- Log into the application using your username and password
- Open the Application drop down from the top menu and choose “Create Application“
- Start by selecting an existing template or enter a name for the new application
Enable/Disable an existing application
An application can be enabled or disabled at any given moment, all the metadata (revisions, notes, schema, reports etc) will remain in ZenBase and will be applied again once the application is enabled again.
- Make sure you have Administration rights
- Log into your account using your username and password
- Open the Applications drop-down from the top menu and choose “Manage applications“
- Locate the application you wish to enable
- Check the checkbox labeled “Enable application in Zenbase“
Work on an existing application
Add a table to an application
- Log into the application using your username and password
- Open the Application drop down from the top menu and choose the application you want to work on
- Look towards the bottom left corner and look for a blue button with a white + sign in it. Click this button
- Enter a name for the new table and create the desired columns
- When ready, click the button labeled “Add table” to create the new table
Setup a foreign key on a column
- Log into the application using your username and password
- Open the Application drop down from the top menu and choose the application you want to work on
- Navigate to the table you want to work on using the tabs at the bottom of the page
- Click on the second tab (labeled “Table columns“)
- Find the column you want to create the foreign key for and click the “edit” button for this column
- In the popup, find the section labeled “Connect to” and choose the “table > column” you want this column to link to
- Click the button labeled “Update column“
The Publications Template
Who uses the Publications Template?
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Maintain a database of articles for use in future publications.
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Give proper attribution to the authors of the articles.
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Ensure that articles and/or publications are being sent to subscribers.
Key Features
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Stores information about Publications, their status, and optional images.
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Each Publication can have multiple, user-defined Tags.
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Each Publication can have a user-defined Publication Type.
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Each Publication has multiple Subscribers and can feature multiple Articles.
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Stores information about Subscribers, their addresses, contact information and status.
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Subscribers may request different delivery options.
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Stores information about Articles, their Authors, their status and any Notes associated with them.
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Each Article may or may or may not have Authors or Notes.
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Articles can be printed without a Publication and can have an optional image.
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Stores information about Authors, their addresses, contact information and status.
The Clubs/Memberships Template
The Clubs/Memberships Template enables you to effectively schedule group activities for club members. With the Clubs template, you can make the most efficient use of club resources and ensure that members have an enjoyable experience.
Who uses the Clubs/Memberships Template?
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Manage membership at their club.
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Organize member classes for members at different skill levels.
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Take bookings for member use of limited resources such as tennis or squash courts.
Key Features
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Clubs will have more than one Group. Each Group can be active or inactive.
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Each Group can have a user-defined Group Type and a user-defined Level (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced).
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Group meetings/classes run between a start and end date and each session are scheduled between a start and end time.
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Each Group has multiple Members and may have a Group leader.
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Stores information about Members, their addresses, contact information, and status.
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Members may or may not belong to one or more Groups.
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Members may play one or more Roles within the Groups in which they participate.
The Tasks Template
Who uses the Tasks Template?
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Break a project down into smaller chunks which can then be assigned to various members of the team.
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Analyze whether projects are being completed on time and within budget.
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Determine the status of any or all tasks at any given time.
Key Features
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Stores information about Projects, their status and estimated timetable.
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Stores information about Clients, their addresses, contact information and status.
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Store information about Associates, their addresses, contact information and status.
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Tasks can be tagged with a user-defined Task Code as well as a user-defined Priority Level.
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Each Task may be associated with a Client.
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Each Task may be associated with a Project.
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Each Task is assigned to an Associate (or employee).
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Each Task has a user-defined Status.
The Purchase Orders with Inventory Template
Who uses the Purchase Orders with Inventory Template?
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Store information about their inventory and where everything is being kept
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Track purchase orders, cost of goods sold and delivery dates
Key Features
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Stores information about Inventory, its Category and Sub-category and where it is physically located (Shelf, Bin, Cabinet, Bay)
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Stores information about Vendors, their addresses, contact information and status as well as multiple, user-defined Vendor Types.
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Store information about Associates (your employees), their addresses, contact information and status.
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Purchase Orders can be tagged with a user-defined Activity Code as well as a user-defined Expenditure Code.
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Each Purchase Order can have Notes and a Priority Code associated with it.
