Does anyone know of any good toy train inventory software exist? What do you think would make a good toy train inventory software. What type of info would you want to keep track of?
How do you guys that have 100’s of pieces keep track of all of your equipment?
well i have it all stored on my computer. i havent added a couple of new things but for the most part its all there. plus i have a written copy of it all to just in case the computer fails.
i picked up one on ebay. it is in visual basic/excel which is about as basic as you can get. it has a number of entry screens prepared for data entry. one nice thing is it can hold picture as well as descriptive data. it is moderately flexible so you can change road names and the like and reasonably comprehensive for keeping track of components. you will find that these packages are geared to valuation rather than anything else.
that said, i ended up building an excel workbook to collect the data to enter into the package. the spreadsheets allow me to track more than just the rolling stock and how much they are worth…they actually track the TMCC codes assigned for each accessory/engine. it also helped in building the layout by helping me think thru the power grid and controller connects. it even tracks things like bulb size, controller and other replacement part is needed for most accessories to operate. Since i have a large layout, it helped me in id-ing the status of most of my accessories —placed on layout, wired, tested, etc etc
All in all…i needed both the inventory software and the worksheets.
hope that helps. email me if you want to talk thru how to go about it.
ralph
Microsoft Xcel works for me.
here is a link to MI Train software, browse there site and see if its for you.
http://www.dodie.com/default.asp
I tried numerous programs and they all would not allow you to customize the fields, reports, and entries as you wish. Most programs are hung up on values and current prices with very little flexibility.
So - I wrote a database program on Access97, fine tuned it and developed the reports I wanted. I also custom sized the report pages. Best solution for me. Learning Access is not as easy as it sounds, took me many months and trial and running.
bomber
Microsoft Office in 2002 and later have an Access that works with Excel, Word, and Powerpoint all interlocked. You can change one thing in any program and all the other are automatically updated. Get a good manual on it and it will take some time to learn all there is to it. I took a course at the local Community College. Hope this helps!