Today, I received an invitation to try out DabbleDB, a web-based online database management system. DabbleDB is a great alternative for individuals who use spreadsheet software instead of proper database application.
DabbleDB allows you to make any kind of application you want. Some example of application you can build with DabbleDB:
- Contact Management
- Task Management
- Event Organizer
- Expenses Management
- Many more..
Signing up to DabbleDB will give you a sub-domain (http://username.dabbledb.com). Your e-mail address will be used as the login name. I signed up for a 1 month trial which gives me 5 users, 500 entries per category, 10 applications without SSL encryption option.
New Application
Once signed up, you need to create a new application. To create a new application, you need to name your application and choose a first category. You can name your application anything you want. A category (table) is used to group similar entries in your database and give them all the same fields. A project management application might have categories for Project, Client, Milestone, Task, each with many fields. You can add fields to your database, once you finished creating the application.
Creating an application is a very simple and easy process. Perhaps, DabbleDB could make it even more easier for user by allowing them to create a new application from templates. Default templates can be general database application that people/businesses need such as asset management, event management, contact management, time billing, to-do list, movie library, music library, etc.
View screenshot of creating application in DabbleDB.
New Entry
Now that your application is created, you need to add entries into your database. Creating an entry can be done manually by hand, or you can import it from a spreadsheet. Your entry will only have one field called “Name”, you can add more field if you want.
Since, I created a contact management application, I’m going to create some new fields: Email Address, Home Phone number, Work Phone number. You can now configure each field with the right datatype. Available datatypes are: Text, Number, Money, Date/Time, Choice, Dabble User, Link to Entry, and List of Entries.
Screenshots:
Importing Data
DabbleDB allows you to import data from a spreadsheet. Open your spread sheet software (I use Microsoft Excel) and start adding data. Once you finish, copy and paste into the import form in DabbleDB.
Once you continue, DabbleDB will detect how many rows of data are available for importing. Now you need to specify each column with an existing field within the category or create a new field name. Once you finish this process, all your data from the spreadsheet will be imported.
Screenshots:
VIewing Data
To view your data, DabbleDB use a featured call The View. The view is a table or a calendar that shows you many entries at once, and arranges them however you like. Although there’s only one view active at any one time, you can save as many views as you want. When you’re looking at a table view, you can show or hide columns for individual fields, choose fields to group or sort by, and add calculations like subtotals.
Exporting Data
Data in your DabbleDB application database can be exported into many formats. An RSS feed is provided allowing people to subscribe to changes in data in your application. Other export formats available are PDF, CSV Document, iCalendar, HTML, OPML, and text.
Sharing
You can share your DabbleDB application with other people. The number of people you can share depend on the type of plan you subscribe to. To add users, you only need to enter e-mail addresses of people you wish to add and specify the permission. There are three levels of permission: Read, write and build, Read and Write and Read only.
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