Chapter 3:  Managing multiple data sets

[3.1]

A "project" in Family Tree SuperTools is a distinct collection of data. For beginning users, a project will typically contain a single "data set" which has been imported from a family history project manager.

A project might also contain multiple data sets, however, each from a different researcher. Although they are in the same project, Family Tree SuperTools takes care to preserve the boundaries between the individual data sets. In this way, you can see your data and that of other researchers in the same list without merging them together.

[3.2]

The Data Set Manager helps you to manage the data sets within the project. In this example, the project contains two data sets.

Once imported, a data set can be disabled, making it invisible until re-enabled.

If you decide to delete a data set from the project, then you can do so without affecting the other data sets.

[3.3]

In this example, the two data sets are distinguished by color using the accent feature described in the previous chapter.

Notice that people are identified first by data set number and then by person ID number (e.g., "1:28"). In this way, the original person ID numbers are preserved from each of the imported data sets. No renumbering required!

[3.4]

The window in these screen shots is the "Picklist" which is the alphabetical list of the names in the project. It can be sorted and filtered in various ways.

Notice that by default the Picklist contains all names (not just all people) in the project. In this screen shot, for instance, person # 1:1 appears multiple times, once for each name which has been recorded for him.

This makes it easy to find people by their married names, spelling variations, nicknames, etc., if you have recorded them. It also increases the likelihood of discovering an overlap between the data sets based on a match on their non-primary names.

This is an especially important feature for users of the many family history programs that allow you to record name variations ("AKA", "Also known as", etc.) but then exclude them from its own master list of people.

A later chapter discusses the Picklist in more detail.

[3.5]

This screenshot shows the unique Project Explorer window.

You can use it to compare two people who have similar characteristics but are from different data sets.

Notice that it not only shows the two people in question, but also their spouses and children. By clicking on any of the plus signs, you can "drill down" and compare them further - through their entire lines of descent.

A later chapter discusses the Project Explorer in more detail.

[3.6]

You can also open more than one project or more than one copy of the same project so that you can see them side-by-side and navigate them independently.

More than one user can even access a project at the same time over a network.