Using Comet Tools V4
Although Comet comes with a number of reports already built in, it would be impossible to provide reports to fit every program's needs. If you are familiar with Microsoft Access you can use the Comet Tools4 file to build your own customized queries and reports based on your Comet data.
We highly recommend that anyone who wants to build queries and reports take a beginner and intermediate Microsoft Access class to fully leverage the potential in Comet and Comet
Tools. Comet Technical Support can provide assistance in building customized queries to pull data through Comet Tools.
Also, any changes made in the data displayed in queries in Comet Tools will affect the data in the data file. If you delete data displayed in queries in Comet ToolsV4, that data will be gone from Comet and is not recoverable!
Linking Comet Tools
Linking Comet Tools
The Comet ToolsV4 database is located in the CometTools&Reports folder when you install Comet. Comet ToolsV4 should be linked to the
CometDBV4.mdb (the file that stores all data entered into Comet Version 4). However, if the CometToolsV4 is not linked to the data file, it must be linked to the CometDBV4.mdb file in order to run the queries and reports.
The following is instructions for linking the Comet Tools V4 database to your data. However, if you have Comet Tools with custom queries you can use these instructions to link custom Comet Tools to the Comet V4 data file.
Instructions for linking Comet ToolsV4 (or another Access Comet Tools file) to the data file:
- From your C:\ drive go to the Comet Tools & Reports folder.
- Open Comet Tools V4 (or another file that you wish to link to the data file).
- Click on the Tables objects button on the left side. (Note: if tables are showing in Comet Tools you will need to delete links to these tables before re-linking. If no tables are showing skip to step 5)
- A link to a table is designated by a black arrow to the left of the table name. To delete links to tables, highlight a table and press the delete key the table should disappear, continue until all links are deleted.
(Note: only delete tables that have a black arrow in
front. You will want to delete all tables with existing links before re-linking).
- Select File (in the upper left-hand corner of the screen).
- Select Get External Data.
- Select "Link Tables".
- Use the Link window to find the CometDBV4.mdb database in the CometV4 folder. If you are networked, you must link to the CometDBV4.mdb file that is stored in the
CometSharedData folder on the network.
- Select CometDBV4.mdb.
- Click on Link.
- In Link Tables window, choose Select All
- Click on OK. The linked tables will appear in the Tables screen.
The black arrows in front of the table names indicate that the tables in the Comet Tools database are now linked to the CometDBV4.mdb file, which stores the data that you enter in the Comet data entry forms. Any changes made in the data entry forms in Comet will be reflected in the linked tables, so will also be reflected in the queries in Comet Tools.
IMPORTANT NOTE: any changes made in the data displayed in queries in Comet Tools will affect the data in the data file. Do not attempt to delete data displayed in queries in Comet ToolsV4.
Special queries have been included with Comet Tools V4. The special queries, or sub-queries, can be used as shortcuts or building blocks when you build your own queries.
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