What database do you use for your collection?

[pinnacle-project]

I would like to take pictures of all of my cans and save them in a database. Canventory looks like a nice product but it requires Windows. Ideally, I would like this to work on my Android based tablet so I can conveniently take the database to shows. I do not want to carry around a laptop. For those of you using tablets at shows, are you using some kind of database software of do you simply have all the pictured stored on the tablet without the benefit of any database software?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[MI-Cans]

Bryan,

I use Mr. Karasek's CANdb program. Easy to learn and work with. I have it on Windows 10 laptop as well as my Surface Windows 10 tablet. I posted some info pics at this site:

https://www.therustybunch.com/phpBB3/vi ... 68#p359068

Here's a link:

http://www.mbcinfo.com/CanDB/

I'm sure he'll answer any questions you might have.

(MI-Cans)

[oldmoneytexan]

I used to use it until I got all Apple products. :(

[Rand]

Recommend supporting Randy's effort with CanDB.....but a side note.

What I did with canventory at one point, is that canventory will export your entire database to an HTML website format. I took that and put it on my tablet and surfed the HTML with a browser....and it worked pretty well.

[huberman]

I have my collection inventoried in an Excel spread sheet but without photos. I suspect I could import photos but that seems like allot of work. The reason I put the cans in a spreadsheet is so I could know what I had to prevent duplicate purchases (it did happen). Also I can document the history of the acquisition. My computer is a 2 in 1 and can be used like a tablet if I like.

-Chris

[golf_lover44]

I have an Excel spreadsheet with links to every can photo. Then I wrote a program to make searching and displaying all of the information quick and easy. I copy my photos to my Android tablet and have it all in the Memento database app. It's free and works well enough.

https://mementodatabase.com/

[renokenn]

There is a MS Excel app for Android available. Use it all the time on my phone and keep the data in the cloud.

[Sea Monkey]

I use Canventory. When I go to show I have one of those small laptops that the screen detaches to make it a tablet. I run Canventory on that. Works great. It has really cut down on buying the same can twice and actually being able to tell if it is an upgrade or not BEFORE I buy a can.

I contacted the creator of Canventory and he confirmed he had NO plans to have it run on Apple products.

[Rand]

I contacted the creator of Canventory and he confirmed he had NO plans to have it run on Apple products.

Here again.....Canventory will export the whole database to a neutral format that Apple can use.....it's called HTML....it's ubiquitous. I guarantee Apple can "run" it.

[Sea Monkey]

I contacted the creator of Canventory and he confirmed he had NO plans to have it run on Apple products.

Here again.....Canventory will export the whole database to a neutral format that Apple can use.....it's called HTML....it's ubiquitous. I guarantee Apple can "run" it.

I was thinking more of an Apple app so I could get it onto my Ipad. Without a USB connection, I'm not sure how to get the info on to it.....

[Rand]

I contacted the creator of Canventory and he confirmed he had NO plans to have it run on Apple products.

Here again.....Canventory will export the whole database to a neutral format that Apple can use.....it's called HTML....it's ubiquitous. I guarantee Apple can "run" it.

I was thinking more of an Apple app so I could get it onto my Ipad. Without a USB connection, I'm not sure how to get the info on to it.....

Here again, it doesn't need to be an "apple app". Your apple no doubt has a browser. Use the browser to surf the HTML files like they were a website. Just put the HTML files on your apple. As to how to get it there, I would be surprised if there wasn't some sort of data connection thing like firewire. But if not, most computers will take an SD chip/card that you could write to, then move the chip to the apple....or you could just transfer it through "the cloud" which could take many different forms (PC -> Dropbox -> Apple) etc.

[Matt Menghini]

Recommendation: Put your spreadsheet on Google, and then make sure that you share it with one or more family members and another can guy that you trust. That way if you should die, others will understand what you have so they can properly take care of things. Also, once it's on Google, you cannot possibly lose it, which is a nice feature. I tried linking photos one time, but it was a pain in the ***, plus it made the spreadsheet too wide and you couldn't print it which was bad. So I removed the photos from the spreadsheet. Matt

[JohnLi67]

I use Canventory on a Microsoft Surface tablet. Works good and the pictures are invaluable. Wish it could run on Apple products (have Macbook pros for most computing needs). Like SeaMonkey said - works great so you don't buy same can twice, and is a good tool for comparing upgrades. Contains all history of purchase also (Date, price paid, who it was acquired from).

[willssoda]

Curious. If and when I get all my cans loaded onto canventory will I be able to upload the information if I create my own website through blue host or Go Daddy?

[Rand]

Curious. If and when I get all my cans loaded onto canventory will I be able to upload the information if I create my own website through blue host or Go Daddy?

AHHHGGGGG!!!! You're just trolling me now. I've been saying exactly and specifically that throughout this entire thread! Here....this is my canventory on a website...ON "MY OWN WEBSITE"

http://yosemiterefuge.com/beercans/oi/

(it may bark at you because i've screwed up my ssl certificate....nothing to worry about....just pictures of beer cans. accept the risk and go through)

[Uncle Jackson]

Rick says that I am the largest user of Canventory. I have put all the cans from USBC I and II on it with pictures. Now I can easily see what I have and what I need. He had to change my software to allow for ~20,000 items. I love the software but have the following comments:
- as Rick has allowed this to be free, you get what you pay for. He is not actively updating this based on people’s requests. That said, it is still about everything I need.
- the only bugs I have found were self created. Deleting items can cause problems, so be careful.
- I do not know if there is any risk of the underlying software going away or not working on future Windows releases. That is always a worry.
- it is trivial to download the data into a spreadsheet, but you do that without images.

Again, I am a heavy user and love the ease of use. Should you have any questions, please let me know.

[pinnacle-project]

Curious. If and when I get all my cans loaded onto canventory will I be able to upload the information if I create my own website through blue host or Go Daddy?

AHHHGGGGG!!!! You're just trolling me now. I've been saying exactly and specifically that throughout this entire thread! Here....this is my canventory on a website...ON "MY OWN WEBSITE"

http://yosemiterefuge.com/beercans/oi/

(it may bark at you because i've screwed up my ssl certificate....nothing to worry about....just pictures of beer cans. accept the risk and go through)

In case anyone looks at Rand's collection and wonders why he only has three pictures of each can, that was a limitation of Canventory at one time. That was changed at some point and you can now have six pictures of each can.

[Sea Monkey]

AHHHGGGGG!!!! You're just trolling me now. I've been saying exactly and specifically that throughout this entire thread!

LOL Rand. It is obvious we are not as computer savvy. We DO appreciate you bearing with us in our educational journey!

[gorrister]

Rick says that I am the largest user of Canventory. I have put all the cans from USBC I and II on it with pictures. Now I can easily see what I have and what I need. He had to change my software to allow for ~20,000 items. I love the software but have the following comments:
- as Rick has allowed this to be free, you get what you pay for. He is not actively updating this based on people’s requests. That said, it is still about everything I need.
- the only bugs I have found were self created. Deleting items can cause problems, so be careful.
- I do not know if there is any risk of the underlying software going away or not working on future Windows releases. That is always a worry.
- it is trivial to download the data into a spreadsheet, but you do that without images.

Again, I am a heavy user and love the ease of use. Should you have any questions, please let me know.

Can you share your empty database with everyone so that we can all start with a good set of known data instead of having to recreate the “checklist” ourselves. I created one for just the don’t tops, but would love a complete version to know what I don’t have instead of just showing what I do have.