GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

As a semi-retired person, I’ve not needed anything to keep track of clients, inquiries, sales, print shop offerings, basic notes, etc. on a computer. A few sheets of paper were fine for the type of photography I formerly did. Now that I’m expanding things, a few more inquiries than I’m used to are coming my way and in a much shorter time frame. I’d like to be prepared should a hole in the dyke gets bigger, so-to-speak.

My #1 question is:

What is a good and easy computerized program of offering to keep track of things that is on the cheep? At my last place of employment they had one I loved but I found out the price of it was around $20,000 and that was about 15 years ago. (A little high in my book.)

I’m running Windows 10. I do have an older unused basic version of Quicken if that helps. I'd even like to get opinions on using things like Shootproof and/or Evernote..

My #2 question is:

What modern information should I be keeping tabs on?

*(Yes I know this has been talked about in the past but I'd like to get a updated information on it.)

Thanks for any help!

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

A spreadsheet would be easier to use than a database. Open Office is free and fully compatible with MS Office files. http://www.openoffice.org/download/. As for what to keep tabs on, that's up to you. I have a spreadsheet of my camera gear that is insured & a second that has ALL my camera gear. In both are listed the item, date purchased, serial number, who it was purchased from, & whether it was new or used. If you used a database, you'd have to define all the fields & what to do with them. In a spreadsheet, put a name for that column in the first row and the corresponding data under it. You can sort on any of the columns and if you have a cost column, keep tabs on the total value of you gear.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I use Google Calendar and Contacts for day to day things it's very effective and reminds me of anything coming up. The combination of the two gives you lots of flexibility and room for notes. The fact that they are cloud based means you can take them with you via phone or tables when you are away from home.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

FileMaker Pro, Nuance PaperPort, MS Access and many more depending on the computer platform you want to run it on.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

You really need to know what it is you want to track, and what kind of reports you need (output).
Expenses? Time and Goods Billing? Vendor Data and Purchase Orders? Client contact info? Appointments? POS (Point of Sale)?

Once you know what you want, it will be easier to either find an application that works for you, or build something in a database or series of spreadsheets. What you are trying to do is pick the tires you want before you select the car.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

QuickBooks is the business equivalent by the same folks who make Quicken. Quickbooks will provide a complete, very flexible, business record for: sales, invoicing, materials, accts. payable (to vendors), accts. receivable (from customers), payroll, depreciation, etc. I've used Quicken and TurboTax for years and was a Customer Service Tech rep for QuickBooks at a call center in Tucson for 3-4 years. QuickBooks was designed for the 'small business' user, but interestingly, it is also used by somewhat larger businesses such as the U.S. Dept of Defense, NASA, General Motors, etc. It is relatively easy to learn and well-supported.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

I second a spreadsheet as much easier to create, use and to view than a database. I've been keeping all my financial data on spreadsheets for about 10 years. I originally started with Microsoft Excel and switched over to the free Open Office version (open Office Calc) several years ago. Open Office has the full suite that Microsoft Office has (spread sheet, word processor, database, etc.) and can create graphs from spreadsheet data if desired, create formulas to calculate percentages, store links to websites in a spreadsheet cell, etc. Periodically I email an updated spreadsheet to myself, so if my house and computer were gone, I'd still have my spreadsheet in a saved email folder. One thing I don't put in the spreadsheet is any passwords (just in case my computer and/or email gets hacked).

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

My first choice is Open Office. They offer the usual office stuff, a word processor, spreadsheet, and database. A good deal of the folks will suggest a spreadsheet for your needs. That is complete nonsense. It can be made to work, but that is not the purpose of spreadsheets. You'll want to use a database, for keeping track of clients, etc. Search and sort doesn't quite work the same with a spreadsheet as with a database. Either is a good deal of work to set up, and a lot of thought should go into what you need and how to organize the tables to work efficiently.

Another possibility is to rent server space and learn mysql and php. Those are two very valuable tools. There are scads of tutorials out there to assist. I'd recommend looking at The New Boston for tutorials on just about anything. They are well put together and very easy to learn.

Having been involved in database design and use for some years, I'll tell you that the amount of time you spend up front will diminish the amount of time you'll need using it. There are even basic formats available for free to download, modify, and use. Self discipline in entering the data becomes crucial.
--Bob

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

I too use QuickBooks. But I use it to track orders, customers, vendors etc. For other data like places to shoot, upcoming events, etc. I use a regular database. I also use Notepad in windows to keep general lists and I use a spreadsheet for other stuff. It sounds confusing but I basically know what is where so it isn't difficult.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Check out FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Go. www.filemaker.com has the details.

FileMaker runs on Windows, Macintosh, and FileMaker Go runs on all the iOS devices (iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone). I used to develop on a Mac, then tweak, deploy, and host on PCs. There are minor differences between the platforms, but most are cosmetic.

I was a FileMaker developer off and on, as a part of my photo lab jobs from 1995 to 2012. I produced ten very simple solutions and half a dozen fairly complex ones. The key advantage of FileMaker is that it really does not require any coding, just plain English scripting. It also comes with templates that you can use right away, both in a practical sense and for learning the system.

FileMaker scales really, really well, too. You can use a stand-alone setup, workgroup a few copies, or add a server and host databases over the Internet.

NormanTheGr8 Loc: Racine, Wisconsin

I use this thing called WIFE she Knows where everything is and what I'm supposed to do every minute of the day ....BEST EASIEST System EVERRRRRR !!!!
:D

Caldian Loc: Crystal Lake, Michigan & traveling

I used "Act" database program by Sage software for over 20 years whilst in sales. It eventually grew to over 19,000 individual entries and each could be searched by a number of means e.g. Surname, Town, etc. it can also be synched with other sources. I still have it on my computer but only use it occasionally to look up old contacts info when I need to. It can also be programmed to produce work report for individuals detailing past periods of data weekly, monthly and such. I have not updated my version for over five years and am sure it has evolved. In later versions there were differing modules for various tasks my only complaint used to be that whilst there were the various modules one wasn't able to pick and choose which to have - they were all included. I just didn't activate the ones I didn't use.
Also had Quicken then migrated to QuickBooks as company and personnel increased. Personally preferred Quicken as it was simpler to operate but QBooks covers all the functions to do payroll and all the items necessary to satisfy the "infernal" revenue service reporting requirements so pick your poison.

ecblackiii Loc: Maryland

You can do everything that an expensive database, Quicken or an office management system can do with just a spreadsheet and a calendar. And spreadsheets are much easier to learn as well.

twowindsbear

👍 👍 👍

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

I have always preferred making my own "database" using Microsoft Excel or some other spreadsheet program. It can be as simple or complex as you want to make it.