From:	DAVE DUNFORD
Sent:	3 March 2000 10:18
To:	'Oxonbirds'
Subject:	[Oxonbirds] Sending records electronically (LONG)
From: DAVE DUNFORD

If you don't submit records to me by email or via the new online database
(http://www.onelist.com/database/Oxonbirds?method=reportRows&tbl=1) please
ignore this message.

If you do submit records, please take a minute to read a few requests that
will make my life easier. Please don't let the length of this message put
you off, it's not that complicated, the occasional mistake doesn't matter
and is usually resolved very easily, and the OOS really does value your
records.

With more and more people submitting records this way it's taking me a while
to process them each month. Most of you do most things correctly, but each
person has their own foibles which I have to work around. In most cases
getting into the habit of doing things "the right way" won't cause you any
more work, but will save me lots of time and improve the accuracy of the
data. Where possible, I've tried to explain the process so you can see WHY
these recommendations add value to your records and make life easier.

TOP FIVE REQUESTS (even if you read no further, please read these - fuller
explanations below)
1) Send me Excel files if you can.
2) List dates in the format dd/mm/yyyy, one date per record.
3) Put info on relative numbers of sexes ("3M2F") in the NUMBER field, not
NOTES.
4) Watch out for missing fields (especially in CSV files).
5) Put a placename only in the Place field (qualify it using the GR and
NOTES fields).

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR RECORDS?
The main OOS database is now on my home PC, but most records get sent to me
at work. What I do is compile the records as they arrive (plus records from
the online database) into a single Excel spreadsheet (without much
checking), which I send home after the deadline has passed. All records are
then imported into the database (at which point rogue records usually show
up), and those from the last month (most of them, usually) are printed out
and passed to Ian Lewington (the County Recorder) for inclusion in the
monthly bulletin. All records are included in the large printouts that form
the raw material for the Annual Report.

The way the import routine works is to check each field against tables in
the database and then create a record with the right code numbers. The
matching is quite sophisticated, with alternative names for species, places
and people held to increase the chances of an exact match, but new entries
(new places, new observers etc.) have to be added and otherwise
unrecognised fields have to be resolved "by hand" each month. This is the
bit that takes most of the time.

GENERAL NOTES ON RECORDS
1) Please DON'T cross-refer between records. Each record should make sense
in isolation, as it will probably be exported from the database in a
different order to that in which it was entered (records are usually ordered
by species, then date, irrespective of who submitted them). References to
"the above record" and so on will be meaningless when the record appears
among other people's records. Repeat information where necessary in the
Notes field to clarify useful references to other records.
2) The database CANNOT deal with ranges of dates - please submit two
records, from the first and last dates the bird(s) were present, with a note
"Present XX/XX/XXXX to YY/YY/YYYY" in the Notes field of both records. For "all month"
type records, use the 1st date seen and put "All month" in the Notes field.
3) Please DON'T put blank lines, lines of dashes or whatever between records
- these have to be removed by hand or they get imported as blank records.
4) Please DON'T submit duplicates of records sent to Ian on cards or included
in the main Farmoor log.
5) If possible, please list all observers and liaise with your fellow
observers to minimize duplication of records.

PREFERRED FORMATS FOR EMAILED RECORDS
1) If you can use it, the quickest format for me to deal with is to send me
your records in an Excel spreadsheet, in the approved format, attached to an
email. A suitable template is downloadable from
http://www.oos.org.uk/Downloads/RecExmpl.zip. You can delete the
second and third sheets to reduce the size of the file you submit.
2) The second-best is to attach a text file with a .CSV extension to your
email, containing your records in the standard comma-separated value format
(and NOTHING else, no blank lines, lines of dashes, subheadings etc.). The
standard format is described at http://www.oos.org.uk/records.htm.
3) Third-best is to include the records in CSV format within the body of the
email - I have to save this as a text file, strip out headers and the text
of your message to leave just the records.
4) Most work for me is an email with records listed in non-standard formats.

NOTES ON FIELDS
Comprehensive info is given at http://www.oos.org.uk/records.htm
(or available by email on request) but these are the most commonly broken
rules.

Date
Please use the format dd/mm/yyyy (e.g. 21/03/2000) for dates - we've already
had one instance of the Millennium Bug where one person's records would have
gone into the database as coming from 1900 if I hadn't spotted it. (THIS IS
GOOD PRACTICE FOR ALL DATE-RELATED COMPUTER INFORMATION.) The computer
DOESN'T recognise "23rd February 2000".

Species
I can cope with most abbreviations and alternatives, but please watch your
spelling (I see "Shoveller" and "Widgeon" so often they're listed as
alternative names!).

Number
If you see 3 males and 2 females, put 3M2F in the number field RATHER THEN
PUTTING THIS INFO IN THE NOTES FIELD. The database recognises most variants
of this and knows this is five birds in total (it stores information on the
number of birds in two ways - as a number for sorting and comparison
purposes, and as a string to retain the extra info). Certain other fields
(recording the age and sex of the birds) are set using this information (but
not if you put it in the Notes field). Similarly for mixed groups of adults
and juveniles (e.g. 2A7J). More specific age- or sex-related info (e.g. "1st
winter", "probable male", "redhead" etc.) should go in the Notes field.

Place
The database of known locations is fairly large (see
http://www.oos.org.uk/Downloads/Places.txt for a fairly recent
list), so you don't usually need to include things like "nr Kidlington" or
whatever - this increases the chances that the placename won't match one on
the database. Try to include ONLY the placename in the placename field: "my
garden in wherever" or "by the A34 near so-and-so" or "three-quarters of a
mile east of you-know-where" are unlikely to find a match. Put the name of
the nearest place or landmark in the placename field and qualify it using
the Grid Reference and/or Notes fields.

Grid Reference
Grid References are optional, and 4-figure grid references (identifying the
1km square) are quite adequate. Please don't omit the SU or SP from grid
references, and please don't put any spaces in. THE EASTINGS COME FIRST!
(the numbers along the bottom of the map). If the GR is more than 3km from
where I expect it to be, it will be flagged - this catches most of these.

Observer
I'm going to work on this, as with more and more observers the need to find
a unique set of initials gets harder and harder. Long-standing observers
will have standard initials; new observers please include your middle
initial(s) with your first submission as this will increase the chances of
uniquely identifying you.

Notes
Pretty much anything goes. There are a few key words that are flagged for
extra fields - the words "garden", "ringed", "dead", "nesting", "breeding"
and synonyms alert the import routine that certain extra flags in the
database may need to be set.
If your Notes have got commas in them, put quotes " " round the outside in a
CSV file.

NOTES FOR CSV (COMMA SEPARATED TEXT FILES)
1) Please check your fields before submitting - missing commas mean that
initials end up in the grid reference field, etc. - you name it it happens.
If you have a spreadsheet, use that and save as a .CSV file (or even better,
just send the spreadsheet file).
2) If a field includes commas, put quotes round it; if not, don't.
3) Please don't leave spaces after commas (I know this is non-standard
usage, and when I get round to it I'll change the import routine to strip
them off).

NOTES FOR EXCEL USERS
Use the standard format.
There's no need to worry about quotes round fields with commas in them.
Make sure the date is recognised as a date, and watch for dates formatted
the American way (mm/dd/yyyy).

Hope this hasn't been too boring or bossy.

Cheers
Dave

Listowner: mailto:oxonbirds-owner@onelist.com
Archived at http://www.onelist.com/archives/Oxonbirds
OOS website: http://www.oos.org.uk/
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