Planning the structure of your database
The first thing you need to do is decide on how you're going to structure your database. If you are not familiar with databases and how they work, please read our Database 101 tutorial before you start. If you're not sure what fields, tables, and records are, this is definitely recommended reading!
Read the Table Structure Tutorial to find out about the tables in CatBase and work out the best way to set yours up.
Once you've decided on the structure of your data, you're ready to set it up.
How to create a new database
The procedure for creating a new database is slightly different depending on whether you are using CatBase Single-User or the Multi-User version.
In addition to starting a new project from scratch, you can use one of our example databases as a starting point. You can find them on our Starter Projects page.
CatBase Single-User Versions
There are two ways to create a new database:
- If CatBase is already running, choose Create a new Data File from the File menu, or
- As you start CatBase up, hold down the Alt/Option key on your keyboard. Keep holding it down until the Open Data File dialogue appears, then click on the New … button.
CatBase Multi-User
- If CatBase is already running, Quit.
- Start CatBase on your server, but hold down the Alt/Option key on your keyboard as 4D Server starts up
- Keep holding the key down until the Open Data File dialogue appears, then click on the New … button
You'll then see a Create a data file … dialogue with a default database name displayed:
- The default name for the new data file is the CatBase program name, which isn't very useful. Change the name to something more meaningful to your project.
- Make sure that the new data file is going to be saved into a suitable folder - eg your Applications->CatBase folder (Mac) or your Documents->CatBase Files folder (Windows).
- Click the Save button
- The new database is created, and shortly you'll see a dialogue asking if you want to use the Database Setup Wizard.
The Database Setup Wizard
After your new database has been created, CatBase will ask if you want to use the Database Setup Wizard, a useful tool which guides you through the initial process of setting up a new database. It's described in detail in the Database Setup Wizard Tutorial.
The Form Design Wizard
Having set up some tables and fields, you need to be able to enter and view the data. That's done via the data entry forms, and you will need to add the fields and other objects that you want to use to your data entry forms. The Form Design Wizard is essentially a drawing program which enables you to place fields and other objects – such as lists of related data – onto a form that you'll use to enter, view, and modify your data. Click here to see the Form Design Wizard Tutorial.
Getting Data Into Your Database
OK - you've set up your database. Now you need to get your data into it. You can either import data from another source, such as a spreadsheet or another database, or you can add data manually.
Importing Data
You can import data from various sources, such as:
- CSV (comma-delimited) file
- Tab-delimited text file
- Spreadsheet (by saving it as a CSV or Tab-delimited file)
- An ODBC-compliant database such as MySql or SqlServer (CatBase Data Chameleon Edition)
- An XML file
See the Importing Data Tutorial for more details, and the Importing Data from a Spreadsheet tutorial for a detailed description of importing spreadsheet data.
Adding Data Manually
To enter data, click on the Add Data button on the main window and select the table that you want to add data to. You might find it helpful to look at the CatBase Interface tutorial and the Entering Data Tutorial.
Publishing Your Data
Finally ... the fun part!! The final step is to tell CatBase how you want to publish your data: What you want to publish; how you want it sorted; how you want each part of it styled; whether you want to publish pictures, and so on. This is all managed through the use of Style Sheets.
There are three types of Style Sheets in CatBase:
- Character Style Sheets: These specify the fonts, styles, etc. and relate directly to Character Styles in QuarkXPress and InDesign.
- Paragraph Style Sheets: These specify options such as paragraph spacing, indenting, etc. and they relate directly to the Paragraph Styles in your page layout or word processing program.
- Publishing Style Sheets: These are unique to CatBase. They tell CatBase what data you want to publish, how you want it organised, and which Paragraph Style Sheets and/or Character Style Sheets to apply to each part of the data.
Please see the following Tutorials for more detailed info:
- An overview of the Publishing Process
- How CatBase and your page layout program work together
- Publishing Style Sheets
- Publishing Projects
You'll also find more detailed information in the CatBase Reference Manual, Chapter 6, which you can find on our Downloads page
Any questions?
If you have any questions about the topics discussed here. or are not sure how to proceed, please contact us.