Only one computer? That's not NEARLY a sexy enough solution, I thought you
were in MIS? ;-)
A single DB server in the motorhome running on AC power (with a large enough
UPS to keep it up while the generator is refueled), driving a small LAN,
802.11b wireless network, and then a bunch of iPaq wireless handhelds for
registration, tech, grid, starter, T&S, etc...
-Carl
(I'm also an MIS Manager by day, and just finished my 2002 budget proposal
today. Can you tell? :)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark J. Andy [mailto:marka@telerama.com]
> Sent: Monday, November 05, 2001 5:54 PM
> To: Bay_Area_Autocross_List
> Subject: Re: Preregistration and computerized timing/scoring
>
>
> Howdy,
>
> On Mon, 5 Nov 2001, Jerry Mouton wrote:
> > How many entrants run at a typical event in your local
> > region, Mark?
>
> 4.
>
> :-)
>
> Ok, seriously... Around 100. But we run registration and the event a
> little differently. Registration opens at 8am and closes at 10am, so
> we're pumping 100 people through in 2 hours. With the longer
> time that
> you folks have registration open, I think you'd have a similar # of
> registerents per hour. Again, the computer entry portion
> doesn't seem to
> be the longest thing you do during registration, so it doesn't add any
> real time to the registration process for the event (of
> course, it does
> add 30 seconds to each individual's time, but since it
> happens in parallel
> to the rest, it doesn't affect throughput).
>
> > Again, who would do all this in SFR? Is registration data
> entry a signup
> > work assignment? Or is there someone who is there at every event
> > early in the morning, dedicated to make this work?
>
> In our case, I think there's a chief of the computer type guy
> who does it.
> However, its not like data entry can't be taught. No reason
> it couldn't
> be a work assignment.
>
> > Who would you see handling the merge of databases? Is your
> > experience of database merge that it typically just runs,
> no problem?
>
> Sure! You mean that database merging is ever an issue? :-)
> (I work as an
> MIS-type during the day...)
>
> I really think you could do it on one system. If you
> couldn't, two would
> easily be enough. With only two databases, the merge is
> relatively easy.
> You'd obviously need to have a couple things to make it work well. #1
> would be a t&s program that could either handle doing a merge
> (unlikely)
> or that talks to a database that can facilitate doing a merge (pretty
> likely). #2 would be someone to setup a merge program that
> would toss out
> duplicates for manual intervention and/or someone to run the merge.
>
> Given where you guys run, I find it pretty hard to believe that you
> wouldn't have geeks jump all over each other for the easy
> work assignment
> :-)
>
> > the several. Of course, SFR might have an easier time, but
> again, we'd
> > be under extreme time pressure, and the event would depend on
> > completion of the merge in the 10 minutes between start of the
> > drivers' meeting and beginning of run group 1 -- without failure.
>
> There's no reason you can't close registration for the
> morning run groups
> a half hour before the driver's meeting, but what you're saying makes
> perfect sense. Certainly at the beginning of something like
> this, you'd
> need to run a paper system like you do now as a backup at an absolute
> minimum.
>
> > And, online database update continuously during the day as
> new people
> > showed up and registered.
>
> This would be more "interesting" :-)
>
> My recommendation would be to use one computer, close registration for
> morning run groups, hand that database over, then capture
> afternoon run
> groups to a different database. I.e. each database sees
> "registration"
> and then "timing" in that order. If you wanna complicate my life and
> allow either group to register in the morning, keep seperate database
> starting at the beginning.
>
> > Sounds a lot tougher to me than it does to you!
>
> My post was only to indicate that plenty of people do it, not that you
> should. SFR should decide what makes sense to them and then
> run with it.
> As you folks are fond of saying, you're the biggest region in
> the country
> and sometimes need to work a little differently than everyone else.
>
> It does seem like computerizing earlier would make getting
> data back to
> the web a fair amount easier, calculating pax classes on the fly, etc.
>
> Not trying to stir up trouble. Just pointing out what I've seen other
> folks do.
>
> Mark
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