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SiR & Barcodes or Another non-standard use John S. Lemon

SiR & Barcodes or Another non-standard use John S. Lemon. The Background. The Background. A ‘bright idea’ from Student Recruitment Try to get more Engineering students Offer them a free laptop “Great idea – let’s do it” “Should we discuss it with DIT ?” ( new name for Computing Centre )

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SiR & Barcodes or Another non-standard use John S. Lemon

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  1. SiR & BarcodesorAnother non-standard use John S. Lemon

  2. The Background

  3. The Background • A ‘bright idea’ from Student Recruitment • Try to get more Engineering students • Offer them a free laptop • “Great idea – let’s do it” • “Should we discuss it with DIT ?” ( new name for Computing Centre ) • “Only when we’ve finalised it”

  4. The dialog with DIT • “We’re giving new Engineering students a free laptop” • Reactions • What machine specification ? • Which software • When • How many • Finally got some answers

  5. Fresher’s week • 225 laptops delivered to secure store • Do you know how much space that is ?? • “We will be issuing them to the students tomorrow – we need to only issue them to eligible students and know which machine they got” • How ? • “We assume you can do a data base !!”

  6. The data base • The approach had to be simple • Adopt the KISS technique • Each student has a unique Id number • Each computer has a unique serial number • Use these • Issuing was being done at briefing session • Type in 225 id and serial numbers ?

  7. I-day -1 • Need a quick data entry method • Id cards and box labels have bar codes • Get a bar code reader • Needed one quickly • Ordered on credit card – delivery guaranteed before 1200 next day • Briefing session started at 1430

  8. I-day -12 hours • Engineering provided Excel file with students in • Contained eligible and non-eligible • Create a quick and dirty data base • Go home feeling reasonably confident • Why ?

  9. PQL forms to the rescue • Just scan the information !!

  10. I-hour -4 A Burns moment • Rabbie Burns • The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men gang aft agley, • I’d added myself as a ‘test account’ • But PQL forms never found me !!

  11. Where was I ? • The reader worked • The system worked if I typed my number in • What was wrong ? • The ....ing Id bar code has an extra digit • This is the issue card number for each replacement !! • I believe that PQL forms code could cope

  12. Quick coding • I couldn’t work out how to make PQL forms do what I wanted • Australia would / should be asleep !! • Write a PQL programme to do a quick and dirty job • Still coding as first briefing started to 100 students • No chance to test properly – only my card

  13. Conclusion • The bar code reader coped • The coding coped • The people actually handing out the machines couldn’t !! • It also coped with the ‘chancers’ • “Can I get my friends machine” • “I haven’t had my machine” • Non-eligibles

  14. Conclusion • When / if they repeat this year then I’ll use PQL forms modifying the code to remove ‘issue number’ • It will look more professional

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