Software Again

I'm surprised how little discussion is held here about stamp inventory management. A spreadsheet seems ok for straight listings but there is so much more to know that is difficult to put into preordained columns.

I've just tried out the two packages I could find and found EZStamps to be much too cumbersome with too many clicks to do anything. I spent $75 to have the 320 page manual printed out at Staples but it really doesn't tell you anything except to tell you what's in the various fields. Stamp Manager gets a lot of bad press about support but I got very quick responses to some of my questions and entered a completed Minkus plateblock album today (volume VI). It would have taken me twice as long with EZstamps using these steps:

0-key scott#, return
1-scroll down to graded item by moving slider
2-click on select graded item
3-Click check mark
4-move slider up to selected item
5-right click on item
6-chose edit selected
7-enter any other data and click OK
8-click on PNB
9-right click
10-chose quick edit
11-click edit
12-click on add
13-enter plate# and location under notes
14-click check mark to enter changes
15-click check mark to enter changes again to finish entry of one plate block.

A bit too cumbersome as I only have so many years left.
Fred

I have used StampManage for many years and find it competent. LibertyStreet support is non-existence and their communication skills are lacking but the software is stable and the interface fairly intuitive. I generally don't recommend StampManage due to their support issues.

All inventory applications have a database at their core, MS Access is commonly used for Windows desktop app like these. Many IS professionals hate MS Access and with good reasons. But with it's obviously short-comings aside, MS Access does represent an open architecture which allows porting the data to other applications and even supports alternative interfacing.

In other words, I can easily write my own queries and html reports using the same data that StampManage uses. With a basic database understanding a user can access their considerable investment in data entry, giving them the information where and when they want it instead of only using the application interface. This includes having data available online and not locked up on your desktop at home.

It does take learning some database skills to be able to do this kind of thing but if anyone wants to learn I may be able to assist. I cannot imagine investing hundreds of hours into data entry but not feeling comfortable about being able to access and use the data for decades to come. So my opinion is that as long as a desktop inventory app has an open database architecture foundation there is a possible future migration path and investment can be retained.

I would shy away from inventory apps that take too many clicks to do things, a general rule of thumb is that users should not be required to click more than three times to get a task done. I also am wary of inventory apps that attempt to 'hide' or not offer easy access to their data sources. The whole point of having an open database architecture are things like the ease of porting data in and out of them. It is a red flag to me if the inventory app company is trying to sell a service for importing or exporting data in their app.

Welcome to both Fred and Studebaker. The topic of Software and databases has been discussed several times (Use the Search function) and all parties seem to agree that there is no one perfect solution for everyone. I do like Studebaker's comments about the number of clicks necessary to get the job done, as none of us like to wear out our mouse buttons.

My only additional comments is to make sure and backup your database on some type of schedule. Also remember that a backup should NOT be on the same drive as your original, as I have had several disk drives die over the years and lost a lot of valuable pictures and information. A good idea is to copy onto a USB drive. A better idea would be to burn it onto a CD or DVD and keep it in a separate location.

For the present I back up my entire system periodically. I just got a 3 TB external drive which will hold several backup versions. Just writing or thinking the term terrabytes gives me a weird feeling of having moved into the future. The first digital computer I worked on was a 4KB IBM 1401. We later upgraded to a 40KB 1410 monster which took up most of a floor. My entry into "management" held the title of Sr. Distribution McIlroy Network Analyzer Technician. It was a monster analog machine. Those were the days. Then along came plugboard machines which we programmed with wires from and to a node. Fun stuff back then.

Anyway, I got several messages from Liberty software so they are there and responding. I'm not sure I'll ever get into using raw Access but at least the data is there in open form. That is very important to me too.

My first digital computer was a TRS-80 with a cassette drive as the storage media. I had to save at least 5 copies, in case one of the programs was bad. Lots of fun back then.

Ah, the TRS-80. That was already in modern times of late 70s fame. In my day they had just invented core memory in the form of a little donut. The micro computers of the 70s and 80s were already a world removed from the beginning. I met Mauchly and Eckert who invented the ENIAC and shared the stage with Mauchly and Grace Hopper talking about commercially using computers early on. Aiken, the inventor if the first IBM computer series, claimed in 1947 that, "Only six electronic digital computers would be required to satisfy the computing needs of the entire United States." It was all about math and computation in the early days. Nobody could even imagine using a computer for other things. The world has changed since then and I am living in the future.

