In Search of... Scouting Database

FIRST General Forum
1

Posted by Andy Baker, Engineer on team #45, TechnoKats, from Kokomo High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 4/15/99 1:36 PM MST

Our team has all of these sheets from scouting teams who
attended the Chicago and Yipsilati regionals. We are
just now (finally) going to put info into an Excel spreadsheet
so we can have an easily referenced database to access
many teams’ abilities.

I’m thinking that other teams gotta have similar databases.
While we are creating ours, it sure would be nice to have
more info from any other team who would want to give away
something that you have already put together.

I realize that team 74 was compiling something similar to this,
but I would really like to have that data in order to make
a couple of cheat sheets which could easily be referenced
between rounds.

I’m not sure how much this will help our team, but who knows,
maybe it could mean the difference of winning or losing a
match… I know that we won a few last year only due to
scouting.

One this database is compiled, I will offer it up to whoever
wants access to it… just send me an email sometime before
next Tuesday (4/20) and I’ll send you what I have.

BUT, in order to get this done, I need info from you. So,
if you got it, please send it me.

Also, our pit (hopefully) will have a handout of what has
been put together.

Thanks in advance,
Andy Baker

2

Posted by Chris, Coach on team #308, Walled Lake Monster, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW Automotive Electronics.

Posted on 4/15/99 2:14 PM MST

In Reply to: In Search of… Scouting Database posted by Andy Baker on 4/15/99 1:36 PM MST:

I wrote a database program in C. A few weeks ago I posted that I had text files from the Ypsi regional. Those text files were generated by my program.

The program holds scouting information for the teams, keeps track of every match, calculates the standings at the touch of a button, and generates text file reports. It actually works quite well. We always knew who the top 8 was before FIRST knew.

The only ‘catch’ is that the program is DOS based (you can run it in a Windows95 DOS shell). But the program is completely menu driven and very easy to use.

If anyone would like a copy of the program (if you don’t mind using DOS), e-mail me and I’ll send it. I’ll also send a couple of file utilities that allow you to merge data file and such so more than one person can be entering data on more that one computer.

-Chris

: Our team has all of these sheets from scouting teams who
: attended the Chicago and Yipsilati regionals. We are
: just now (finally) going to put info into an Excel spreadsheet
: so we can have an easily referenced database to access
: many teams’ abilities.

: I’m thinking that other teams gotta have similar databases.
: While we are creating ours, it sure would be nice to have
: more info from any other team who would want to give away
: something that you have already put together.

: I realize that team 74 was compiling something similar to this,
: but I would really like to have that data in order to make
: a couple of cheat sheets which could easily be referenced
: between rounds.

: I’m not sure how much this will help our team, but who knows,
: maybe it could mean the difference of winning or losing a
: match… I know that we won a few last year only due to
: scouting.

: One this database is compiled, I will offer it up to whoever
: wants access to it… just send me an email sometime before
: next Tuesday (4/20) and I’ll send you what I have.

: BUT, in order to get this done, I need info from you. So,
: if you got it, please send it me.

: Also, our pit (hopefully) will have a handout of what has
: been put together.

: Thanks in advance,
: Andy Baker

3

Posted by Joe Johnson, Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 4/15/99 6:56 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: In Search of… Scouting Database posted by Chris on 4/15/99 2:14 PM MST:

Chris,

No offense but didn’t I read about you in Dilbert?

Writing your own database package… in C… for DOS!!!

Where do I begin? :wink:

While I realize that the people involved in FIRST can’t be too concerned about ‘wasting’ their personal time, I think you are getting close to the edge here :slight_smile:

Joe J.

4

Posted by Chris, Coach on team #308, Walled Lake Monster, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW Automotive Electronics.

Posted on 4/16/99 6:48 AM MST

In Reply to: Dilbert strip… posted by Joe Johnson on 4/15/99 6:56 PM MST:

Don’t worry, Joe, I didn’t waste too much time. I program very fast as it comes natural to me. I probably only spent about 4 - 6 hours TOTAL creating the program. Probably less time than many people spent creating a database in Access or Excel. It also doesn’t hurt that about 30% of the code was taken from a golf stats database that I wrote a while ago.

As far as writing it in DOS: I only own a DOS compiler. Besides, in my job almost everything we do is in DOS and UNIX. We write for DOS so that it is easily portable to UNIX.

So… if anyone want this data base for UNIX, you’re in business :).

  • Chris

: Chris,

: No offense but didn’t I read about you in Dilbert?

: Writing your own database package… in C… for DOS!!!

: Where do I begin? :wink:

: While I realize that the people involved in FIRST can’t be too concerned about ‘wasting’ their personal time, I think you are getting close to the edge here :slight_smile:

: Joe J.

5

Posted by Jon, Engineer on team #190, Gompei, from Mass Academy of Math and Science and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Posted on 4/16/99 8:06 AM MST

In Reply to: Re: Dilbert strip… posted by Chris on 4/16/99 6:48 AM MST:

I’m now building a package in Access to provide recon information to our team. It took maybe 2 hours total to make the tables and forms needed and another hour to build the interface (finding the graphics and such).
The most time consuming part is going to be the data entry of all of the teams basic info.
It does record match scores per team but doesn’t attempt to calculate the rankings… (figured that’s what the monitors in the pits were for)
I’m curious to see how other people approach this project and i’d love to see other designs in florida.

Jon

6

Posted by Chris, Coach on team #308, Walled Lake Monster, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW Automotive Electronics.

Posted on 4/16/99 2:33 PM MST

In Reply to: Dilbert strip… posted by Joe Johnson on 4/15/99 6:56 PM MST:

: Chris,

: No offense but didn’t I read about you in Dilbert?

: Writing your own database package… in C… for DOS!!!

: Where do I begin? :wink:

: While I realize that the people involved in FIRST can’t be too concerned about ‘wasting’ their personal time, I think you are getting close to the edge here :slight_smile:

: Joe J.

Joe, you really made me laugh on this one. The practical explaination is the post below this one, but I couldn’t let it go. And that might have been me in Dilbert :slight_smile: You know, I didn’t realize how funny what I did was until you pointed it out. As I said, I do everyting at work in DOS so it’s not that weird for me.

Yes, I LOVE DOS (acutally UNIX, but DOS is not too bad). To see a good example of why I like DOS and UNIX so much, try the link below.

-Chris

7

Posted by Chris, Coach on team #308, Walled Lake Monster, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW Automotive Electronics.

Posted on 4/16/99 2:37 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: Dilbert strip… posted by Chris on 4/16/99 2:33 PM MST:

8

Posted by Brandon Martus, Other on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 4/16/99 5:56 PM MST

In Reply to: Oops, try this link posted by Chris on 4/16/99 2:37 PM MST:

i just got done reading all of those comics up until january 30th…
very funny :wink:

9