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27.08.11

Creating your own mobile database in the cloud

Ingredients:
  • Memento (or any other database app that allows you to snyc with Google Spreadsheets)
  • Google Spreadsheets

Google Spreadsheets has quite a lot to offer for use as a cloud database: open API, multiple tables, import from web sources, and a query function. This makes it ideal for mobile apps as a database and in fact it is used as database storage quite frequently, e.g. by the My Tracks app. The advantages of using Google Spreadsheets are
  • Syncing the data easily across multiple devices: PC, mobile phone, tablet
  • Typing in data from your PC rather than on your mobile devices

With Memento for android, a database application similar to Bento for iOS,  you can create your own database and link it to a Google spreadsheet.
The single rows serve as the data fields and will be formatted with the respective data-type.  Memento has quite an impressive set of data types:
  • text
  • numbers
  • dates
  • images
  • barcode (scan with your phone’s camera)
  • your own dropdown lists (e.g. days of the week)

A teacher might want to create a database of DVDs for school use and have it always available on at school (i.e. on a mobile device). That can be done in a few simple steps.

Directions:
  1. In Memento create a new database by using “add a library” menu button
  2. You can choose a default template, a user created template from the web or make your custom template
  3. In the case of a DVD collection choose the default template
  4. You can now delete ore add fields (e.g. you might not need the cover image)
  5. Optionally you can set a password
  6. When you have set up the fields tap on “create” at the bottom )
  7. Long tap a the database DVD icon and then link to Google Docs
  8. Now you are ready to type in data in your Google spreadsheet

You can create databases for any kind of media you need for teaching or studying: books, audiobooks, documentaries, etc.  The free edition of Memento allows you to use three Google spreadsheets.







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