I would like the ability to have a barcode scanner embedded in the mobile app, which would allow for automated data entry (for my use case, computer and electronic equipment serial numbers) This would be useful for other applications as well, including shopping lists, inventory, and coupon management.
In addition to the above request, the ability to generate QR codes from record data would add simplicity to data entry. Thanks!
This Access was a work in progress. I was having a hard time with balancing certain things. I tried to create 3 levels of “assets” Items, Assemblies and Parts. This is because I have equipment that has assemblies that can be replaced or repaired externally but can be repaired internally on a part level. Also, those assemblies can be taken off of one machine, repaired, then put back onto a different machine. The assembly level is also where any prototyping would occur with designing something with my 3d printer and trying it out. So any information about length of time in service would be important for a specific identifiable assembly. Parts level assets would be not unique but inventoried.
I also went with tables in some circumstances (locations and type) where I have opted for multi select columns in Airtable.
I was uncertain how to bring it all into user friendly presentation in access, more so than needing to change some relationships or tables, but was will to err on the side of more tables than not.
My biggest challenge I see in either Airtable or Access will be a user friendly ability to:
Access maintenance records under different filters and for different reasons.
(Ex, Production machines are important to see the last few records back 6 months, on a specific machine, as well as the last time usable parts were repalced (4 cd drives in each),
HVAC equipment just needs to see when the belts and filters were replaced and any past notes, like drip pan look clogged, drip pan unclogged/fixed,
Emergency lighting/signs need to have the battery changes out on a 5 year schedule
etc etc)
For Airtable, I am now wondering if I should have different tables for those different equipment types instead of having them all under one asset table…
Wow. This is a pretty stout database. Are you sure you’re not a developer? This is a better looking DB than some of my developers can create :winking_face:
I’m going to need some time to digest this. Unfortunately, Airtable is only a hobby for me.
I keep looking at this to see if there are any ways to simplify it a bit, and I don’t see it. Everything you have here seems to make sense and be needed. I’d actually wonder from the Airtable team if they see Airtable as a fit for a database with this level of complexity.
When I look at an entity relationship diagram like this, I’d really want the ability to create Airtable views with SQL. I’ve played around with Grandparent/Parent/Child relationships in Airtable, and showing all of them in a single view is doable, but not easy. If you start with the Grandparent, you can pull in a column from the Parent with a Link To column, then you can pull in a column from the Child with a Lookup column based on the Parent. Works fine with small tables. If I had several columns from the Parent and Child tables to show, it would get a little tedious. This is where defining an Airtable view with SQL would be nice.
I don’t think you want to create different tables for each equipment type. I’d create a filtered view off of the main table for each equipment type. I do this in some of my bases rather than constantly setting up that filter on the fly.
Hey there–I’m with Airtable. We’ve talked to many users who have databases with even greater complexity than this (i.e. 30+ tables, with multiple relationships between each table). It does seem like you could pretty easily implement this in Airtable, as well as create views to filter and show things maintenance records from 6 months ago from a specific machine. As Mike suggested, I would personally put all your equipment records into a single table, with a “type” dropdown field.
This would be great. One thing I use airtable for is our books. Secondly is pantry items. We also use it to inventory medications, first aid supplies, video games, and movies or music. Having a more open database that populates the information scanned on barcode would be invaluable. Right now, I have to use third party programs, export then import the information to airtable.
In addition to barcode and QR, would you ever consider OCR?
I’d love to use Airtable to take stock of the 500 cars I have in my dealership, and if the camera scanner had OCR built in as well as barcodes and QR, I’d be able to zap in the license plates.
Hello, this is awesome! I totally understand how AirTable uses the barcodes, but how are you generating and printing them?
I’ll tell you what I want to do… I want to print about 50 barcodes labels, each pre-associated to a nearly blank asset record. A technician sticks it to the asset, and then scans it, and then can enter the asset details, and then add some pictures. When done, he can move to the next asset, wash, rinse, repeat. From back in the office, I can see these details as they come in real-time, and even make adjustments as needed.
