SPOT 4.1 Basic and Advanced Software Manual for SPOT Insight ...

Ch. 9 - Using SPOT DatabasesText/Numeric FieldsTo define a textual/numeric field, follow these steps.1. On the Database Fields window, enter thename of the field in the Text/Numeric Fieldsbox. You can use up to 30 alphanumericcharacters. Entering information in the boxactivates (un-grays) the four variables to theright of the box.2. Define the four variables associated with eachfield.− Required – Check (click on) the Required box to make the field a required entry when savingimages to the database. When this box is checked, images can not be saved until the field has anentry.− Title – Check the Title box to ensure that the data from the text field appears in the title of theimage window and under any thumbnail of the image.− Text – Click on the Text button to define the field as a text field. This is the default setting for thefield type.− Numeric – Click on the Numeric button to define the field as a numeric field.The field type (i.e., text or numeric) is important in terms of how the program searches the database.Text field searches look for textual strings of information while numeric field searches look for a rangeof values. So, a database field that contains numbers should not automatically be defined as a numericfield. For instance, if your field is a number such as a patient ID, it should be defined as a Text fieldbecause it is not a measurement and it is not within a specific range of values.CAUTION!After you have defined the Text/Numeric fields, you cannot change the Text or Numeric setting.Although you can make changes to an existing field name (i.e., to correct a spelling error or make amore intuitive name), you should not change the meaning of the field. This will render the fielduseless for searches performed on all previously stored images.Lookup Fields and ListsDefining a Lookup Field consists of threeactions:• Naming the Lookup Field• Selecting the Required and Title variables• Creating the items in the Lookup Field listThe SPOT database allows you to performthese actions in different orders, depending on your situation. Consider the following scenarios:• You are the database administrator, and you want to define a new database with multiple LookupFields for others to use when saving images to the database. You know ahead of time which LookupFields you want to define, and you also know all of the items that will be associated with each LookupField.In this scenario, you can define the Lookup Fields, the Required and Title options, and some or all ofthe items in Lookup Field list.• You are an end user and know which Lookup Fields you want to define, but prefer to add items foreach field, as needed, when saving images to the database.You can define one or more Lookup Fields without adding any of the Lookup Field list items. TheLookup Field items can be added either at a later time, or during the process of saving images to thedatabase.To define a Lookup Field and the associated list, follow these steps:User Guide to the SPOT Insight Camera 185