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Installation Issues

Running the Program for the First Time

The first time the program is run, it should prompt for a database name. The software ships with one called DATA.MDB. It is found in the installation directory, which defaults for local installs to C:\PROGRAM FILES\APPRAISAL LOG. If installed to a network, the DATA.MDB is found in the shared directory on the server.

1. Search column– Specifies which column to search for the Search For text. If you’re searching for an address, choose the Address option. If looking for an order number, use the Order Number option.
2. Sort and Find First Exact Match – with the Filter Search Results option OFF, the program will sort the datasheet by the search column, then try to find the first EXACT match. If no EXACT matches are found, the first record in the sorted list will be shown. Leaving the Filter Search Results option off insures an exact match, say if looking for an order number.
3. Filtered Similar Records – with the Filter Search Results option ON, the program displays only those records that have the search text within the search column. That is, if the search column is Address and the Search For text reads "Main", then the program will return all records with the word "Main" in the address column. Note that the Search For texts "Main St." and "Main Street" will return something different, while "Main" will return both result sets.
4. The Find Order function only searches the displayed list of records on the Appraisals form. If you still can’t find the order you’re looking for, turn off the Display Duplicates and Recent options. You may want to adjust the number of Recent days as defined on the General Settings form.

1. The Amount Billed must be > $0
2. The order must not be Cancelled

1. The Amount Billed must be > $0
2. The order must not be Cancelled
3. The Date Invoiced and Date Due must be filled in
4. The Date Invoiced must be on or before the specified statement date

If the Date Invoiced is filled in, Appraisal Log prevents accidental changes to the selected client and fee. Delete the Date Invoiced to edit these values, then retype the Date Invoiced. Note that if the order has payments applied, the fee amount and client cannot be changed. Unpost the payments first, then follow the steps above.

No, the program currently supports only one appraiser per order.

No, only numerical characters (0-9).

Preview the report on the screen, then select File, Print. You will be prompted for the printer, number of copies, and page range.

Preview the report on the screen, then select File, Page Setup. Select the desired printer. The setting should be saved. Note that re-installing or updating the program will reset your custom printer selection.

This means that the linked database (DATA.MDB) is in a locked state and is preventing other users from accessing the information it needs. Get everyone to exit the Appraisal Log, then run Compact Database from the Tools menu from inside Appraisal Log. If that doesn’t fix the problem, contact high-end support.

This usually happens in a multi-user environment where users are sharing the data on a network server. Corruptions commonly are a result from exiting the program without saving pending record changes.

Be sure to close all forms before exiting the program. Also, Microsoft recommends that the shared data file (DATA.MDB) be compacted daily. Depending on the volume of data entered into the database, a weekly or monthly compaction should suffice.

Appraisal Log is not tied to any one accounting package. However, third party utilities can be written to export Appraisal Log data from the Microsoft Jet format to the format supported in your accounting package. Access supports exporting data to tab-delimited text, comma-delimited text, dBase, FoxPro, Excel, Word, and others.

As more users run the program and attach to the same data file, Access has to keep track of more record locks to maintain data integrity. Appraisal Log performs well for 1-5 users, and fairly well for 6-10 users. Beyond that, performance may be less than acceptable.

Also, the database becomes fragmented as records are added, edited, and deleted. Regularly compacting the database takes care of this problem (see next question).

Compacting the data file (DATA.MDB) on a regular basis usually increases performance. Run Compact Database from the Tools menu (all other users must exit the program first). Depending on the volume of records entered, a weekly or even monthly routine would suffice.

No, form design is fixed. However, suggestions are gladly taken for future versions of the software.

Yes, but only through a new database file. You can link to the tables within DATA.MDB from another Access database and design reports as desired.

Microsoft Access 2000 can be used to change the layout of any report included with Appraisal Log. An intermediate knowledge of Access report and application design is recommended.

1. Join the workgroup file included with Appraisal Log by running Workgroup Administrator. The file can be found by default in "C:\Program Files\Appraisal Log\ApprLog.mdw".
2. Open Access and load ALog.Mdb with the SHIFT key held down (this prevents the startup code from running).
3. Modify the reports as desired.
4. Copy the changed ALog.Mdb to other PC’s if desired.