Database Manager

(v. 5.4.4008)

Using Database Manager, you can create, configure, view, and print your ProFicient databases, as well as add, edit, delete, import, and export records within the databases.

ProFicient requires an ODBC compliant database to store all of its information, including part numbers, machine numbers, processes, gages, test characteristics, specification limits, control limits, subgroup values, comments, process events, employee information, and security levels. Even if you are using many different projects throughout your facility, all the data resides in this single, centralized database.

Database Overview

The database is like a filing cabinet with many drawers. The cabinet represents the database, the drawers in the cabinet represent the database tables, the folders in the drawers represent the groups, and the papers in the folders represent the items within the groups.

Database structure requires that you think in terms of company-wide rather than department-wide, since this approach will easily accommodate change and growth as additional departments and product lines may require the ability to add data. InfinityQS strongly recommends that you develop a company-wide naming convention, and publish these conventions so that employees clearly understand how to add new items to the database.

When creating groups, you must determine logical classifications for each family of items. For example, you could organize your impeller parts in an Impellers group, and your shaft parts in a Shafts group, or you could decide not to separate the different parts, and instead organize the impeller parts and shaft parts in a Global Parts group.

Within a single table (drawer), new groups (folders) can be added, moved, or deleted at any time. Existing groups, however, cannot be moved to another table. In addition, items (papers) within a group (folders) can be added, moved to other groups or deleted, but cannot be moved to another table.

For example, an item initially created in the Part table can be moved around to different part groups, but cannot (and should not) be moved to the Process table.

Types of Databases

The database can range from low-end single-tier databases, such as Microsoft Access, to the high-end client-server databases, such as Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, Informix, and Progress, and InfinityQS provides the Microsoft ODBC drivers for a variety of databases in the installation package.

Database ODBC

The ODBC data source is not the database, but rather the shortcut containing information about how to connect to a data provider, including the path to the database and the required driver necessary for communication. You must create an ODBC data source at each ProFicient workstation.

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a standard established by Microsoft that enables Windows applications to communicate with any database engine using a standard protocol.

ProFicient Database Overview

ProFicient stores everything, including part numbers, machine numbers, processes, gages, test characteristics, specification limits, control limits, subgroup values, comments, process events, employee information, and security levels, in a centralized ODBC compliant database.

In a multi-user network installation, the database typically resides on a shared server, allowing users across the enterprise to access and maintain the data. In a stand-alone installation, the database typically resides on the local workstation.

Database Structure

ProFicient is built around a Part-Process-Test structure, which means that every variable or attribute value written to the database must have values for the part item, the process item, and the test item, plus a date/time stamp. You can associate additional information with a data value in user-defined or fixed descriptor tables, such as Job, Lot, Component Lot, Shift, or Employee.

For example, if you wanted to monitor the number of chocolate chips in individual cookies, you would create the Part, or product name of the cookie (for example, Classic cookie or Super Chipper cookie); the Process, or device that inserts the chocolate chips into the cookie (for example, Chip Injector #1, Chip Injector #2, etc.); and the Test, or number of chocolate chips in a cookie (for example, 10-12 for Classic or 20-25 for Super Chipper).

Consider the following scenarios:

Database Security

InfinityQS strongly recommends using the ProFicient internal security to ensure the integrity of your data, allowing you to base your decisions on accurate and reliable information. While your database provides security features, only ProFicient's security offers audit tracking logged with each user's identity. If you enable both database security and ProFicient security, you might create conflicting permissions that interfere with the software operation.

Not only can you secure the data, you can use corporate hierarchy to limit visibility of part and process data, granting designated users access to the information they need. This access control applies to menus and ribbon buttons, as well as layout and format, including colors, fonts, bar widths, etc.

Database Permissions

This database is not created in a ProFicient application or utility. Instead, you must create the database using your database configuration software, and then ProFicient will run an automated script to create all the necessary tables, indexes, and referential integrity constraints through Database Manager.

Before creating the tables, you must be logged in as the database owner (DBO), which is NOT the same as a user with administrative rights or full permissions. The DBO is the original creator of the database.

If you are not logged in as the DBO, other users will not have permissions to new tables, and will not be able to see or use those tables.

NOTE: To ensure proper database permissions, please contact your database administrator for assistance.

Database Tables

In the ProFicient database, there are three critical tables that sit at the highest level in the database structure:

Most of the other ProFicient tables are related to the Part, Process, and Test tables, and include the following: