With over 9,000 applicants and a data base of over 2,800 properties the prospect of producing a relational data base with connectivity to out existing websites SQL server was something we viewed with trepidation. However Ditronic handled it with minimal fuss and the transfer was remarkably painless, especially as it was within budget and delivered precisely to the timescale we were promised. The Filemaker Management system has a CMS system and offers pdf mailouts. We are also able to bulk e mail Applicants with exciting new properties which has been invaluable in generating new interest.

‘Paddington’ relied heavily on the hosting, crew records and purchase order system developed in conjunction with Ditronic (Filemaker Specialists?). Russell created an HMTL front end which allows the film crew to enter their details remotely. This has been a huge time saving system which we could never even contemplate going back to the archaic system we had before dealing with up to a 1000 crew. With the high pressure environment that exists in film making it is easy to make mistakes but this takes out that whole loop as the crew members put in their details in their own time thus making is accurate and giving more time back to the production office. The system has since been even further advanced and is now operating very successfully on Paddington 2.

As a small business our time is important to us and we could not devote any of it to developing a database or altering databases that are already in the public domain. We designed a simple flowchart around our day-to-day activities and asked Ditronic Software to design a bespoke database. Russell designed and provided a beta version in a short time and after testing by us and sending reports back to Ditronic Software the database was tweaked until we were satisfied. The database now forms a vital part of our business allowing us to concentrate on what we do best without having to worry about the integrity of our supporting information. The database is like having a part timer in the business who is responsible for tracking our information and carrying out the invoicing procedures at no cost to the business with regards to wages.