Automating Catalogue Production
Page 4

When updating or extracting with a FileMaker Pro database or FileMaker Pro Runtime application, the database must be running and the records from which you wish to update or extract must be in the found set. If you are not using FileMaker, that's probably Greek to you, click here to learn more about FileMaker Pro (Mac and Windows versions are available).

To define FileMaker Pro databases as the data source(s) (yes, you may connect to more than one FileMaker Pro database at the same time), follow these steps:

QuarkXPress users:

Choose Xcatalog > select data source > FileMaker Pro Online or Xcatalog > select data source > FileMaker Pro Runtime Online.

InDesign users:

Choose InCatalog > select data source > FileMaker Pro Pro Online or InCatalog > select data source > FileMaker Pro Runtime Online.

ODBC-accessible databases online (Xcatalog Pro or InCatalog Pro only)

ODBC has always seemed to me like some area cordoned off that I'm not supposed to enter — the acronym just sounds daunting. In all actuality, it's pretty simple and considering the benefits, not to be avoided.

Refer back to the sidebar on page 1 for more information about ODBC.

Under Windows, ODBC is built in. I know what you Mac users are thinking, "this might be the one and only case where I have to install drivers when a Windows user did not." Fortunately, it's easy. Click here to download the purchase the ODBC drivers ($29.99).

As with FileMaker Pro, you can connect to multiple ODBC managers.

QuarkXPress users:

Choose Xcatalog > open ODBC connection.

 

Choose Xcatalog > select data source.

 

InDesign users:

Choose InCatalog > open ODBC connection.

 

Choose InCatalog > select data source.

 

Note: To use ODBC-accessible databases, you must set the configurations. Choose either a system-wide or a user-specified DSN (data set name) that points to the actual database. In Xcatalog Pro and InCatalog Pro you always refer to the database by its DSN.

Setting up your workspace

The folder

As a best practice, you should first create a folder to contain all of the components that Xcatalog for QuarkXPress or InCatalog for InDesign will need in order to process a document and data source. This folder is called the data descriptor set, or DD set for short. The folder is not unique in any way other than it provides a single location for all components (data-descriptor, price-style files, and picture folders or aliases to picture folders). Create that folder now and give it a simple, descriptive name. I have named my folder StrappyArt DD Set. (Using DD set in the name makes it easy to identify.)

The helper file

A data-descriptor file is a document that you will create to describe information about your data source to Xcatalog or InCatalog. If you are using a snapshot as your data source, the records are in a particular order and the data-descriptor file is used to convey this order, whether you are extracting or updating. If you are connecting to an online database, whether FileMaker Pro or ODBC-accessible, the access is by name, not by order.

Don't let this step intimidate you — it's quite simple. You are, in very basic terms, telling your publishing document where to look in the data source for the information that you want to place.

You can link multiple data files to a single document or you can link multiple documents to a single data source.

Note: If you created your data source in a spreadsheet, you will have columns and rows. If you created it in FileMaker Pro, you will have fields and records.

Create a data-descriptor file by following these steps:

Launch any text editor or word processor and create a file.

 

Choose file > save.

 

Give the file a simple, descriptive name that includes DD after the name (e.g., fallstyles DD.txt). No matter what application you use to create this file, even if you create it in QuarkXPress or InDesign and export it as a text file, it must be plain text (with a suffix of .txt).

Navigate to the DD set folder that you created and click save. (If you store this file anywhere but inside the DD set folder, it will not be accessible by Xcatalog or InCatalog.)

In this text file, press tab then type the first field name of your database. Press tab again, then type the second field name. Continue until you have listed the names of each field. It is absolutely critical that the order you type here matches the order of the data source if you are using a snapshot database.

Go to the field that contains your SKU (unique ID) and type a space and [K] before the tab that precedes the next field. (The [K] indicates that this is your key field or SKU. It might also be something like a part number or an MLS number — anything unique to each record.)

Go to the field contains your prices and type a space and a [P] before the tab that precedes the next field.

Click save.

 

In my StrappyArt catalogue, I have the fields that you see below. (The horizontal arrows represent a tab, so I have pressed the tab key.) It's very important to note that all of this is one line. There are no returns. So, even if your text is so long that it wraps to a second line (like mine has here), resist the urge to go in and add returns to pretty it up.

→  SKU [K] →  price [P]  →  name →  colors  →  shortdesc  →  longdesc  →  pix1big  →  pix2  →  pix3  →  pix4  →  pix5

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