![]() ![]() And the data-entry screen on which "Notes" appears is usually big and sprawling, using most of the screen for a single record, so there's been elbow room to display a good-sized "Notes" box, and I usually do. Such fields are handy for things that are good to know but don't appear systematically thruout an entire table (or at least weren't expected to do so at the time the note was created). I’ve got plenty of places where I can describe things from my perspective, including this blog that you’re reading right now, always accessible thru the “Entire Database System” button on the Router screen of your every file:įrom the outset, virtually every record in every database I've ever created has had a "Notes" field for those odd little tidbits of information that don't seem to fit anywhere else. Have them go right straight to the wiki to explain things that they had to figure out for themselves because your documentation was incomplete (or even erroneous). Take full advantage of the tremendous opportunity your new workers give you. These are the very people who are in the best position to fill in gaps in your wiki that you overlooked because you thot they were “too obvious to write down”. They haven’t become accustomed to all the little inconveniences and inefficiencies that you’ve long ago adjusted to and take for granted. But in their case, by far the more valuable service will go in the opposite direction, not so much their learning from the wiki as their contributing to it! There’s no substitute for a fresh set of eyes using a system for the first time. You know who’s the 2nd most likely (after you) to find your wiki entries useful? New employees. Generally, tho, it's intended for long-term "how to" writeups. The "Wiki" field applies to the table as a whole, not to any single record within it otherwise, you can use it in much the same way - for reminders and notes to yourself - if you wish. If you find that your wiki entries are starting to run on at some length, give some thot to putting an index at the top which would refer to subject headings further down.Įach record in each table also has a "Notes" field, into which you can jot down odd little bits of information about that particular record that don't fit into any of the standard fields. Wikis are provided to you as a service to aid in your documentation. The file-level wiki will be available on the Router screen, where it’ll appear on the “Documentation” tab, like this: My wikis come in 2 basic flavors: file-level and table-level. I make it accessible, point you to it, and walk away. I give you a scrollable free-form text field into which you can type anything you want. My wikis are about as super-simple as they can get. as you go along, rather than waiting till the end, when some of your knowledge will already have started to fade. Also, and perhaps more importantly, having the wiki right under your fingertips when you’re solving problems makes it easier to document your processes, timelines, “whom to notify”s, etc. That’s certainly true of the ones I’ve begun installing in the one place where you really need a friend, namely right in the database itself, so you don’t have to go rummaging thru your file cabinets or e-mail archives looking for your documentation. ‘Wiki’ is a Hawaiian word meaning ‘fast’ or ‘quick’.” the content is created without any defined owner or leader, and wikis have little implicit structure, allowing structure to emerge according to the needs of the users. It’s defined on the most famous one of all, Wikipedia, as a tool “which allows people to add, modify, or delete content in collaboration with others. Well, we’re working on the next-best thing, which is a wiki. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could easily call up your former self to help you out this year? ![]() ![]() This is particularly true of the rarer activities, such as an annual fund-raising drive or a seasonal performance, where you’ve had plenty of time to forget how you did it the previous go-round. One really should document one’s work, but that’s usually something that gets put off until the last minute and often ends up being neglected altogether.įurthermore, it’s notoriously true that software engineers who are perfectly comfortable speaking techie talk to each other might as well be using Swahili when it comes to communicating with end users, which is why there are career opportunities for tech writers who are able to translate between Geekspeak and English.īut nobody’s better at describing to you what you need to know than you yourself. “The job isn’t over until the paperwork is done.” That’s still true even in a paperless age. ![]()
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