| Session Title: Workgroup Solutions for Data Collection, Storage, Analysis, and Reporting With FileMaker Pro 8.5, Adobe Acrobat 8, and Microsoft Excel |
| Demonstration Session 754 to be held in McKeldon Room on Saturday, November 10, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM |
| Sponsored by the Integrating Technology Into Evaluation |
| Presenter(s): |
| Susan Saka, University of Hawaii, ssaka@hawaii.edu |
| Susan York, University of Hawaii, yorks@hawaii.edu |
| Milton Shak, 1:1 Inc, milts@earthlink.net |
| Abstract: What would be on your data management wish list? Ours includes the ability to develop new databases without having a dedicated expert on staff, in a program that is user-friendly across platforms and older operating systems; we need to input data using savable Adobe Reader forms that are rights-enabled, and then easily transfer the data between data-analysis programs. Our databases need to easily adapt for a variety of cultural considerations and peculiarities of location, while meeting the reporting needs of state and national funding agencies. We wanted to control the data "in-house" instead of paying for off-site storage and management, and to generate reports and form letters without having to merge data into a separate word-processing program. Experience four relational databases that cost-effectively fulfilled our wish list-presented first from the "non-techie" evaluators' perspective, followed by a closer look at the databases' design and structure presented by our FileMaker consultant. |