Creating an asset maintenance history

[armourer]

Hi everyone,

 

This may seem pretty basic to most but I am a very new user.

I have managed to create my asset database with the following fields:

MAKE - TYPE - SERIAL NUMBER - SERVICE DATE

I have scripted a button to enable me to click on a record in portal and update the service date to current date (pretty easy).

What I would like is to be able to store each date the item was serviced and have a list of those dates appear inside a pop up when a SERVICE HISTORY button is pressed.

I have been trying to script it so each time the SERVICE button is pressed it updates the SERVICE DATE field with current date and also stores that date is a corresponding field or another table, I just can't figure out how to do it.

 

Any help greatly appreciated

 

[comment]

I would suggest you use two tables: Assets and Maintenance, related by AssetID (or by serial number, assuming it is unique). Then have your script create a new related record in the Maintenance - something like:

Set Variable [ $assetID; Assets::AssetID ]
Go to Layout [ Maintenance ]
New Record/Request
Set Field [ Maintenance::AssetID; $assetID ]
Set Field [ Maintenance::ServiceDate; Get ( CurrentDate ) ] 
Go to Layout [ original layout ]

To protect against accidentally hitting the button twice, you could wrap this in:

If [ Max ( Maintenance::MaintenanceDate ) < Get ( CurrentDate ) ]
  ...
End If

This ensures the correct data structure and enables you to build any user interface you want. For example, you can show the asset's service dates in a portal to the Maintenance table.

 

[armourer]

Thank you for the reply

So would this essentially create a new record in the maintenance table every time the service button is pressed? Then I could run a find to show all the records of that serial number in the maintenance table.

I assume I would create the maintenance table with two fields - serial number and service date. Then connect with a relationship between the serial number field of both?

 

Sorry again, I've only been playing with this for a day or so and am still getting to grips with how to link two tables.

I also want to eventually record spare parts changed via a check box at service perhaps.

Starting one step at a time. It's a lot to learn.

 

Thanks again

 

[comment]

19 hours ago, armourer said:

would this essentially create a new record in the maintenance table every time the service button is pressed?

Yes.

19 hours ago, armourer said:

Then I could run a find to show all the records of that serial number in the maintenance table.

There is no need to "run a find". Use the relationship to access related records. If you like, you can think of a  relationship as a kind of a "permanent find".

To show related records, use a portal. Or, to show them in their own table, use the Go to Related Record[] script step to convert the related set to a found set.

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by comment