Using The Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base gets its data from all of the data stored inside of a project's records, the contents
of notes, and indirectly from linked computer files. The Knowledge Base can't read/search the contents of
computer files, but it's very easy to use it to find and open a file, so you can work with its contents.
This image lists the core types of records that the knowledge base pulls its data from and manages
for you.
Not shown here are Work Assignment, Team Member, and Team records that also hold searchable
information.
Except for the Project record all of the records shown in this image are part of the same record
group and belong to the displayed Idea record.
A Brief Look At The Easiest Way To Search The Knowledge Base
It typically takes less than 30 seconds to ask any of these records to help you find and display any
other record, note, or linked computer file in its record group. Further down in this page, there's detailed
explanations of how to search the knowledge base, but I'm also summarizing it here.
The most common way of locating a record, note, or linked computer file is by running a keyword
search in
an 'index' type window, such as the one in this image.
All you ever need for keywords is whatever vague memories you have about what you're looking for, and
you
can even find something with just a single character keyword search.
Every 'index' type window has a Search panel like the on shown in this image.
You enter your keywords in it, click the Search hyperlink and then the window displays the results.
This search has been looking for a linked image file that had a bear, mink, and opossum in it, and
now we've found it, with just the keywords 'the bear'.
To load that file (using the software that works with that type of file) all we have to do is double
click anywhere on the record entry and the file gets opened and displayed in a new window (the
window that file's software uses).
This image shows the image file's contents using Windows Photo Viewer.
If we had been searching for database
records, or notes, double clicking their record entries will have displayed them too.
Common Types Of Windows Used By The Knowledge Base
There's basically 4 types of windows that are used to create, display, edit, and locate the database records,
notes, and linked computer files that knowledge base manages.
Record Editing Windows
Record editing windows work with a single record and in most cases the only thing you edit is their
description field.
These windows have hyperlinks that let you create new types of 'child' records that will be linked to
them. As well as hyperlinks to jump from that record to any other record linked to it, in it's
record group.
'Index' Windows
'Index Windows' such as the Notes Index Window shown in this image are used to display lists of
records. This particular window displays all the note records in a project.
These windows always have a search panel at the bottom of the list of records and you'll use that
panel to search for records in the window.
You can use a normal keyword search, or an advanced search.
If you double click on any record displayed in an 'index' type window, then a new window is going to
open and display that record for you.
If the type of record you're double clicking on is a Data File
Link record (like the one shown in the image above), then the software that works with it's linked
computer file is going to open and
display that file's contents for you.
The double clicked on Data File Link record above is having it's linked image file displayed by the
Windows Photo Viewer software, because that's the software that displays images for me on my
computer.
There's Two Ways To Open Index Windows
There's two ways you open an 'index' type window. The first is to click one the 'Master Index Window'
hyperlinks, such as Notes Index Window at the top of the screen.
Clicking these hyperlinks open index windows that display all of that type of record in the project.
The other way is to click on a Display... hyperlink whose name ends in an 's', such as the Display
Data File Links hyperlink.
Clicking one of these hyperlinks opens an 'index' window that only shows the records that belong to a
parent record you're currently working with.
Notes Window
The Notes Window is used to create and display the content of a note.
This is the one type of window that most people imagine a Knowledge Base window as looking like.
Team Work Services Window
The Team Work Services window is used to manage Work Assignment, Team Member, and Team records.
This window doesn't look or work anything like the other windows you've seen so far.
It changes its
center panels to
different ones depending upon what type of task you want it to do for you.
Getting new records and their data into the Knowledge Base
When you click any New... hyperlink (or other hyperlinks that can create new records) in any window,
you create new database records, whose fields will add information to the Knowledge Base.
After a record is created it will be displayed in an editing window and normally the next thing
you'll do is give the record a proper description. Whatever data is put inside the record, becomes
part of the Knowledge Base.
Using An Advanced Search To Find Records
Most of the time, just one or two consecutive Regular Keyword Searches will find what you're looking
for. These types of searches, search every field in a record to see which ones contain the search words. But
sometimes, you'll just want to search a specific set of fields, in very specific ways, and that's when you
need an advanced search. This is when you want to click the Advanced Search hyperlink and configure an
Advanced
Search Settings dialog box to get the job done.
For example, if I wanted to know which Note records in the project are linked to more than 10
computer files, I can't do that easily with a Regular keyword search.
I need to use an Advanced Search, that just
looks at
the total number of computer files linked to each note record.
Here's how I'd do this type of search.
First I'd click on the Reset hyperlink in the Search panel to make sure the window was displaying all
of
the
record's it would display when it first loads up. In a Notes Index Window, that's all the Note
records
in
the project.
Then I'd click on the Advanced Search hyperlink to have an Advanced Search Settings dialog box
displayed.
Then I'd click on the fields and settings displayed in the image below, and finally, click on the
dialog
box's Search hyperlink.
After I clicked the Search hyperlink the window would show me all the matching Note records.
In this
search,
there were 30 Note records that are linked to more than 10 computer files.
Now, if I wanted to, I could use a Regular keyword search on this list to see which of these notes,
was created on March 11, of any year, and is linked to more than 10 computer files.
All I have to do is
type the
keywords 'march 11,' into the Search field, and click the Search hyperlink.
There are no matching records.
As you can see, it's very easy to search the Knowledge Base for records, or linked computer files.