Ha ha - first computer for me, too. 16 Kb of RAM, and that was the fancy expensive one (the entry level TRS-80 had only 4 Kb). Those flashing asterisks while the program loaded off the cassette tape - you were always holding your breath, hoping they would continue to flash and the program would load correctly without turning into a mass of gibberish.

We had the metallic paper thermal printer too - lots of fun turning off the lights to watch the fire shooting out of the print head! A later upgrade to a disk operating system led to me writing my first stamp database program. Lots of fun, I had a great time with that computer.

Ryan

hi,
Regarding Stamp Inventory I made preliminary Databse couple of
screen shot no1 and no2 are here. If you like than you can see
all 45 screnshot at Photobucket.com tikithindi photo library
Screenshot2. Majority of Filed are pull through few one has to type in.
Any comment or suggestion welcome.

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1.
First Balnk screen...

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2.
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3a.
[URL=http://s1102.photobucket.com/user/tikithindi/media/Screen%20Shots2/SC-Fig3a.jpg.html"][/URL]
3b.

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3c.

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4.
Is it worth creating Database ?. or make in Excel spreadsheet
where minimum Typing required...
Mistake will correct later..

Tikithindi

IMO, a spread sheet is as good as a purchased inventory program and a lot less expensive. The support is yourself so if you can stand talking to yourself that should not be a problem. Easy to set up and easy to use.

I keep a stamp inventory for insurance purpose. About every 10-12 years I update my stamp values when I purchase a new specialized, trying to adhear to their grading system. I first started doing this using Visi-Calc, then Fox-Pro then switched over to Excell where it sits today.

I have a tab for each catagory and sub catagory (37 total tabs), making it easy to update the values. I then have a summary on the 1st page that links to the total of any Tab.

All I need do now is to send to my agent the first tab and the replacement insurance is set accordingly. The fact that I haven't updated the stamp values since 2002, the value of my collection may be going down.

I'll retire for good next year and this will be a fun high priority winter job I'm looking forward to.

As always, it's my hobby not my investment.

Art

That kind of stuff would quickly kill any interest in stamps I ever had! Why is there the need to make things so difficult? I mean it would seems to me that if you use an album you pretty well know what you have right? Put your doubles in a stockbook and call it a day. Please pardon my ignorance but just seems like a colossal Pain in the ass unless you operate a business or are itemizing to sell? I don't know..not for me.

There are some web sites that offer to track your collection for you, and some free tools you can run local. The problem with the local tools is, you have to enter all the stamp data, unless you buy something like StampManage.

Regarding StampMange software, I too have used it for several years. It is a bit of a love / hate relationship. It is fairly easy to use but it is full of errors. I can't begin to say how often I have had to edit errors in their database. Also, their reporting isn't so good. I especially have problems exporting the data to Excel. This is not an MS Access issue as I have used Access for years and done thousands of exports with no issues other than with this software. The export is so full of errors that I now maintain a spreadsheet and the database. Also StampManage support is not the best. I have waited for weeks to get responses from them. But I'll live with those issues vs going through all the clicks, etc. of EZStamp.

Why do all of the stamp page makers have to be so complicated???

I just want a simple one.

A moveable and sizeable box with the ability to type in it, above it or under it.

Is that asking so much?

I have used stampmanage since 2001, I only get an upgrade every 2-3 years, just to get the stamp images and updated database. I have edited their info and have just emailed them about when the next year will be available. They responded in about 3 days. Not bad IMO.
I didn't like the EZstamp program for the same reasons aforementioned. I like databases, and I like spreadsheets, so its right up my alley.
One tip to make it run a bit faster is only enable the countries you are updating. For instance, I am scanning in my stamps from my Liberty album; and only the US data is available. My old XP desktop can run it quite efficiently this way. Subsequently, no matter what you use to track your stamp data; back it up to a different drive.

That's my opinion, also. An Excel spreadsheet can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Here's an example of what fields I use in my inventory program:



I have tried using Access but failed miserably at it. The sorting seems just as powerful in Excel, not to mention it has much more robust calculation and graphing tools that I find much easier to work with.