Adding To and Modifying Your Database
Plantus is an 'open' database system. This means you can modify Plantus data or add your own, extend the database structure and import additional photos. The basic system of Plantus has been optimized to accept new data. In order to make these changes, the entire plant database must be installed on your hard disk.
Documenting Data Changes
All data changes to the database criteria are registered in Plantus by a history function with the date and 'old data' or 'new data' designations. Changes to the plant profile can still be read, since the criterion 'Plant changed' is added via the criterion group 'Organization + index'. Hence, you can save changes to data before adopting new data, and read them again after the data update. This means that your own data changes cannot be lost or overwritten.
Saving and Backing Up Data
It is essential to back up your data inputs. If you enter data in Plantus (or in any other programs), it is not sufficient merely to save it on your hard disk. When adding your new data, it is essential that you back it up regularly on other media, such as diskettes, cassette tapes, zip drives or CDs. Data loss due to hardware or software failure can never be ruled out entirely.
Saving and backing up plant data. The Plantus plant data resides wholly in the global folder. When you input new plant data, it is easiest to save it using the global folder. The global folder usually has the default path C:/GreenOffice/PlantusNorth/GLOBAL. You can save all data using the global folder when Plantus is not opened; otherwise, certain files will be incompletely saved. It is not additionally necessary to save files with the extensions '*.XG?' or '*.YG?'. These are among the database index files that Plantus can regenerate from the remaining files. If you have saved your own digital photos in the database, backing up data on diskette can be problematic, since the (photo) data, located in the file BDB106.MB, occupies too much storage capacity. It is better to back up this data on cassette tape or other media.
Saving and backing up filter and pick lists. You save project data (filter and pick lists) as files. You can store your project data in your own folder structure. Filter and pick lists are denoted by the file extensions '.FXF' and '.PXF' respectively.
