Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This page contains answers to common questions handled by our support staff, along with some tips and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as questions.

Note: In these answers we will follow a few shorthand conventions for describing user-interface procedures. Key combinations will be presented like this: Ctrl+Alt+Delete, which means that you should press and hold down the Control key, the Alt key, and the Delete key at the same time. Menu selections will be presented like this: File==>Open, which means that you should open the File menu, and then make the Open selection.

1. How do I setup Grand & Reserve?
2. I'm getting a message "Index or Primary Key can't contain null values" in the Class Master - What does this mean?
3. I'm really confused in how to get started setting up my show, can you give me some simple steps to get my show set up?
4. I am getting ready to setup my second show, is there anything special that I have to do?
5. What fields must I fill out when setting up a class in the class master ?
6. Can you explain the Fee Schedule - I don't understand how it works ?
7. How do I setup a second rider on a horse?
8. How do I setup High Point?
9. I need to send my database to you, how do I do this?
10. How do I reference an old show that I have stored on backup?
11. How do I specify when class prices should be the pre-entry prices?
12. How can I keep track of monies received not directly connected to a horse, such as sponsorships, sales to non-exhibitors or owners, etc.?
13. I know that I made a backup of my database after my last show but it's not listed in the backups, what gives?
14. When I try to do a backup my computer appears to be locked up and I'm not able to get a backup. Can you tell me what is wrong?
15. How do I unzip a database that I received from you?
16. How do I delete classes and other information from the database?
17. I'm getting the message : "You must Join the workgroup that defines the user accounts to access the database", what do I do? I am unable to get into the program.

How do I setup Grand & Reserve?

To setup Grand & Reserve just setup a class on the class master for each one. I would number the classes so that they would be in class order. An example would be including "G" and "R" extensions on each class #  i.e. 45G for Grand and 45R for Reserve.

This would mean that a grand class (or reserve class) would follow class #45 on your class schedule. You will need to setup individual classes on the Class Master for both Grand & Reserve as they have separate identifying class codes. When you setup your class master  reference the APHA approved class code list to fill in the "Breed Code". 

When you have the judges cards just enter the entries into each of the classes and then place them. You only have to enter the winners of each judge into the class (not all entries that were in the class).

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I'm getting a message "Index or Primary Key can't contain null values"  in the Class Master, What does this mean? ?

You may have erased the class number in the "Breed Assessment Fees" section.    The "breed assessment " section on the class master is used to setup a method to track and count horses entered into a class for payment to sponsoring organizations. This might be an organization such as Northwest Co-ordinating Committee (NWCC) where you have an obligation of  $1.00 per horse for all classes.

Press the ESC key to clear the message and the class number will re-appear. It is normal to see the class number, class description but no item description and zero amount.   This is simply the default information for an entry thay you might want to create. To create the entry enter the organization name i.e. NWCC and enter an amount i.e. $1.00.

If you are trying to delete an entry (do not delete the first entry), then click in the small rectangular box to the left of the class number and press the delete key. You will receive a confirmation message confirming that you want to delete this entry.

Note: This problem doesn't exist in the newest version of the software because these fields on the "Class Assessment" porton of the class master are locked, preventing you from erasing the contents. You can download the current version from the "Download" section on this site.

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I'm really confused in how to get started setting up my show, can you give me some simple steps to get my show setup?

Sometimes with new software it seems that the hardest part of learning it is just getting started. Here are the steps to get your show setup. I'm assuming that you've successfully installed the software using the setup program on the CDROM.

1. The first screen you will see is a login screen. The name that you should use is secretary and the password should be left blank.
2. The next screen allows you to select which database that you want to work with. Show Secretary ships with 2 databases, one for reference only and a blank database for you to begin entering your own information. Select the blank database which might be described as "My Horse Show Database".
3. You should now be at the main screen of Show Secretary and we are ready to begin entering the information for our show. Select Show Setup ==> Show Information & Judges and press the "Open" button.
4. All of the information on this screen is required except "Report Breaks on Show" & "AHSA Competition number". The show number (upper left) should always start with 1 for each breed. The judge numbers should also start with 1 for each breed for a maximum of 8 judges per breed. You must complete a Show Information and Judges screen for each breed in your show. When doing a multi-breed show use the copy button after completing your first breed to create your additional breed setup screens. Report Breaks on Show" will normally be left unchecked.
5. After you have exited the Show Information screen, select "Fee Schedule" from the Setup Functions screen. Reference question #6 for detailed discussion on the Fee Schedule.
6. The last show setup requirement is setting up your class master. Reference question #5 for a detailed discussion on the class master.
7. That's it ...  You are now ready to begin entering horses, owners and riders into your show. All of this information is done using the "Entry Information" selection on the main screen.

