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Knitting Factory
FileMaker Pro Keeps the Jazz Cool for The Knitting Factor
Naturally, when the Knitting Factory wanted to manage their web
site, they turned to FileMaker Pro. FileMaker Pro is a relational
database application designed to help manage and share information
in the real world. It's a fast and easy software system for
creating databases that are completely cross-platform on Macintosh,
Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 3.1.
A Cozy Database
In the old days, The Knitting Factory kept all its records on
paper. The paper was kept in files, and the files were stacked away
in boxes. Year after year, the piles of boxes got bigger and
tracking down any information required time consuming detective
work.
'It was a nightmare finding out details like what was the best
night of the year financially, or how much such and such a band did
the last time they were here,' said the Knitting Factory's Chief
Technical Officer, Dave Brenner. Brenner began experimenting with
an early version of FileMaker Pro, and became excited by the
possibilities he saw. He sited FileMaker Pro's scripting power to
automate repetitive tasks, as well as the ease of data entry for
non-programmers.
'It was simple to learn,' Brenner said. 'It only took a couple days
to figure out the strengths of the program. Since then, it's become
a natural extension of what we do.I really appreciate the ability
to find and sort information in FileMaker. I also find the script
building tools very powerful. Everything's listed for you, so you
don't have to spend time memorizing or remembering protocols.
'Essentially, before FileMaker Pro we had no ability to do any
tracking without pulling out piles of paper. Now, rather than
digging through a box of old paper, it's all just right there.
'We keep finding new uses, too. We even use it for simple tasks
like printing attendance sheets for people to fill out at the end
of their shift. They were originally created in Quark, and had to
be manually updated with dates and times. Now we have a template
that actually allows us to enter last night's info. Then, when we
print out a new blank sheet, it has today's dates and times as well
as who's working. It's decreased the repetitiveness. '
Knitting On The Web
'Recently, we've begun using FileMaker to power our database of
upcoming events,' Brenner said. 'It automatically updates the
nightly and monthly online schedules for our upstairs and
downstairs performance spaces. We also keep a tour database of our
artists on the web, so that people can check in to see where in the
world their favorite bands are.'
Before going online, The Knitting Factory had a FileMaker database
to help with show bookings. It kept track of bands, production
schedules, and even technical information for the sound engineers.
Since all the scheduling information is already in the database,
updating the web site is an easy and invisible process. The
Knitting Factory uses ROFM, a FileMaker Pro CGI by Russell Owen to
dynamically building web pages automatically.
Contact information
Contact Info for Customer:Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker, Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
Filemaker Contact:
Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
http://www.filemaker.com
- When The Knitting Factory -- both a jazz nightclub and a record label -- needed a system to manage their business and their Web site, they turned to FileMaker Pro. The Knitting Factory uses FileMaker Pro for everything from tracking employee timecards to publishing schedules of upcoming events on the Web.
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