Technically Proficient, but Ignorant - SS, DB, what??

Question

Hi all,
How do I determine what type of document I need to create when inputting raw data and information? The last three years, my kids teacher’s have asked me to compile lists of students in a particular grade. I’ve muddled through each year using a database format. This is not easy to change information, i.e. adding/deleting a student or creating a contact list based on a project.
I’m technically proficient using Appleworks (I read the instructions) but don’t know how to start a project based on my needs. How do you determine if a spread sheet would be better than a database?
This topic pointed out to me how ignorant I am of Appleworks and all the bells and whistles I’m not using to make life easier.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2237613&#2237613
Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-s
iMac G4   Mac OS X (10.2.x)   AW 6.2.4

Answer 1

One good place to start might be the sample databases supplied with AppleWorks.
Teacher Address, found in the Templates tab of Starting Points is probably the closest to what you need.
Adding or deleting a student (from the database) can be done by simply deleting the record. If you want to keep the name on the list, but don't want it included in a list of 'current students', add a code for "moved" or "deleted" to the data in one of the fields. In the DB I made for my classes, which contained students from more than one class, I handled the removals by adding an X in front of the teacher's surname (eg. for a student who moved out of Mrs. Smith's class, the Teacher name would be changed to "XSmith".) Searching (shift-command-F) the records for an X in the Teacher name field, and checking the Omit box on the search page makes the DB display only current students, without having to actually remove them from the DB itself.
For contact lists based on a project, add a 'Group' field to the DB. This could be a Popup field with Group 1, Group 2, Group3, etc. as the items, or a set of Radio Buttons with similar labels. Selecting on a particular group would give a contact list for that group only; Sorting the DB on the 'Group' field would give a contact list with all the names in each group listed together. Adding a Subsummary when sorted by...'Group' part to the Layout for the contact list, and clicking Page break after summary would place each group list on a separate page, useful for group supervisors on activities like field trips.
Other templates to look at are "Caterer Address" and "Event Tracker", both of which contain some ideas that can be modified for your purposes.
Also take a look at the Address List Assistant in the Assistants tab of Starting Points. Three looks actually—have the Assistant create a Personal, Business, and Student version, accepting the default values each time through.
Regards,
Barry