My current project is to design a web and desktop user interface for a physics inventory database using FileMaker. The database is shared between Carleton and St. Olaf College and keeps track of the lab equipment and demonstrations in both colleges. It allows the physics faculty to browse and search for existing equipment and demonstrations, and lab managers to enter new equipment easily.
I started on the project by learning the basics about relational database and FileMaker. Relational database is a very popular type of database management system and FileMaker is relational database application. Since designing the UI to meet the needs of the faculty involves making necessary changes to the database structure, it is essential to know the basics even though the fundamental database structure had already been designed.
The database has two major groups of target users: lab managers and the rest of the faculty. I have designed a data entry page for lab managers to edit existing and add new equipment or demonstrations. The page is designed so that picking from the drop down menus will automatically set up respective relationships or create new records of a piece of equipment.
The rest of the faculty will not have the access to edit the database, but only to browse and search. Since some lab equipment is very costly and hardly used during the lab, this database allow the exchange of such equipment between Carleton and St. Olaf if the need arises. Details such as the number of equipment, storage location and photos are included in the database.
The demonstration page allows the faculty to gain knowledge of the demonstrations used in both colleges, which may come to use when they design the curriculum. A conditional search is designed so that users can set different search parameters to limit the result of a search. Details such as equipment required, related courses and comments from faculty are included in the database.
FileMaker was chosen as the platform to host the database for its ease of use and sustainability reasons. Future directions of the project may include moving the working database structure off the platform for higher cost-efficiency.