CATALOGUE YOUR STUFF

INSTALL JAVA java.com

Data Crow requires Java. If it’s not installed, download it from — click the Free Java Download link. Ignore any warnings about Edge; instead, click ‘Agree and Start Free Download’. Launch the installer stub and click Install. When Java Setup appears, select ‘Do not update browser settings’ to avoid unwanted changes to your browser, then click Next to install.

TIGHTEN SECURITY

Once installed, type “java” into the Search box, then click ‘Configure Java’. Switch to the Security tab — if you only plan to use Java with Data Crow, untick ‘Enable Java content in the browser’; otherwise choose ‘Very High’ for the security level and click OK. Now go to www.datacrow.net, select Downloads from the left-hand pane and click ‘Data Crow Windows Installer’.

INSTALL DATA CROW

Click the Windows Installer link to save Data Crow to your Downloads folder. Locate the ZIP file, right-click it and choose ‘Extract All’. Once complete, double-click setup32bit.exe even if you have Windows 64-bit installed (this is because Java 32-bit is installed by default). Then it’s a case of following the prompts — the default choices are fine for most. Click ‘Done’ to finish.

CREATE CATALOGUE

Open Data Crow from the Start menu or via the Search box. Choose where to store the program’s data. Click ‘OK’, select your language, then click OK again. When the program opens, click Close to open the Tool Select Wizard. Choose the type of information that you would like to catalogue — pick Container if it’s not listed — and click Next.

ADD FIRST ITEM

You’ll see a description of the key controls you can use to add, manage and delete items in your chosen catalogue — click Item Wizard to get started by adding an item from an online database. First, choose your server — Amazon is a good starting point — and select United Kingdom (English) [ Not the US version! — Sub-Ed]. Now enter the name of your item, such as a book’s author or title and click Find.

MATCH AND ADD ITEM

A list of matching results will now appear. Switch to the Table View tab for an easier way to review them. If there are multiple matches — such as different editions of a book — select one and click Open to check whether it’s the correct match using the tabs. Picture Front often helps in this regard. Once you’ve found the right match, click Next.

REVIEW AND ADD

The information will be downloaded, enabling you to review and make changes or additions. To keep your items organised, look for suitable fields on the Summary and Information tabs, such as Category or Genre. Click the ‘+’ button for additional entries if they don’t cover your collection. Once done, click ‘Finish & New’ to add another.

EDIT ITEMS

Keep adding items to your collection. If you want to edit an item, right-click it and choose ‘Edit...’. If you want to make the same edits to multiple items — such as genre or TV series — select them all in the middle pane using ‘Ctrl-click’, then right-click and choose ‘Update all’. Make your changes, then click Save or Apply to apply them to the selected entry or entries in your database.

GROUP ITEMS

As your collection grows, you’ll want to organise it to make it easier to browse. To do this, click the ‘Group by’ button in the left-hand window and choose Select Fields, then pick how you want to display them here — for example, by author or category. To create a multi-level hierarchy, select multiple fields as you wish them to appear — for example, genre followed by TV series.

YOUR COLLECTION, CATALOGUED

You’ve got the basics mastered, so keep building your collection — Data Crow saves your changes as they’re made. The program is incredibly versatile, so explore the various menus to find ways to fine-tune your catalogue and change the way the program works. Also click the pie-chart button to generate charts to help you analyse your collection as it grows.