History Browser
- First, it augments Search as a way to retrieve past records.
- Second, it allows for filing and re-filing to better organize your history.
Below, we can see that over 100 names from the data base are shown in a single screen. this makes it feasible to find and correct misspellings.
Overview of entire data base
Above, we show browsing a small overview of an actual customer account (with permission). The caller names have been redacted. While this account fits on a single screen, we have also deployed this interface in accounts having thousands of names and know that it scales well. Here, pressing a single letter (marked in picture as "initial letter select") will advance to a record selection screen below. In accounts having thousands of names, we find that we reach a screen with a small handful of names in 2-3 clicks, typically. If we start with, say the "A" button, the next level down is "Aa", "Ab", "Ac", and so on through as many levels as required to isolate a small group of names.
The colors in the color bars have no particular meaning. They are there to make clear that data is organized by rows, rather than by columns.
Selecting records to view
Above, we show browsing a record selection screen with fictitious caller names (i.e. not same data as above). The screen above is typical of a screen where thousands of names have been narrowed down by a specifying a common prefix.
While we have shown selection by name, we can also select Company, Telephone, or email. It is as if we had multiple filing cabinets and the message is simultaneously filed by that field ... automatically and with no added work from you. Further, if you have defined a custom form, unique fields you define are automatically treated as filing cabinets.
Here, the three variations of "Dennis Reinhardt" look like they could be variant spellings for the same individual. So, we have checked those three variations for further review.
Admin only view
This review is an admin function because it allows changing the database. We see the three variants of "Dennis Reinhardt" display so that we can standardize on the same spelling. The top record is currently the selected record and the message for the selected record is displayed at right (to insure these records really are the same person).
The backgrounds of the edit boxes have 1 of 10 background colors. The first 9 unique contents are assigned a different color. The 10th color (white) is assigned to all differing contents beyond the first 9. Here all three spellings are different and each name has a unique color.
The names can be corrected individually and/or the selection changed. The "enter_updates" button is pressed to make the changes.
In this case, the second spelling is correct ("Dennis Reinhardt"). So all records can be changed at one time by selecting the second radio button (just to the right of the record number of 1017) and pressing "Set_all_to_selected". After this operation, all three entries have the same color to show they are the same value.
Continuing in Admin view
With all names set to "Dennis Reinhardt", we check to see if a telephone number has been entered. To check, we have set the pull-down to "telephone" and pressed "Change_edit_cabinet". The above screen is the result. There happens to be only one number entered among the three records. To propagate that number, select the third entry and press "Set_all_to_selected".
As described above, unique entries are assigned different colors. Here, the empty entries are the same and so they share the same background color.
It may seem overly obvious to point out that merely pressing "Set_all_to_selected" in screen above will erase all telephone numbers. That is because an empty telephone number is selected. To propagate the correct number, select it first.
Note that you can create your own filing categories by creating custom forms. Any custom field on a custom form can be browsed using the tool described.
When we said the history browser allows for filing and re-filing, these last two screens illustrate how spelling errors and missing data can be corrected after the fact.