In every organization I work with – large and small – data is routinely maintained in Excel. Loading this information into a backend database is a problem that is generally ignored resulting in silos of information.  Our RADE technology seemed to provide the perfect platform to support a generic Excel to database interface.   We set out to solve this problem – and the result is Landor’s newest product FullCircle. 

Although I was involved in the product requirements phase, I was pleasantly surprised with the simplicity of the initial release.

FullCircle is a web based interface that supports three primary functions:

1. 1.  Query information directly from a database table and export the results to Excel with database registration information. The database registration information is critical because it tracks the database, table and fields associated with the downloaded data.
2. 2.  Create and register Excel Forms which can be downloaded by authorized users. This is critical for large organizations since users can download a form on demand and do not have to manually track hundreds of forms.
3. 3. Upload completed Excel files and either update existing records or insert new records

So how does FullCircle perform?

FullCircle Installation

Unlike earlier versions of RADE which required administrators to run the database scripts and setup the virtual directories, FullCircle comes with both a manual scripts and an installer which automates the process. The only manual requirement is to create the database schema in advance on Oracle servers.

Installation procedures are provided for Oracle and SQL Server. The application runs with both Oracle Express and SQL Server Express so there is no extra cost for the database in a small organization which does not already own a commercial database.

FullCircle End User Interface

The FullCircle end user interface is extremely simple. FullCircle assumes three types of users:

1. 1. Administrators configure the application through a web based interface
2. 2. Download users can download data from the database either through a query or by downloading a form
3. 3. Full Control Users have the authority to both download and upload validated Excel files.

Let’s take a quick walk through the FullCircle user interface.

Login Screen

The login screen is typical of most web applications. Administrators create users, provide passwords and assign a user to a user group (download users and full control users).

The group assignment determines which application is loaded after a user logs in.

Application Screen

The application screen gives full control users 4 buttons:

• · Download a form,
• · Upload an Excel File
• · Run a Query and
• · Logout

Note that users with “download only” access will not see the upload button.

The Form Repository

Selecting this button provides a list of forms that have been defined and added to FullCircle.  Users simply select a form which exposes a download button that automatically downloads the form to Excel.  If the form is Capturx enabled, the form is then printed and the Capturx workflow begins.  Otherwise, users can simply fill in the form data directly in Excel.

The RoundTrip Query

The RoundTrip query solves the problem of giving easy users access to data in an environment they’re used to – Microsoft Excel.  In addition to being able to view the data in Excel, they can also edit and add to that data – and still post that back to the appropriate source database in a controlled fashion.

Selecting the RoundTrip Excel Query Button displays a list of queries pre-defined by the administrator.  Queries are created using the web based RADE administrative tools.  From this interface the users can select the query they’re interested in.

Queries can be defined one of two ways by the administrators.  First a strait select statement can be issued.  In this case, the user selects the query and they are immediately taken to the results. 

The second possibility is that the administrator has defined a series of fields as ‘prompts’.  In this situation the user is presented the following dialog.  This dialog is uniquely generated depending on the fields the administrator has selected when building the query.    This dialog will allow the user to enter – or select values as needed.  The following example has five fields, all of which have been associated with lookup tables in the database.  These fields have been “limited” to selecting existing values only.  Other scenarios allow for free text entry, date selections, or lookup values but no limited to the values in the database.

After selecting the conditions, and pressing OK, the results are returned in a tabular report as shown below.  The reports are also created by the administrator – by selecting the fields to include from the appropriate source table.

The FullCircle Export control at the top of the form downloads the selected information into Excel creating two tabs.

The data tab contains the results of the query. A second tab – RADEFullCircleConfig contains some database information as well as the columns that are associated with each field.  This information is used by FullCircle to determine how the data is posted to the database when it is uploaded.

Uploading Data into the Database

I made some simple changes to the Excel data, saved the file and uploaded it through FullCircle.  As mentioned previously, it is possible to control access to the upload component.  This allows your organization to control who can add or update data in the source database.

The process was simple and the results of the upload process were clearly displayed.

Summary

I was very impressed with the first looks at FullCircle. The application did exactly what it was suppose to do. It provided a seamless interface between Excel and the backend database. Users can query either forms or traditional Excel spreadsheets, edit the data in Excel and post the updated information back to the database.  Data is inserted or updated in the appropriate source database table.  No need for temporary intermediate tables or processing the data after the fact.

Now I want to go a bit further.

• · How can I interface this with GIS information to allow field staff to update attribute information in the field?
• · Can I enable a grid style form to be populated in the field using the Adapx digital pen technology?