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I am getting ready to setup my second show, is there anything special that I have to do?

Yes, there are some special things that you must do before starting your next show.

1. The first thing (and very important) is to create a backup of your show. This is easily accomplished using the "Data Selection Form" when you first initiate Show Secretary. Click once on your database to backup (so that it is highlighted) and press the "Backup Database" button. You will be presented with a screen informing you of where your database will be backed up to. Press the "Backup" button and a copy of your database will be created on your hard drive.
2. It is also a good idea to copy the backup database  to a diskette in case you have a hard drive failure. Use MS Explore and navigate to the backup folder and proceed to drag and drop the database to a diskette.
3. Now that you've got a backup, you're ready to setup your next show. Start Show Secretary and from the main screen ==> Show Setup ==> Show Information & Judges.
4. Press the "Clear" button. The entries in your working database will now be deleted along with fees and judges from your last show. The horses, owners, riders, class master, fee schedule are not deleted.
5. Complete the information on the "Show Information & judges" pertinent to your next show and enter the new judge information.  Note:  Your show # should always be 1 unless you have special circumstances that require you to have a show #1 and show show #2. In either case you must have a show #1.
6. Review your Fee Schedule and modify as necessary
7. Print a "Class Master" report (found on the report menu) to assist you in setting up classes for your next show.
8. Now Go to Setup Functions ==> Class Master and modify existing classes as necessary. To leave a class in the database (that will not be used) set the class number to 0, so that the next show that it will be used you will not have to re-enter all of the information again.

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What fields must I fill out when setting up a class in the class master?

It seems that when problems occur in Show Secretary most of the time it is traced back to missing or incorrect information. So if you are having problems such as incorrect reports or reports that will not print, double check that you have all of the required information entered into the class master. I have not forced you to enter required information when setting up a show because sometimes you don't have all of the correct and plan on coming back to fill in the missing information but sometimes you never get back and consequently problems can occur when information is missing.

Here's what is required:

Class Description

Class Number

Billing Code

Show Selection -  (Only available selections are breeds that have been setup in Show Information & Judges).

Class Date

Breed Class id  - Required for some breed shows and also if you will be sending show results to Show Secretary Point Keeper (a product available from Perfected Technology Systems for year-end point keeping).

Show Number

Open;  Youth;  Non-Pro;  Other Check Box

Class Type

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Can you explain the Fee Schedule - I don't understand how it works ?

The fee schedule is simply a schedule of all of the various fees that will be applicable to the show that you are setting up. These will include both class fees and miscellaneous fees such as stall charges, bedding, haul-in charges etc. You may also setup fees such as American Paint Horse Association (APHA) per horse fees which can  automatically be applied to 1 or all entries in the show.

Code: This is simply a 2 character code that you can assign yourself to help organize the various types of fees. It is not a critical piece of information and can be anything to your choosing.

Payment: This box should be checked only on line items that are for payments . Normally there will only be a single item in the fee schedule which you will use when you wish to apply a payment to an exhibitor's bill. When setting up a payment item you should have a description of "Payment" and the amount fields will be left blank as they will be filled in when applied to individual entries.

Description: Enter a description of the item i.e. Stall Charge, 8$ Class Fee etc.

Regular Price: Enter the regular price for the item which is to be charged to the exhibitor when applied.

Pre-Entry Price: Enter the pre-entry price for the item which is to be charged to the exhibitor when applied.

Automatic Per-Horse Fee: To setup an Automatic Fee check this box and also select the appropriate breed using the drop-down menu. Tip: You could also setup other types of automatic fees such as office fees using this option.

Breed: This is a drop-down menu and only needs to be set if the item is for an automatic fee.

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How do I setup a second rider on a horse?

First of all before you decide to setup a new rider on a horse, you should be sure that the exhibitor hasn't previously been entered for this horse. There are several ways to check for other riders but first of all take note of the count for number of riders in the top left part of the screen. If the number is anything other then 1, then you should check to see if the rider already exists. This is easily accomplished by pressing the drop-down menu button which is beside the "Locate Exhibitor" button.

If the new exhibitor is not on the menu then press the "New" button and you will be presented with a blank template for entering the new rider. After you've entered all of the pertinent rider information then you can enter the classes he/she has signed up for.

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How do I setup High Point?

Show Secretary supports setting up any number of high points where points can be tracked on either the horse or horse and rider combination.

Steps:

1. Select "High Point" from the main screen of Show Secretary
2. Enter a description of the high point you wish to set up i.e. Youth 14 - 18
3. If the points are to be tracked on a horse and rider combination then leave the "points on horse" unchecked.
4. Assign a unique numeric code to this high point. There can be no duplicates even accross breeds, so start with 1 and consectively number each new high point.
5. If the high point is to be restricted by age such as in this case 14-18 then enter 14 in the Min Rider Age and 18 in the Max Rider Age.
6. If you are setting up a "points on Horse" then you will probably want to restrict the age of the horse e.g. Jr. Horse 2 thru 4. In this case check the "Points on Horse" box and enter 2 in the Min Horse age and 4 in the Max Horse Age.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for each high point to be setup.

