Newbie...Statistics?

[rwc.sheehan]

I have a database with a number of fields. Each record is a different customer. Each customer is classified into one of six groups. Additionally, two classes they attended are listed for each customer (each in own field, from value list). How would I go about bringing up a new layout or a new database with statistics on how many people took Class X, or even how many people from group Y took class X.

It sounds like it should be easy but I am not very familiar with relationships, and I get the impression that those are where this is heading. Thanks

[Steve T.]

Howdy! Actually, try looking into defining a summary field or two first and then just change the found set to reflect what you want. It depends on how your class fields are set up, but it's worth a quick shot and summary fields are easy.

--ST

[rwc.sheehan]

is there any way so that the summary shows up regardless of what set is found...because the classes are chosen from a drop down menu. maybe i don't grasp summary fields either. any good tutorial sites?

[Ugo DI LUCA]

Hi,

Relationships, as your first guessed, would let you build these kinds of statistics too.

There are several ways of doing it, the easier being to use a global field as a filter key, then build a relationship from this global to your Class key.

When you'd populate the global with, say X, you'd see your customers appear in a portal using this relationship globalKey::ClassKey.

Then Count(YourRelationship::serial) would be enough to have a count of those participants to Class X.

If you want to "filter" it even more with a group&Class, then you'd need this a Compound key of type Class & " " & Group in each record of your db.

Then, again using an alternative "Left" key (built with the concanation of two globals gClass and gGroup, with same construction as CompoundKey above) and the CompoundKey for the Right side, you'd see your filtered records and/or counts again.

Is that clear ? If not browse this Forum for the best online tutorial ever..

[Steve T.]

Ugo is the boss and has shown you the best way, but I have not fully mastered relationships yet (or so the ladies keep telling me). Summary fields are easy but I believe they are always or almost always dependent upon the found sets. If you decide to try them...

(1) define field "x count" as a summary field, = count of field X

(2) define field "y count" as a summary field, = count of field Y

I assume you already have fields for each customer something like

X = yes (attended class X), otherwise X is blank

Y = yes (attended class Y), otherwise Y is blank

Do SHOW ALL RECORDS to see how many people took X and how many took Y

If you want to know how many people who took X also took Y, do a FIND for X=yes to show all the folks who took X and then y count will show you how many of them also took Y.

You also have groups, but you can do a FIND the same way, i.e.

find group 1 will show x and y counts

find group 1 with x=yes will show how many in group 1 took x and also took y, etc.

--ST