While for many of us nerds software is a tool to play with, the vast majority of computer users out there use software as a means to access data. They don’t get excited over the new UI elements in LittleSnapper, nor do they have any longing to try out the brand new Dock Exposé feature in Snow Leopard. That’s one of the reasons why Windows and Office do so well. It’s very difficult to make the average computer user let go of software they are familiar with.
When a person gets a computer, they’re looking to put it to good use, and once they find that use, they’ll stick to it. One of the primary uses of a computer, is the storage of information. It is well understood that computers are adept at handling insane amounts of information, and can keep it safe for centuries to come—hard drive crashes and other data loss not considered. So begins the start of an insane number of Word and Excel documents scattered across the system, many a times saved inside the root directory of the hard drive. We also send emails filled with important details to ourselves, as a means of permanent anywhere-available storage. Gmail is to blame for that. Clutter, bloated hard drives, and data loss ensue.
The Mac user elite have of course discovered a lot of software. Software that keeps things synced across different computers—Dropbox. Software that can even OCR through a photograph of a business card so it’s easily searcheable—Evernote. And software that can grab anything you can throw at it without thinking twice—Yojimbo. But what about data that is more linear than what Evernote and Yojimbo—’anything buckets’—are designed handle?
Databases have been in use since the time computers have been invented. To have a repository for raw data, and then be able to process and manipulate that data in different ways has always been one of the single greatest uses of having data digitally rather than typed out on a piece of paper. Traditional database applications like Microsoft Access, Fox Pro, and dominant database app on the Mac, Filemaker, are all capable of designing and producing use-specific databases, but they require very deep understanding of how the application works. To ease things for the end user, software houses started channeling general purpose databases into focussed databases like the Address Book application, or a photo manager. Yes, they are all founded on the principles of a database application.
The problem with focussed applications, is that they’re not good at much else. They aren’t very flexible because of the degree of refinement that’s been put into the task at hand. You can’t use the Addressbook application to store information what each person attending your conference is set to present. You can’t use iPhoto to keep track of the pictures of flowers you’re collecting for your Botony project. The fields are there, but it’s not geared to do so. Each computer user is different, and needs a different optimised database. Amidst all this,tThe average user ends up using some application—generally Microsoft Office—that’s sort of capable of filling that need, bending it to their will, and putting it to uses the developer never intended it to be.
That’s where Bento steps in. Bento is a database management application by Filemaker, a subsidiary of Apple, Inc., designed from the ground up for those who want to input and organise data, without requiring any prior knowledge of how databases work. Bento is easy to use, yet flexible enough to be put to a hundred different uses. Also, made by industry leaders Filemaker, the database is rock solid so there’s no worry about data loss. And most of all, Bento is ready to go from the first time you launch it.
Organising data in Bento
Here’s how the data is structured in Bento, as it will give you a better understanding of what Bento is capable of. At the top level lies the database, which is the only ‘file’ you will come across in Bento. Rest is just arbitrary data managed within the database. This data is organised into libraries, each library is divided into entries, and each entry has several fields of information. When you create a new library within Bento, you’re suggested a bunch of different usage scenarios in the form of templates. Templates like Contacts, Todo items, diet logs, inventory, expenses tracking, health records, and more are included in the template browser. Bento also has an online template exchange service, where users can upload and download templates from an organised directory.
Once Bento sets the user with a starting point, it’s time for customisation. Bento’s templates are drag and drop customisable. Any user can simply move fields around, add new ones, change the theme, and create brand new fields from the field editor. Everything is simple, intuitive, and customizable. But that’s not to say Bento forgoes any power. Switching to the table view will show your data on a spreadsheet, ready to be manipulated, sorted, and otherwise processed in the traditional way. You can even create multiple forms for each ‘entry’ and have the same data presented differently. And new with Bento 3 is a thumbnail grid view, which is useful if you have photographs embedded in your forms.
Bento has a variety of different fields that can be tacked on to a form, and then organised such that it looks presentable for that data type. One can have simple lists, which is new in Bento 3; file lists, where you can drag in files from Finder; choices, checkboxes, ratings, currency; addresses, which has a hook up to google maps; and more, covering almost all data types you can imagine. The beauty is that you don’t need a PhD to create and manipulate any of this.
Beyond forms and fields
Mobility is huge, and the internet has given us all hopes of having our personal data ubiquitous while keeping that level of privacy we require. Bento’s iPhone client is available at the App Store, and serves the purpose of accessing your data when you need it, as well as adding new information on the go. The iPhone client is a great way to add information like logging vehicle maintenance, new contacts, or add pictures with the camera to your already entered recipes. It’s not very good as a standalone client, but as a companion to the desktop client, it completes the experience.
There’s one thing I’ve not yet mentioned, and that’s integration with three key services of the Mac: Address Book, iCal, and with the new version, iPhoto. These services are deeply integrated with Bento, and they reside—without any setup—right in your sidebar. You can access and change contact names, edit calendar titles, and they are reflected instantly within your Address Book and iCal apps as Bento accesses the same data store as those applications. With iPhoto on the other hand, you cannot change any of the existing information, but you can add information to each photo or drag photos into other projects within Bento. This information will reside only in Bento and won’t clutter up anything in iPhoto. This kind of integration gives you more control over your data, without messing with the focussed behaviour in the apps in question. Your Address Book will function just as it always has been, syncing over MobileMe, but in Bento you will have additional information—like important emails you’d want to remember that contact by—that wouldn’t have been possible with the Address Book app by itself.
Data on many occasions needs to be shared. While you can export a Bento database sheet to a Numbers or Excel sheet, or print out data using your printer, there are many occasions where a family or small business might want to collaborate and actually share data. With Bento 3.0, home sharing takes the centre stage, allowing the user to share with up to 5 computers—no advanced configuration needed. It’s just a check mark in the preferences and the libraries just show up in the sidebar. Data is editable, and changes are reflected instantly. There is no over-the-air syncing, nor does Bento push your data up into the cloud. I suppose these are fantasies shared only by geeks like me.
Now with all this fancy sharing and exporting, what about security? Data in most cases is extremely private and sensitive. Bento is equipped with three levels of security. First is security on launch, as Bento can encrypt your entire database file. Second, is a new password protected field, which can be used to enter credit card information and passwords, without having them visible to onlookers. And third, is a protection for home sharing, so you need a password to access your data over the network. Bento will also routinely remind you to backup that database, so you don’t lose all your data due a hard drive or system crash.
I’ve been using Bento for the past 8 months, and I have enough of data in there to keep me going. I use it for several contact libraries, vehicle maintenance, and recently I’ve started tracking finances. There are some aspects of Bento that I’d like to see improved; the themes and general look is kind of ‘2004’. But for the functionality and ease of use that it offers, I’d say Bento is one of the most perfect database applications for its targeted audience. It’s also an app that will stick around for some time to come, while being actively developed for more functionality. Useful for almost anyone who’s not a corporate entity, and comes in at a low entry price of $49. There are a lot of details I’ve left out in this article, so go over to the Bento website to check out the features of Bento, and what’s new in version 3. You can also check out the template exchange to gather usage scenarios, watch the screencast I did 7 months ago, and download the trial which is good for 30 days of use.