Now you need to assign the qualifying classes to each of your high points

1. Select a high point by clicking in the small box to the left of the high point so that you have an arrow in this box and it is highlighted.
2. Press the "Assign Classes" button
3. Under the "Highpoint" drop-down menu select a High Point
4. Under the "Qualifying Class" you can either enter a class number which will count to the high point or you can select 1 from th edrop-down menu.
5. repeat steps 3 and 4 and enter all of the classes for the high point
6. Continue on until you have assigned all of the classes for each of your high points.

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I need to send my database to you, how do I do this?

Use the "Uploads" button from this support page. Please provide a detailed explanation of your problem so that I may re-create the problem you are having.

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How do I reference an old show that I have stored on backup?

From the Data Selection Menu, press the "Use Backup" button. Now you will see a list of the databases that Show Secretary is aware of.  If you do not see a backup of a prior show see question # ??.  When a database backup is created the date is added to the file name to assist you in identifying the various backups. Click on the database that you wish to use and press the "Use Backup" button.

When you are working with a backup database your working database remains untouched. In other words if you make any changes to the backup database they will not be reflected in your working database.

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How do I specify when class prices should be the pre-entry prices?

On the "Show Information & Judges" screen is a field titled Current Pricing and is used to select between the two different price columns in the Fee Schedule. When set to "Regular Price" it will use the regular price column in the fee schedule when classses or any miscellaneous fees are added to an exhibitors bill. When set to Pre-Entry it uses the second column of prices titled pre-entry prices. Remember that if you are doing a multiple breed show that you must change the pricing on each of the various show setup screens.

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How can I keep track of monies received not directly connected to a horse, such as sponsorships, sales to non-exhibitors or owners, etc.?

Show Secretary does not offer a tailored method designed for receiving sponsorship funds but you can easily do a work-around.

1. Setup an entry in the Fee Schedule for each of your sponsors and check the Payment box on each one. Leave the amount amount field blank and limit the description to 25 characters.
2. Setup an entry in your Fee Schedule for any product sales that you may have to non-exhibitors and owners. Enter a description such as "Sales - Sweatshirts", put a check in the payment box and leave the amount field blank.  The description is limited to 25 characters. 
3. Enter a new horse into the database with a registration # as sponsor and an entry # of 9999
4. For the name of the horse enter "Expenses & Receipts"
5. Enter 2000 for the foal year
6. Enter the Show Secretary's first name in the first name field
7. Enter the Show Secretary's last name in the last name field
8. Complete the owner information with the address information of the Show Secretary
9. Now any time that you want to record a product sale or a sponsorship, enter it in the Miscellaneous Fees along with the money received for Entry #9999. The various sponsor money along with any product sales will be itemized in the Financial Summary.

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I know that I made a backup of my database after my last show but it's not listed in the backups, what gives?

This could be caused by downloading and installing Show Secretary from this support site. When updating Show Secretary from the web site you will need to reload your backup databases along with any other databases that you may have renamed from the default name of ShowSec98_data.mdb.

If you need a procedure on how to do this, reference the readme file in the download area of this support site.

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When I try to do a backup my computer appears to be locked up and I'm not able to get a backup. Can you tell me what is wrong?

When you Press the "Backup Database" button on the Data Selection Form, check the path specified in the field titled "Located in Folder". Make sure that it is the correct location of your database.  If the location is not correct, then you will need to fix it from the "Data Selection Form". Select your database and then press the details button. From here you will be able to correct the location of the database!

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How do I unzip a database received from you?

1. Right Click on the attachment which contains your database
2. Select Open from the drop-down menu
3. Select "Open it" and press OK
4. Press the "Extract" button
5. On the "Explore Like" window navigate to C:\Database\ShowSec98
6. Press the folder icon on ShowSec98
7. Press the Extract button
8. You should get a message asking you if you want to replace a file, respond yes

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How do I delete classes and other information from the database?

There is a small box on the left edge of the riders classes. To delete a class select the class by clicking into the box and you will see the arrow appear. Once selected hit the delete key and you will receive a message confirming your delete request.

This method of deleting for the most part is consistent throughout Show Secretary for deleting information. However the small box may just be larger extending across all of the information being selected such as on the rider screen.  On some screens you will find a delete button which you should use instead of the box method.

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I'm getting the message : "You must Join the workgroup that defines the user accounts to access the database", what do I do? I am unable to get into the program.