Type of a Field, the Field View shows information-specific View and offers content-specific actions. For example:

Actions

Name		Purpose	Location
Clear		clear the current Value of a Field	toolbar

Views of Resources

Resources View

Path

Containers View (select a Table) >>
    Records View (select the Find >> Advanced, Templates, or Reports action) >>
        Resources View

See Also

• the “Searches” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Works With Information” section

• the “Templates” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Works With Information” section

• the “Reports” topic in the “How easyAsPieDB Works With Information” section

Purpose

The Resources View is concerned with multiple Resources: Searches, Templates, or Reports. It presents a list of available Resources. It allows for information utilization.

Actions

The Resources View supports two distinct modes of operation: the viewing mode and the editing mode. Each mode of operation allows for different actions.

Viewing Mode

Name			Purpose	Location
Close			close the View	navigation bar
Edit/Done			switch the list of Resources across the viewing mode and the editing mode	navigation bar
New				navigation bar
		Searches	create a new Search
		Templates	create a new Template
		Reports	create a new Report
Resource	select			item list
		Searches	execute a Search, go back to the previous Records View and show matching Records	item list
		Templates	copy a Template into a new Record, present a subsequent Fields View and show editable Fields of the new Record	item list
		Reports	generate a Report from all Records in the previous Records View and show it in a subsequent Report View	item list

Editing Mode

Name		Purpose
Delete			delete a Resource: a Search, a Template, or a Report
Resource	select
		Searches	present a subsequent Search View and edit Search attributes (e.g., a Label)
		Templates	present a subsequent Template View and edit Template attributes (e.g., a Label)
		Reports	present a subsequent Report View and edit Report attributes (e.g., a Label)

How easyAsPieDB Reports Information

To generate a Report, choose the “Bar Chart” icon in the Records View toolbar.

Reports

A Report presents a tabular View built from information across multiple Records.

A Report is created for all Records currently visible in the Records View. Records View contents can be chosen using broad filters or precise queries (the “Magnifying Glass” icon in the Records View toolbar).

Report Attributes

A Report is defined by a set of attributes.

Fields

A list of chosen Fields of a Record. Each Field corresponds to a column in a Report. For example:

Sample Records:

A sample report:

Sum Variables

A list of chosen numeric Fields of a Record. Each Field creates a separate Sum Variable. Each Sum Variable is a sum of all Values in one column of a Report. For example:

Sample Records:

A sample report with a Sum Variable defined for the “Amount” Field:

A Sum Variable created for the “Amount” Field accumulates all “Amount” Values for all Records processed.

Data Lines

A Yes/No choice that shows or hides individual Data Lines (rows) in a Report. Each Data Line corresponds to one Record. For example:

Sample Records:

A sample report with a Sum Variable defined for the “Amount” Field, with Data Lines:

A sample report with a Sum Variable defined for the “Amount” Field, but without Data Lines:

Only the Value of a Sum Variable is visible, while all individual Data Lines are hidden.

Groups (Levels 1-5)

A list of chosen Fields of a Record. All Fields together define criteria for a Group, which serves as its unique “signature”. All Records with the same “signature” (thus the same set of matching Fields) are brought together into the same Group. For example:

Sample Records:

Sample Groups, defined across the “City” and “Country” Fields:

Grouping can be nested at multiple Levels, thus creating Groups and Subgroups. Up to five (5) Levels can be defined.

Group Footers

A Yes/No choice that shows or hides Group Footer rows in a Report. Each unique Group Footer corresponds to one Group. For example:

Sample Records:

A sample report with a Group defined across the “City” and “Country” Fields, a Sum Variable defined for the “Population” Field, with Group Footers and with Data Lines:

Report Design

Detail Reports

To create a Detail -style Report, choose one or more Fields to create columns. Set Data Lines to “Yes” to create rows from individual Records. (Sum Variables, Groups and Group Footers are optional.)

Summary Reports

To create a Summary -style Report, choose one or more Sum Variables to create columns. Set Data Lines to “No” to hide data from individual Records. Specify one or more Groups and set Group Footers to “Yes” to create rows from Groups of Records. (Fields are optional.)

Report Styling

The look and feel of a Report can be customized through its “CSS Style” attribute (HTML Cascading Style Sheets). For a list of available CSS properties, have a look at the output produced by the “Default [CSS]” action in the “CSS Style” Field View toolbar.

Common easyAsPieDB Tasks

The goal of this section is to: 1.) create a new Record Type representing a sample Contact, 2.) create a new Table for the Contact Record Type to hold Records, 3.) create a new Record for the Contact Record Type inside the new Table.

Sample “Contact” Record Type

Create a New Record Type

Before proceeding, make sure to navigate to the Containers View, the very first (root) View within easyAsPieDB.

Step by Step

• Repeat steps (5.) to (8.), but with a different Field name in the “Label” item, e.g. “Last Name”.
• Repeat steps (5.) to (8.), but with a different Field name, e.g. “Date of Birth” and a different Value Type, e.g. Date.
• Repeat steps (5.) to (8.), but with a different Field name, e.g. “Social Security” and a different Value Type, e.g. Text.

A new Record Type has been created. You can now create a new Table to hold Records for the Contact Record Type, as described below.

Create a New Table for a Record Type

Before proceeding, make sure to have already created a new Contact Record Type, as described above.

Step by Step

A new Table has been created. You can now create a new Record inside the new Table, as described below.

Create a New Record for a Record Type

Before proceeding, make sure to have already created a new “Friends” Table, as described above.

Step by Step

A new Record has been created. You can now create a new Report, see “How easyAsPieDB Reports Information”.

Support

For technical support, please visit the R&F Consulting, Inc. web site at http://www.rfcons.com.

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