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Multiple Associates can place Purchase Orders. Each PO is identified with the code of the Associate who placed it.
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Keeps track of Purchase Orders to various Vendors, details about which Products were ordered, expected delivery dates and payment information.
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Some purchases may require an Expenditure Code.
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Enables you to sort your Inventory by Category.
The Products (Shoes) Template
Who uses the Product (Shoes) Template?
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Store information about their shoe inventory and the locations in which they are being kept
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Track purchase orders and delivery dates
Key Features
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Stores information about Store locations, their addresses and contact information.
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Stores information about Vendors, their addresses, contact information and status.
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Store information about the Products (Shoes) which can be purchased from multiple vendors.
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Shoes come in a variety of Styles, multiple Colors and different Sizes.
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Shoes can be stored at different Store or Inventory locations.
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Keeps track of inventory: Styles, Colors, and Sizes on hand as well as Locations in the store and other outlets where they can be found.
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User-defined reorder levels for each product/color/style/size make it easy to maintain optimum inventory levels.
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Keeps track of Purchase Orders to various Vendors, details about which Products were ordered, expected delivery dates and payment information.
The Training with Attendance Template
Who uses the Training with Attendance Template?
- Track Student Attendance for the Courses they teach
- Assign Grades based on completion of Course Activities
- Monitor their Course Schedule for a given Semester
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Assign Courses to Students
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Determine Student Course Schedules for a given Semester
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Determine whether Students have passed the Course
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Contact Students or Instructors
Key Features
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Stores contact information for Students and Instructors.
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Students take more than one Course and must pass more than one exam.
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Instructors teach more than on Course and must grade multiple exams.
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Allows you to define different Types of Courses and the Departments they are attached to.
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Stores Course information and the Semesters when they are Scheduled.
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Courses have a limited number of seats which can vary based on Semester.
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Tracks user-defined Course Activities needed for the Student to obtain a passing Grade.
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Keeps track of the Courses the Student is taking, their Attendance and Grades obtained for each Activity required to complete the Course.
The Complaints Template
Who uses the Complaints Template?
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Handle Complaints from their Members
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Assign Associates to perform the Activities needed to resolve the Complaints
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Collect any Fees or Levies related to the Complaints
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Track and schedule any follow-up Activities needed to permanently resolve the Complaint.
Key Features
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Stores contact information about Members – your clients.
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Member Types are user defined and can be Companies, Individuals, or Individuals working for a Member Company.
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Members can have more than one Complaint.
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Members pay Fees to resolve their Complaints.
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In some cases, Members pay Levies based on a user-defined Complaint Type or a user-defined Complaint Category
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Keeps track of Complaints, the Member who made the complaint, any Activities performed by Associates to resolve the issue and Levies to be collected due to the Complaint.
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Complaints can have multiple, user-defined Activities associated with them and each Activity can have a different, user-defined Levy associated with it.
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Keeps a record of Activities, Associates assigned to perform the Activities and any follow-up actions that need to be taken to resolve the Complaint.
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Stores information about Associates and their Activities.
The Hotel Booking Template
Who uses the Hotel Booking Template?
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Store contact information about multiple Reservation Agents
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Store contact information about multiple Guests
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Store configuration information about multiple Hotel Rooms
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Manage bookings for multiple Guests
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Process payments from Guests at check-in/check-out
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Store contact information about housekeeping Staff members
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Assign housekeeping Staff to rooms
Key Features
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Keeps track of Hotels, their addresses and contact information
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Keeps track of Guests, their addresses and contact information
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Keeps track of Staff, their addresses, position and contact information
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Hotels have multiple Rooms. Each Room can be assigned a user-defined Room Type (bed size, suite, penthouse, etc.)
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Room Rates may vary for different Bookings based on user-defined Rate Types
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Bookings can be made by Reservation Agents or by the prospective Guests themselves
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Multiple Rooms can be booked in one session
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Keeps track of Bookings and the status of a given Room
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Allows you to assign Rooms based on selection criteria such as Room Type and Floor
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Allows you to assign housekeeping Staff to Rooms
The Restaurant Reservation Template
Who uses the Restaurant Reservation Template?
