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METRIX – A Free Database Solution for Nonprofits written by Arthur Vincie Tech News Staff Writer
The product is built with proprietary Microsoft database tools but is distributed with a General Public License (GPL), allowing users the ability to freely change the software and remove the burden of any per user or seat cost. Catalyst for a free database solution Sean DeWitt, the Project Manager for the effort, recently described the catalyst that drove FCNY to jump into the application development space. "Many similar database project requests have come from small nonprofit clients over the years leading us to this, " he says.When Sean sat down with Tech News, he described an industry where two significant trends have emerged in recent years: DeWitt explained that the consultant team at FCNY made a tremendous effort working with small groups with limited resources for custom application development over the years in both FileMakerPro and Access. Now with Metrix, FCNY aims to "leverage the common needs small agencies face by developing a scalable solution for groups lacking resources, " he said. Staff Training FCNY, which trains over 4,000 nonprofit staff every year in technology and computer applications, has redesigned its database training program component to integrate with the Metrix application.Upgrade Path The system has a built-in upgrade path and FCNY continues to routinely roll out new modules of the application for database users, free of charge.FCNY provides over 500 pages of documentation and envisions a website with a large library of downloadable customizations that nonprofits can contribute to and share freely. In Summary The Metrix product is still in development and a work in progress with early users in New York City working to eliminate bugs. FCNY believes that Metrix is currently most suitable for organizations that have a staff proficient in Microsoft Access.The effort and vision that have gone into the product to date are significant. If successful, Metrix will deliver a tremendous benefit to community-based organizations struggling with ongoing database development efforts. Local organizations with the internal IT knowledge to review, use, and provide feedback to the Metrix team are critical to the long term effort at FCNY. TECHNICAL REVIEW NOTES
BACK END INFORMATION Metrix is a fairly "table-heavy" database. Functional modules (such as contacts, calendar tasks, etc.) are broken down into a highly normalized set of tables on the back end. For instance, lookups for drop-down boxes generally each have their own tables.Stored procedures and queries tie the pieces back together. Metrix relies on stored procedures and server-side views for data retrieval and manipulation. This does appear to speed up performance of the application overall. Naming conventions are very well observed ("sp" prefixes for stored procedures, "vw" for views, "tbl" for tables, etc.). Generally, names are easy to understand and relationships between tables are fairly obvious. The developers have taken extra measures to ensure the "legibility" of the database. For example, the "tblUtil" prefix is used to name tables that are used to hold data relevant to the application (as opposed to user data). "Tlkp" refers to tables used as lookups (for drop-down boxes). After only a few minutes of looking through the database, I felt that I could figure out any part of it with just a little effort. OVERALL SENSIBILITY Metrix was designed to be open-ended and highly customizable. Thus, its menus, functionality and much of its appearance are actually data-driven. Menus and submenus are stored in the database and are manipulated through code in the client app. It's possible then to add (or subtract) menus. You can also add (or subtract) key functionality, and build custom tables to hold organization-specific data.Metrix ships with contact management capabilities, shared calendar functionality, and basic integration with Excel and Word. It also ships with a powerful query-by-form wizard, which allows the user to create (and save) highly customized queries and reports. It also comes with a set of administrative tools which allows the user to edit drop-down list values, add database users, and import data from other sources. Developers are encouraged to extend the application in a number of ways. Metrix ships with three other Access project files, designed to be used by developers to extend the application: 1. Interactsql.adp links directly to the back-end database and provides developers with a view of the structure. It also includes several forms that can help developers add "modules" (functionally related groups of customized tables) to the application. 2. Reports.adp links directly to the back-end database and holds the shared reports for the database. 3. Devmodule.mdb contains code and forms that allow developers to easily define and add custom tables to the database. In addition, the admin tools mentioned above include a "Developer" Console, which contains various helpful guides and items for developers. Finally, the application ships with a set of customized tables, and includes instructions on how to add more. LOOK AND FEEL The Metrix application is very smart-looking and well-designed. The developer avoided garish colors and tried to keep screens as uncluttered as possible.My only real complaint is that clicking on a top-level menu item opens up a new form without closing the old. This will confuse some users, as it means that the Windows taskbar will quickly fill up with non-closed forms. The custom query wizard is wonderful. It very easily handles what is, in reality, a very complex chore, and hides much of the complexity from the user. This is a significantly valuable feature. The help files are genuinely helpful. I only wish they had compiled them into a PDF version as well. The FCNY website includes installation notes and a bug reporting form. The installation instructions were mostly helpful, but it still took me several installation attempts on my Windows XP machine before I was able to use the app. I would recommend that the developers focus on a single installation program for all the installation chores. FCNY is promising a new release of Metrix in Spring 2005, so I'm hopeful that many of these small issues may be resolved. Metrix is clearly a "deep" application, which can grow and adapt to an organization's needs. For this reason, it's best customized by developers before being released to the general user base within an organization, or by staff with equivalent knowledge in Access. As with many open-source projects, the long-term success of Metrix will depend on the loyalty and friendliness of its user base. Ideally, I'd like to see an active Metrix user group that shares tips, factoids, and custom tables with each other.
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Innovations.... What Virtualization Can Do For You (March, 2008) Wireless Innovations: New Wireless Technology Is Good News For Nonprofits (October, 2007) METRIX – A Free Database Solution for Nonprofits (March, 2005) The Case For Wireless Networking (October, 2004) Open Source – New Horizons (May, 2004) The Electronic Data Initiative for Nonprofits (August, 2003) Placing Wireless Technologies in Context: Are They Right for Your Agency? (October, 2002) How "Open Source" Can Open Doors for Nonprofits (June, 2002) CUNY Wired! Showcases the Best in Academic Technology (April, 2002) A Handheld Future (June, 2001) Migration to Handhelds: Visiting Nurse Association of Brooklyn (June, 2001) Using Handhelds in the Field: ACCION International Empowers the Self-Employed Poor (June, 2001) Nonprofits Benefit from ePayments Technology (April, 2001) Handheld Computing: Readers Respond (July, 2000) Is Handheld Computing Ready for you? (May, 2000) Community Voice Mail comes to New York (August, 1999) Other Articles of Interest.... How we're using Information Technology to Further our Mission (February, 1999) |
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