After downloading and installing Beyond Category, you will want to create your database file. Use the File->New DB menu item.
The File-New DB menu item will open a window to give you a choice in creating your new database:
- A basic database with only the minimal records needed to get started
- An enhanced database pre-loaded with thousands of data records.
Choose the database type and press the Create New button and you are on your way.
It is recommended to chose the enhanced option. With over 10,000,personnel names, nearly 19,000 songs with composers, over 600 labels, the starter database for Beyond Category that is available for download is a huge timesaver for catalogers. This makes it easier to get down to the real business of adding the albums to your database. Inevitably every cataloger will need to create more new entries of these elements at some point, but using the carefully researched starter data aids in consistency and helps new users avoid potential confusion.
The starter database includes one album – the Kind Of Blue album by Miles Davis. As it is the best selling jazz album, chances are you already have it. I include it as an demonstration of what each album will look like.
If you have any questions regarding this, please don’t hesitate to email me at steve@steve-albin.com.