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Store information about multiple restaurants
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Store information about multiple hotels
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Manage reservations for multiple clients
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Manage reservations for their own establishment
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Store information about multiple hotels to facilitate contacts for reservation confirmations and take-out deliveries to those hotels
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Store information about multiple restaurants in the area to recommend to their guests.
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Book reservations for their guests
Key Features
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Keeps track of Restaurants, their addresses, contact information, expense rating and dress code
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Keeps track of Hotels, their addresses and phone number
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Allows you to identify different types of Dress Codes
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Allows you to identify different elements on an Expense Scale ($-$$$$)
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Restaurants can serve more than one Type of Cuisine
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Restaurants can serve more than one Course (open for Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/etc.)
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A Restaurant will have an overall Rating, but each Course it serves can have its own Rating
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Restaurants can be filtered by various criteria: Type of Cuisine; Courses; where it ranks in the expense scale; Rating
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Keeps track of Reservations: Contact Date/Time; Contact Name and Phone Number; Reservation Date/Time; Confirmation Date/Time; Cancellations
The Property Management Template
Who uses the Property Management Template?
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Store information about multiple Properties, Buildings and Units
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Track Utility costs for each Building
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Track which Units are rented
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Schedule Inspections after Guest check-out
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Maintain contact information about Guests staying in the Units
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Assign Parking spots according to need
Key Features
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Keeps track of Properties, their addresses and contact information
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There can be multiple Properties and each Property can include multiple Buildings
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Each property can have multiple user-defined Features (on the golf course, 24-hr security, beach access, etc.)
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Allows for various Building Types (Commercial, Residential, Industrial, etc.) and Unit Types (Condo, Villa, Penthouse, etc.) which can be adapted to your business
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Each Building can have multiple user-defined Utility Types so you can easily track expenses
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Each Building can have multiple rental Units including commercial space, a Manager, various Utilities and user-defined Building Features (common pool, gym, etc.)
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Each Unit can have multiple Unit Features (A/C, Cable TV, Wi-Fi, BBQ, etc.)
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Each Unit can have multiple Guests
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Keeps track of Unit Inspections after Guest check-out: Inspection Date/Time; Inspector; Items that were inspected; Issues to be addressed
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Parking spots can have various user-defined Features (Residential/Visitor/Handicapped, etc.)
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Keeps track of Parking spots: Units to which they are assigned; Price; Color/Make/License plate number of Guests’ cars
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Each Unit can be assigned multiple Parking spots – one for each Guest
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Units can be filtered by various criteria: Unit Features; Property Features; Price; Number of bedrooms/bathrooms; Unit Type
The Real Estate Template
Who uses the Real Estate Template?
- Individual agents who need to:
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Store information about their Listings and the Buyers and Sellers they work with
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Keep track of showings to prospective Buyers
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Establish a comprehensive contact strategy and nurture leads effectively.
- Brokers who need to effectively manage Listings and workflows for multiple Agents.
Key Features
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Keeps track of contacts and activities related to a specific Buyer
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Keeps track of contacts and activities related to a specific Seller
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Keeps track of showings and other activities related to a Listing
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Listings can have multiple interested Buyers
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Buyers may be interested in multiple Listings
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Listings can be searched by various criteria: Property Size; Location; Number of Rooms; Property Type
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Listings and buyers can be assigned to specific Agents
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Sellers can have more than one Listing
Rename or delete a table
- Log into the application using your username and password
- Open the Application drop down from the top menu and choose the application you want to work on
- Navigate to the table you want to work on using the tabs at the bottom of the page
- Click on the tab labeled “More“
- Type the new name into the name field
- To update a table, click the button labeled “Update table“
- To delete, click “Permanently delete table” (this cannot be undone!)
Introduction
ZenBase is a light-weight online data management and application builder for non-coders such as sales staff, customer service reps, accountants etc, and technical people alike. It provides the tools for users to create powerful online applications quickly through its simple user interface.
Change a user’s details
- Log into the application using your username and password
- Click on “Users” in the top menu
- Select the user from the left menu
- Make the desired changes
- Click the update button
Your first login
Navigate your web browser to ZenBase login and use the login credentials created during signing up:
- username: yourusername@domain.com
- password: password
The username is the email you used during sign up. You should have received the temp password in the email. You can change your password once logged in.
