Help requested to design my Db

[totoleheros]

Hi,

First, I'm really not an expert with Filemaker and I'm not familiar with this forum. Hence, I'm not sure that this is the right place to post...

Here is my problem and I would highly appreciate your input: I want to build a database for inventory and management of cells that are stored in liquid nitrogen. They are in tubes that are placed in kinds of drawers (triangular ones). In one tank, we have 6 stacks of 6 drawers, each drawer containing 60 tubes. At first glance, my problem seems easy and each entry of My Db could contain the coordinate of each tube:

Container-Stack-Drawer-Position (in the triangle)

However, the triangular shape of the drawers makes the coordinate quite error prone. What I would like to do is to have a schematic representation of each drawer. At once, one could detect empty and filled position in the drawer. By clicking on a position, one could access to the record of the material that is stored in this tube. How should I build my Db for this goal? Many many thanks in advance for any help!!

[totoleheros]

Was my request not clear? No one can help?... :o

[comment]

How are the 60 tube positions identified in real life? Without a schematic, can I send someone to fetch a tube from slot #15 and be sure they find the correct one?

[totoleheros]

How are the 60 tube positions identified in real life? Without a schematic, can I send someone to fetch a tube from slot #15 and be sure they find the correct one?

We have a kind of map representing the drawer where the positions are indicated. It looks more or less like that:

1

2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9 10

etc.

This is precisely such a graphical representation that I would like to propose in my database.

To answer precisely to your question, if I ask for the tube 48 of the drawer 5 in the stack C, I am sure to get exactly what I want. Hope you can help me...

Regards

[comment]

I have an idea - but can you finish the diagram? It will never get to 60 following this pattern.

[totoleheros]

I don't have the precise map right now. I'll post it tomorrow. Many thanks for your kind reply!!

[totoleheros]

Here is the precise structure of my containers (the 2 containers are different)

Container I:

6 stacks: A->F

6 drawer/stack : 1(top)->6(bottom)

39 tubes:

1

2

3 4 5

6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

35 36 37 38 39

Container II

6 stacks: A->F

9 drawer/stack : 1(top)->9(bottom)

67 Tubes:

1 2

3 4 5

6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63

64 65 66 67

Its difficult to represent but the drawers are kind of triangles or trapeze. The top of the triangle in container I is 1 and the base is 35 36 37 38 39. In container II, the top is 1 2 and the base is 64 65 66 67.

Hope you can help...

[comment]

Ah, you just had to throw that in towards the end - 2 different schemas?

OK, one more question: would it be acceptable to present this in rectangular grids (see attached pictures)?

Archive.zip

[totoleheros]

Again, sorry for the delay of my answer. Some troubel with my Internet connection at home...

To answer your question, it is really important to have the same representation of the drawer as in the real life. Otherwise, it's really error-prone.

Please see in the attached files the way the drawers should be represented.

Thank you for your interest!

Edited August 8, 2005 by Guest

[comment]

Well, that makes it final - there are no shortcuts here. It's brute force all the way.

You will need the following structure:

Containers - Drawers - Slots - Contents (each one of these is a file).

You will have 6 relationships from Containers to Drawers, one for each stack.

And now for the bad news: Since the slots cannot be arranged in columns, you will need 67 individual relationships from Drawers to Slots. There is no way around this - unless you want to upgrade to version 7 (and it will be a lot of work there too, creating 67 portals).

Once you have your relationships in place, you can place 67 related fields on the layout, and position them in accordance to your diagram. Another layout will have only(!) 39 related fields, representing the other container's schema.

[Ano Nimus]

Ack! Suggested a solution in FMP7, overlooked original poster has no FMP7.

Just ignore me, please ;)

Edited August 11, 2005 by Guest

[totoleheros]

Thanks to the advice that you have provided to me in this forum, I have been able to build my Db exactly the way I wanted. I have attached it to this post, just in case someone is interested...

Thank you to all the members that took the time to answer my questions.

[color:red]This file has been removed to protect the original author, Michael Horak *COMMENT Visual Realisation

Edited August 12, 2005 by Guest