Re: Database for questions and answers?

Subject: Re: Database for questions and answers?
From: "DWerder -at- t-online -dot- de" <DWerder -at- t-online -dot- de>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:48:44 +0200

Hi Tony,

Thank you very  much for your quick reply. I have had a look at Foswiki.
It looks like an interesting tool for team work. Also, it seems that the
forms you are talking about would be good for a knowledge base on an
intranet. Not all users are able to write in an appropriate style and to
use the proper formatting.

However, I was looking for a database for my personal use that allows to
display the contents in table form. Also, I do not want to learn
formatting commands. I prefer something that's simple to use.

Have you (or has anyone else)  tried Bugzilla? That was one of the tools
that seemed promising to me.

Installing a web server on a USB drive would be more fuss than I am
actually willing to take.

Kind regards


Doris Werder
State-certified translator and technical writer
Member of BDÜ and tekom

Doris Werder * technical writing and translations
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IT * Electronics * Politics
English >  German * German > English * Spanish > German
Jahnstraße 8
63450 Hanau
+49 (0)6181 160431
Fax: 03222 244 688 6
dwerder -at- t-online -dot- de
https://www.xing.com/profile/Doris_Werder




Hi Doris,

As your primary use case includes sending lists of unresolved issues
for verification by clients, I would suggest looking into a web-based
tool that provided the ability to show pages based on a user's login.
If you still want a tool that you can take with you to client sites,
you could run a small web server on a USB flash drive.

XAMPP runs on multiple operating systems. Assuming that you are
running Windows, XAMPP lite fits perfectly on even a 1 GB stick, with
lots of room for web applications. You can then run web applications
like a wiki or bug tracking software on the USB key.

If you want the structure of a bug tracking tool, I would probably go
with Bugzilla. However, for the flexibility, I would use a wiki that
can be used to build applications. My wiki of choice is Foswiki,
because it stores pages in text files rather than a database, making
it easy to transfer the content of a wiki into another more permanent
solution if you need.

Foswiki has a powerful search feature, and the ability to
automatically generate lists of entries based on search terms within
the text. There are plugins that let you sort table rows, and even
perform spreadsheet calculations

At work I'm pushing to develop a form-based input system for specific
wiki pages, so users don't have to write a lot of text in order to
generate an entry. Depending on the comments you track against your
writing, you could set up multiple forms to capture the data you want,
in a variety of form types based on the type of pages.

On such form could generate a row in a table, for instance. Then
another view could pull only the rows from the table that don't have
"DONE" in the completed column... it's quite flexible.

XAMPP: http://www.apachefriends.org/
Foswiki: http://foswiki.org/System/BeginnersStartHere

Cheers,

-Tony


On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 8:54 AM, DWerder -at- t-online -dot- de
<DWerder -at- t-online -dot- de> wrote:
> Dear colleagues,
>
> Maybe you have come across a similar problem and found a good answer:
In
> my technical writing and translation projects I frequently send lists
of
> questions concerning a software or a section of text I reviewed. In
the
> past, I have usually created Word tables which I sent to the client
>
> Sometimes I discuss these lists with the client on the telephone,
> sometimes they send me answers in writing. In other cases (mainly when
I
> work onsite at the client's), I discuss the issues in a personal
> meeting.
>
> Usually, I enter the replies I get into the table. Nevertheless I have
> found this method insufficient for my needs. It is difficult to keep
an
> overview when the information is spread over several files.
>
> What I would like to find is a database tool that is simple to use and
>
> ** allows me to sort all questions and answers according to the
desired
> database fields.
>
> ** Also, a full-text search would be a requirement.
>
> ** In addtion, it would be important to display the new questions and
> answers in table format and e-mail them to the client.
>
> Examples of fields I would like to  include are:
>
> No | Page No | Dialog box | Question  | Answer | To do | Responsible |
> Status
>
> I do not want any web-based tools. If available, I  would prefer a
> portable application, as I often work in different places. I am
> considering to use a bug-tracker but I have no experience with these
> tools and I do not know whether they would be suitable for this
purpose.
>
> Maybe it would be better to use a knowledge base system? They have a
> slightly different focus, though.
>
> Has anyone of you heard of such a magic piece of software?
>
> Thank you very much in advance for your help!
>
>
> Greetings form Germany
>
>
> Doris Werder
> State-certified translator and technical writer
> Member of BDÜ and tekom
>
> Doris Werder * technical writing and translations
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> IT * Electronics * Politics
> English >  German * German > English * Spanish > German
> Jahnstraße 8
> 63450 Hanau
> +49 (0)6181 160431
> Fax: 03222 244 688 6
> dwerder -at- t-online -dot- de
> https://www.xing.com/profile/Doris_Werder
>
>
>
>
>
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Database for questions and answers?: From: DWerder -at- t-online -dot- de

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