Create Application
ZenBase can be used to either manage existing applications or to create and manage new applications. If you logged in for the first time, you will be able to create your first ZenBase database application in the dashboard.
To create a new application, navigate to the application section (click “Applications” from the top menu and then click “Create Application“). You will now see all applications in your account (or none if there aren’t any applications created yet).
Alternatively, click “Create Application” on the dashboard to start.
You can select from one of the many existing templates to jump-start creating your new application:
or create one from scratch.
Note that application name should not allow space or any special characters such as @,# \ etc.
Add Table
To create a new table, click “Add Table” button, or the button with the white “+” in front of your table tabs at the bottom of the window (in the bottom left corner). If you’re not seeing this button, this means you don’t have permission to create new tables and you should contact the application’s administrator.
Create table by importing
Data are the backbone of your application. They hold all of your data and are the starting point of your application. The first step in creating a database-driven web application is to hook data. Data are represented in the table in rows and columns. Each row is called a ‘record’. Data can be submitted to them through web forms or imported from external files. Data can also be exported.
At the moment of this writing, ZenBase supports importing of comma-separated values (CSV) files only. If you have Excel sheets you’d like to import into ZenBase, you should export these as CSV files from Excel first after which you can import the data into ZenBase.
Note that table name should not contain space or any special characters.
After clicking the button, you should start off by entering a name for your new table. Note that the name should only contain only alphanumeric characters: a-z, 1-9, underscored and dashes, NO SPACES.
Next, you should choose the file you’d like to import. When importing a CSV file, it’s possible that your file contains the column names on the first line of the file, if this is the case, make sure you tick the checkbox labeled “First row contains column names“, this way ZenBase will use those column names to create your new table.
Primary key
ZenBase requires all tables to have a primary key set, it will add a primary key column to your imported data as well. It will first detect whether the first column contains unique values, if it does, ZenBase will set this column as the primary key.
If the first column does not contain unique values, ZenBase will add an additional column to your table which will function as the primary key (which will be set to auto increment).
Adding records into an existing table
The second way to use the data import function is by adding records into an existing table. The process of adding new records into an existing database table sometimes is called “append query”. To do this, bring up the table into which you’d like to import data. Next, click the grey button labeled “Import data” which will bring up a popup.
In the Import Data popup, you can choose your CSV file and upload it that would merge with the existing table.
Things to watch out when adding into an existing table – AKA Appending query:
-
It’s critical to make sure the structure of your CSV files matches with the structure of your table! If the structures don’t match, the import will probably fail and ZenBase will show you an error message.
- The number of fields per row in your CSV files matches with the number of columns in the ZenBase table. If you have 10 columns in your table, you’ll need to have 10 values per row in your CSV file.
- The values in the primary key fields in your CSV file are unique. If ZenBase detects primary key values which already exist in your table, the import will fail.
Columns
A column is similar to a database table column in which a set of data values of a particular type, one for each row of the table. Users can add a new column or edit existing ones.
In the modal window, users can set column properties including column name, column type, default value, index, and position.
At the time of this writing, ZenBase supports the following column types:
- Numbers (up to 11 digits)
- Decimals
- Small text (up to 255 characters)
- Large text
- Date
- Selection
- Binary (file or image)
Roles, Users and Permissions
ZenBase is built with user roles in mind. This means that you define a certain role (for example Sales Rep, Customer Service or Accounting) and setup permissions for this Role. Next, you assign a Role to a user account which will determine what the user can or cannot do.
For each Role, permissions are set on an application level AND on a table level; meaning different applications and different tables can have different permissions.
When a new user account is created, ZenBase will automatically send a notification email to the user’s email address with the login details.
Users and Roles can be managed by users belonging to the Administration group or users who have been assigned the permission to manage Users and Roles by an Administrator.
Administrator (AKA Super User)
The user who signed up for the ZenBase account automatically has the “Account Administrator” role. This role cannot be modified or deleted to make sure admins can always access the application. The Admin User can create new role and users for the same account. One account is limited only to one administrator.
Revisions
ZenBase automatically stores old values of records and individual cells which can be restored at any given moment. When a cell or record is updated, the previous values are stored and can be accessed through the “Revisions” tab.
