When I got my very first computer, the only reasons I wanted one was for email and easily accessible data storage for my plants and seeds, etc.
ge1836 said:Rick: Do you keep lists in a database of some sort?
In other words a Table you can alphabetize ?
I want to do this but cant figure out how to start.
You can make a table or chart via Microsoft Word, but it is relatively cumbersome to make, and is not sortable. Most of my data is kept on Excel spread sheets. Below is a sample of part of my master list. It is most everything I have that flowered or is in a garden in the ground. I have other sheets like: [year] Seed propagation, [year] Hybridizing, [year] Asexual Propagation, Species Lily Germination Modes, etc.
It makes life sooooo much easier to be able to go back in time with your fingertips, rather than searching through papers. But every year, I try to make a hard copy of each, just in case.
Just start futsing around with the program. A spread sheet was at first a mystery term to me, but all it is is data in chart form. Your Excel program (or similar) is exactly that. If you use Excel, when the program is open, you can click on "Data" at the top, then "sort" and sort by alphabet in respect to whatever column you want.
My master spread sheet has columns of
Latin name
Common name
Location/Garden
Acquisition date
Source
Comments
I can sort by any of these, and get a list of what is in a particular garden, what I bought/received in any particular year, list everything I have gotten from a particular vendor, as well as sort by Latin or common name. In addition, the program will allow you to do multiple sorting at one time: I could, for instance, first sort by Garden, then source, then acquisition date.
There is a whole lot more you can do with Excel. Automatic computations that you can personalize, successive numbering/dating, you can even build your own subroutines. And I only use the old Excel (year) 2000! I am sure the updated versions are even better.
All you need to do is venture forth!
Of course there is always the built in "Help" within the program, but you might find this site easier:
http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames...
