Software for Phone Lists, Scheduling
Not everyone needs to computerize their personal data, but having it on a computer can make it more accessible.
Storing all your phone numbers and addresses on your computer disk can alleviate the problem of shuffling through piles of papers to find notes or hunting for your address book to find a phone number. What’s more, you’ll have a convenient place to enter information that you know you will need later.
The term personal information manager refers to a special type of database program designed to keep track of names, addresses, phone numbers and other personal information. Most PIMs can also be used to keep track of your schedule, while others allow you to record notes and other information.
Most personal information managers require you to enter information into structured fields--one field for someone’s name, another for the phone number and so on.
This type of PIM is ideal for anyone who wants a lot of control over how the information is displayed and printed. Data kept in a structured PIM can easily be sorted or formatted for mailing labels, printed phone directories and other purposes.
Excellent structured PIMs include Lotus Organizer and Okna Desktop Set (for Windows) and Borland’s SideKick II (for MS-DOS). For the Macintosh computer, there is Connections from Concentrix Technology of San Mateo, Calif.
A big drawback of this type of PIM is that you must enter the data in the right place; if you have free-form information or notes, you must plan ahead to be sure to include a field for that data. For my purposes, they’re all a bit awkward.
I take a lot of notes on the phone and want a quick way to enter--and later find--random bits of information.
Until recently, I just used my word processing program to keep track of people and companies. I’d type in their name, address and other information and, later, use the search command to locate it. It works fine, but I’m not able to sort the data or print it out in a meaningful way.
Recently, I started using the new Windows version of Info Select ($149.95) from Micro Logic Software of Hackensack, N.J. (201-342-6518 or 800-342-5930).
There is also an MS-DOS version. This free-form database allows you to enter information in whatever order you choose, without the constraints of designated fields. You don’t even have to decide what type of information you want to store.
The same file that stores your addresses and phone numbers can also store information about your credit cards, prescription drugs, personal possessions, telephone messages or any other type of data.
This feature is also present in AskSam ($395 from Seaside Software Inc., Perry, Fla.). AskSam, however, also allows you to create structured databases.
Info Select is easy to use. You enter data as if you were using a word processing program. To locate a listing, you issue the search command and type in any text or numbers that appear in the listing. All listings that meet the search criteria pop up in little windows. Searches take less than a second, even on my 2,000-item database.
You can look for an exact match or perform a more sophisticated search, such as all people who live in the 213 or 310 area codes. You could also find out all New Yorkers who have fax machines or everyone in San Francisco who isn’t named Ralph. The program also supports “fuzzy logic” searches, in which the computer tries to emulate the way a human brain works.
For example, if you enter a string of words, the program finds listings that contain most--though not necessarily all--of the words.
You can search for ranges of dates or records that are larger (or smaller) than a specified number of bytes. The program can also look for duplicate listings.
Once the search locates one or more records, it displays them in little windows. The size of each window can be adjusted or you can specify a size for all windows.
At that point, you can view the information, print it or copy it into the Windows clipboard so that it can be pasted into another program. When I’m ready to write a letter, I look up the name and address in Info Select and copy it to my word processing document.
There is a sort command that organizes your data in alphabetical order. By default, it sorts by the first line of the listing. The program offers the option of sorting information by using “data markers” that you can insert into the file.
Once you’ve sorted the data, you can print it out in alphabetical order. The program gives you control over the type and size of font, but you can’t create custom reports as you can with a database manager or most structured PIMs.
You can export the data as a text file but don’t count on being able to import it into another database program. This is not a good program to maintain a structured mailing list.
The program will also dial your phone if you have a modem.
Users of the DOS version can upgrade for $69.95.
