This document discusses 5 best kept secrets of QuickBase. The secrets are: 1) Self-maintaining relationships between tables using summary fields, 2) Customizing summary fields for each user using "My Settings", 3) Merging QuickBase data into business documents like invoices, 4) Creating non-tabular reports on forms using report links, and 5) Transforming spreadsheet data into normalized QuickBase tables through extraction and relationships. The document provides examples and step-by-step instructions for implementing each secret.

2. QuickBase’s 5 Best Kept Secrets
Eric Segal – President of Data Collaborative
Steve Wishengrad – Principal of Data Collaborative

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Eric Segal
Eric started providing QuickBase solutions in 1998, when each application could only have one table. Since then, he has
provided hundreds of QuickBase solutions to organizations around the world. He was the first person to link QuickBase
and QuickBooks and published the first QuickBase newsletter. In 2006 He and Steve founded the Data Collaborative,
where they provide ongoing QuickBase support to over 90 clients every month.
Steve Wishengrad
Steve Wishengrad works easily with technical and non-technical customers alike to solve their data management
challenges. His computer savvy and liberal arts background allow him to quickly learn a company's business needs and
develop clean, technical solutions that improve operations. Steve has been working as a consultant, volunteer, board
member and database developer for nonprofit and for-profit organizations since 1984. His specialties include:
QuickBooks to QuickBase integration, web portal design, and managing large complex projects.
Bios

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① We’ve done more QuickBase development, with more
customers, integrating with more applications, than
anyone in the world.
② We believe in keeping it simple.
③ Please visit us at our kiosk.
The Data Collaborative

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What are the tricks?
QuickBase Magicians

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1. Tricky, self-maintaining relationships
2. Customizing summary fields for each user
3. Merging data from QuickBase into business documents
4. Tricky reports – non related and non tabular
5. Easy ways to get your data perfect
Agenda

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QuickBase allows you to define relationships between two tables.
One table is the parent or master table,
the other is the child or detail table.
Have you ever wanted to report on child data from the parent?
With this trick, now you can!
Trick 1 – Tricky relationships

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The Child becomes the parent in two examples:
In both cases, data from
the child is shown on the
parent form.
Tricky relationships

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First, create
a summary field
in the standard
Customer -> Contact
relationship:
Setting up the trick:

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Make the child table,
in this case “Contacts”
the parent in the new
relationship.
Creating the relationship:

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Now carefully select the summary field as the reference.
This is the
critical
step!
Creating the relationship:

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This relationship will maintain itself because of the summary
field. (You may need to clear the proxy field)
Creating the relationship:

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Now you can keep your contacts and invoices in a separate
table and include them in a Customer report.
Benefitting from the relationship:

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Q: How do you create
a summary field that
allows each user to filter
the by their own date range?
A: Use a “My Settings” style summary field.
Customizing summary fields for each user

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The Setup - “My Settings”:
Create a table to hold
“settings” for each user.
When you add new users
to the application add a row for that user in the settings table.
Customizing summary fields for each user

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Change the key field
in the table to be the
QuickBase “User”
type field.
The Setup (continued)

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In every table that needs user
specific reporting, add a
Formula - User field with the
formula function of “User()”
The Setup (continued)

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Create a relationship with the settings table as the parent that
uses the formula field as the reference field.
Bring the settings
fields into the
table as
lookup fields.
The Setup (continued)

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Provide values for the fields in your settings table – change
them when you need to change the values of your summary
fields. These values
will only affect your
reports!
The Punch line

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Create a summary field that uses the settings.
As you change
the values in
your summary
record this field
will change.
The Punch line (continued)

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The “Total Invoice in My Period” summary field is filtered
on the values
in your settings
record.
The Punch line (finale)

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In QuickBase, if you want to
create a report, you can use
one of the built-in report
formats, but what if you want
to create a stylish invoice?
Merging data from QuickBase into business forms

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10 easy steps:
1. Download the QuickBase “Exact Forms” template
http://www.quickbase.com/user-assistance/Default.html#creating_exact_forms.html
2. Design your word document (hint save your document in a
regular word document)
3. Paste your word document into the “Exact Forms” template
Merging data from QuickBase into business forms

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Click on the ADD-INS tab and choose “Save to QuickBase”
Step 4 - Save your template to QuickBase

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Sign in to QuickBase and
select the table in your app.
Steps 5 & 6 - Save your template to QuickBase

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Give your exact form a name
And press Save.
Congratulations! Your form
is in QuickBase!
Step 7 - Save your template to QuickBase

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Add the field to the form
Step 8 - Save your template to QuickBase

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Run the report
and enjoy
the output!
Steps 9 & 10 - Save your template to QuickBase

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Your users are spending
lots of time in forms – give
them data they need
right on the form.
Trick 4 – Tricky reports

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Create a report link

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Set up the report link

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Set the target
2
1

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Abracadabra…

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Increased wow factor…

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Wow!

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① My performance vs others
② Sales from reps in different channels
③ Embed other people’s calendars on your form
④ Embed project timelines on a project form for resource
planning
You can compare anything with anything else

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Spreadsheet data is flat – that’s bad because in real life
• One company can have many employees
• Each contact can have many activities
Turning spreadsheet data into QuickBase

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Extracting companies

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The Trick
Right
Click

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QuickBase does the work

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Name the new table

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That’s it!

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Pulling Activities from Contacts

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Set up an Activities table

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Connect it to Contacts

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Now the magic…

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Make sure you include the Record ID

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Import into Activities

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And we are done!

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1. Self-maintaining relationships
2. Customizing summary fields for each user
3. Merging data from QuickBase into business documents
4. Tricky reports – non related and non tabular
5. Easy ways to get your data perfect
The Five Best Kept Secrets:

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Please Contact Us at: www.datacollaborative.com
Eric Segal, eric@datacollaborative.com
781-777-1119 x321
Steve Wishengrad, steve@datacollaborative.com
781-777-1119 x322
Questions?