Opening A Database In Collect!

Collect! ships with 3 different databases that are accessible when you have installed your system. This topic explains the differences and general purpose for each.

Introduction

Collect! installs with 3 functional databases. They are named the masterdb, demodb and prosdb.

The masterdb is your Master database. It is intended to be your primary, working database. It is empty and ready for you to set your configurations/ preferences, then add your clients and debtor records. It contains a minimum number of settings, requiring this input from you to determine how the system environment should operate.

The demodb is your 'demonstration' database. It is intended to be your test environment where you can experiment with the software to test out scenarios and processes as you learn the system as well as an area where you can practice imports and expand your expertise with process automations such as complex contact plans before you take them live into your masterdb environment.

Should you require an extra functional database for live data at any point, you do have the option of designating the demodb for this purpose after deleting out the sample data it shipped with plus any additional test data acquired if your company used it as a testbed previously. As a completely separate entity from the masterdb, all system settings and preferences would need to be reviewed for setting parity with your masterdb before converting over a demodb to be a secondary masterdb.

The prosdb is your Client Prospect database. It is a customized version of the masterdb with many of the fields and screens renamed via utilization of Alias Names to create an environment where your inhouse sales team can have to work their prospective clients with the same tools and features that the collectors enjoy as dedicated functionality in the masterdb. This allows your sales team's work to be kept completely separate from the collection environment.

In this database, the 'debtor' areas of the system are refitted with Alias Named fields to be meaningful and useful for the sales and marketing staff. The 'client' areas of the system are possible to designate into whatever categories your company would choose to use to segment your team's prospects. Example: Regional divisions; Department designations; or Prospect Type such as Retail, Bank, Commercial, Medical etc. The salespeople can set up Contacts on their prospects and work a WIP list in the same manner as collectors do in the masterdb environment.

For a more centralized approach, there is a related add-on module which comes standard with our Corporate License size but is also possible to purchase for use with our Entrepreneur and Professional license sizes. This would be the Client Management Module. This module enables a Client Contact Tab on your client windows, giving your Administration/Client Relations/Sales/Marketing staff the ability to set scheduled contact events on Clients, creating WIP lists of client contacts and scheduled letters/ reports to be sent that may be set to Repeat on a designated schedule. This efficiency and centralized access on the same database is useful to your staff as it reduces the error margin of scheduled contacts being missed because a user was migrating back/forth between multiple databases.

Opening A Database

When you are on the Welcome to Collect! screen, you will see that you have a choice of which database to open. Click the " Select Database" button to enter the list of databases available to choose from. If you experiment by selecting each available option, you will see the "Database to open" field become populated with the name of the database you have entered.

When you enter a database that the system registers is different than the one you logged into last time, you will receive a popup message asking if you want this new choice to be your default database to open. This is not a permanent decision, even if you say Yes. You can change it back the next time you login.

Security And Access Rights

Collect! uses a multi-level security system with password protection to control access to your system. The standards at time of new system shipping are not set. To review your options, follow the menu path of \System\Preferences\Security and Aliases\ Password Settings. In the Password Settings screen, you may define minimum password character length, frequency of forced renewal, ability to disable after X number of failed attempts to enter, and whether a password requires a minimum of 1 numeric character.

When you first install Collect!, it comes with a full series of shipping default logins, each one being representative of the different user Level permissions. The ID recommended for executives to begin a review of the system's use and features, use the ID "own" and Password "own". This is a Level 10 user which has all high level access. To review other preset IDs and permission types, follow the menu paths of \System\ Rights\ Operators and \System\Rights\User Levels.

The convention used for all preset shipping default logins is the password is the same as the ID, case sensitive and set with lower case. Example: ID "JC" for junior collector is Password "jc".

User level permissions assigned to screens and fields are categorized as "Full" (add, delete, modify), "No Delete" (add and modify only), "Read Only" (view only. Cannot add, modify or delete) and "No Access" (will be invisible to the user level not allowed to see this field/sub-screen/menu item).

See Also

- Welcome To Collect!
- User Level