Both the Cell and Record popups have the Revisions tab, allowing to restore single cells or entire records.
Video demo (click to view in full screen):
There is no expiration date set for Revisions, meaning all revisions are stored indefinitely. You can, however, remove Revisions manually for any Cell or Record.
Relational Data
ZenBase allows for a column in a certain table to be connected to a second table, which means that the first column will hold the value from the second table.
Foreign keys will have to be declared within the application before ZenBase will be able to use them.
To set up a foreign key on a column, you will need to have permissions to modify tables in the database based on Role. An administrator can manage the user roles in the Roles page.
Once declared properly, ZenBase will automatically present a drop-down box displaying the allowed options when editing a single Cell or Record.
Notes
ZenBase allows users to attach notes to Columns, Tables, and Applications. These notes can serve to describe what certain items are for and how certain items should be used.
When looking at a table screen, you’ll find a tab named “Notes“. In here, notes for the current table can be created, edited or deleted.
When editing a column or Cell, notes can be attached to the Column through the “Notes” tab in the popup.
When editing a Record, notes can be created, edited and deleted through the “Notes” tab.
PLEASE NOTE:
ANY user can create notes, no matter what permission this user has. Administrators can edit and delete other users notes as well as their own.
Table List
The available Tables are displayed through tabs at the bottom of the screen when working on an application. Click on the plus (+) icon to create a new table.
Application Database Schema
ZenBase has an easy-to-use and navigates application database schema viewer. Click on any of the schema navigation icons to navigate. You can also navigate using the keyboard.
Click a table in the schema diagram to go to its content.
How to export data
- Log into the application using your username and password
- Open the Application drop down from the top menu and choose the application you want to export data from
- Navigate to the table you want to export data from using the tabs at the bottom of the page
- Click on one of the export buttons
The Project Management Template
Who uses the Project Management Template?
-
Create customized project management applications.
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Any application where you need to job cost the various parts of a whole.
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Each Project uses the same basic tables.
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Each Template (element of a project) will have different, user-defined Objects.
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Each Object (task or component) takes a certain amount of time to create. The time is stored in the Object record, though the time should also be modifiable at the template level.
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Templates can have specific, user-defined Features.
-
Templates have a price based on the sum of the time it takes to create all the Objects it encompasses. The price can be modified by the user where needed.
-
Objects can be transferred to Templates from which they can be split into multiple Objects
The Appointments Template
Who uses the Property Management Template?
-
Store information about multiple clients
-
Store information about multiple services
-
Store information about multiple associates or service providers
-
Keep track of multiple appointments for multiple service providers
-
Keeps track of Clients, their addresses, contact information and payment terms
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Keeps track of Associates, their addresses, contact information, employment info and work schedule
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Allows you to identify different type of Services, each having a specific, user-defined cost and duration
-
Allows you to identify different types of Payment Terms for Clients
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Clients can schedule appointments based on time or the availability of their preferred service provider
-
Clients can schedule multiple, consecutive appointments with more than one service provider
-
Keeps track of Appointments: Appointment Date/Time; Client Name and Phone Number; Associate Name and Phone Number; Confirmation Date/Time; Cancellations
The Contact Management Template
Who uses the Property Management Template?
-
Store contact information about multiple Contacts
- Store information about current and past meetings
- Store information about company detail of point of contact
- Analyze contact communication based on regions
- Generate reports from contacts
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Keeps track of Contact names, their addresses and contact information
- Generate contacts reports
- Keep leads information pertains to contact activities
The Employee Timesheet Template
- Timesheet
- Employees
- Projects
- Activities
- Cost Center
Who uses the Employee Timesheet Template?
-
Store information about multiple employees
-
Store information about employee activities
-
Produce timesheet reports
-
Keeps track of Employees, their addresses, job title, and basic timesheet information
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Keeps an archive of project activities, cost center, regular and overtime hours worked in a given month, any salary advances or loans and traveling allowances
-
Tracks Employee absences and vacations
- Managers and employees have different access rights
Forgot password?
ZenBase comes with built-in password recovery as well. If you or another user forgot his or her password, simply click the “Forgot your password?” link on the login page. This will send out an email with a link to the password reset page on which a new password can be created.