Hi All
I have a problem with what I am trying to accomplish which begans with I have no idea of what I need to do technically to accomplish my objective so hence this posting.
Basic objective is a data base of clients along with their address phone numbers, contact names, and preferences plus other additional fields. The eventual product of this information could be used in a number of different computers so a client server DB such as mysql or postgres or Open Office 2 will be needed.
All well and good but there is a pre stage to the data base. In order to input the required data I must first output it from a number of existing data bases over which I have no control of the output consequentally there are issues with data placement and format which is easiest to explain by example.
For example my database requires data to be in the form of: Given_Names | Family_Name | Address_1| Address_2 | City | State | Zip
and I receive data in the format of Names | Address | City_&_State_Zip
The cut past and text transformation options are slightly better in MS Office than they are in Open Office so I have been manipulating this data by means of MS Word and Excel to obtain the correct format which is painful and time consuming as neither a word editor or spread sheet are setup with the tools required for data editing and column formating.
I would thus like to know if anyone knows of a spreadsheet type program not set up to do mathematical operations but data editing. The program must be spread sheet based so that one may see the data and provide better tools which are again best explained by example.
Lets assume that one has a matrix of test data that is 20 columns wide and 30,000 rows deep, not a small matrix, with data scattered through in the wrong column. For example:
Given Names for individual 1 is 1 name, for individual 2 it is 5 names, and for individual 3 it is 3 names. English names of first, middle, last are not to difficult but sprinkle in a number of Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese names and total confusion reigns not to mention issues with other regions.
Address can be 1 line, 2 lines, or 3 lines et.
By now you get the picture of what the data is.
What is needed is sort ability for all or blocks of data by:
1. either rows or columns.
2. by data from the front or back
Let me explain the latter.
Lets assume that you have a number of individuals in your data which have 2, 3, 4, or 5 names but all have Jr. or II, or III at the end which is not required for this application so it would be best to remove such formality in simplification. This feature would allow one to search by the last letter of the field first.
Anyway by now one gets the idea that a spread sheet/word editor or database is not what I have reference to as none of these programs is geared to organizing data into the apposite column for usage in a data base.
Any help suggestions or ideas concerning how to procede, which programs to examine or more applicable bulletin board would be appreciated.
Thanks
Frank
Basically, I think that the best thing you can do is learn a little Perl, which by it's name is designed for these sorts of tasks. With a little basic help/reading, all of your tasks are achievable.
All you really need to do is define the rules for which the data should comply. And then convert these to code.
HTH
-- Thanks,
David
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