1. What are the system requirements for running FAO-AgriMarket?
2. What version of MS Access do I need?
3. Can I import existing data into FAO-AgriMarket?
4. Can I use FAO-AgriMarket at a network of sites?
5. How do I login to FAO-AgriMarket?
6. Is technical support available for the programme?
7. Will I lose data by upgrading from older versions of FAO-AgriMarket?
8. How do I back up my data?
9. How do I obtain reports in formats which are different from those provided by FAO-AgriMarket? 
10. Is there a Macintosh version of FAO-AgriMarket?

1  System Requirements

The system requirements for running FAO-AgriMarket depend on the version of Microsoft Access that is being used. 

The following are the system requirements if FAO-AgriMarket is to be installed with Microsoft Access 2000:

• Personal Computer with 64MB RAM (256MB Recommended)
• 30 MB Hard Disk Space (100 MB Recommended)
• CD Rom Drive for installation
• CD R/W or Zip drive for backup of database
• Mouse or other pointing device
• Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution monitor with 256 colours
• Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, Windows 2000

The following are the system requirements if FAO-AgriMarket is to be installed with Microsoft Access XP:

• Personal Computer (Pentium III) with 128MB RAM (256MB Recommended)
• 30 MB Hard Disk Space (100 MB Recommended)
• CD Rom Drive for installation
• CD R/W or Zip drive for backup of database
• Mouse or other pointing device
• VGA or compatible display
• Microsoft Windows XP
• Microsoft Access XP
 

2  Version of MS Access

FAO-AgriMarket 3.0 requires MS Access 2000 or MS Access XP.

 FAO-AgriMarket 2.0 runs with MS Access 97 or can be installed with a run-time version of MS Access 97 which is available on the FAO-AgriMarket CD.  Using the run-time version allows users who do not have MS Access to run FAO-AgriMarket.  However, some functionality  is lost using the run-time version,  such as the ability to edit graphs which are generated.

When ordering FAO-AgriMarket, please specify the version of MS Access and Windows which are being used.

3  Importing existing data into FAO-AgriMarket

FAO-AgriMarket allows the import of existing data on prices or supplies from a range of sources including dBASE files, text files, html files or Excel files.  All data used by the programme is coded, and the data to be imported must therefore conform to the required format.  Prior to import of data therefore, the country codes, commodity codes, region codes, market codes, unit codes, data series codes etc must be set up.  The user manual describes in detail the procedure for setting up of the codes, and for importing data into FAO-AgriMarket. 

Users have found it is easiest to  import an Excel file into FAO-AgriMarket, and Appendix 2 of the User's Manual contains a description of the required Excel file format for importing data.  Note that all columns of the excel file must be present for the import routine to work.  An Excel template can also be provided on request for use in creating some of the key fields required by the programme which are shown in the format in Appendix 2 of the User's Manual, and which may not already be present.  To get a copy of this Excel file, contact technical support: agrimarket@fao.org.

4  Using FAO-AgriMarket on a network of sites

FAO-AgriMarket can be used to manage market data on a network of sites throughout a country.  The internet and email can be used as a cheap and convenient means of communication to link remote sites to a central location which houses the main database.  Each site can then enter its own local data, and export this data to other sites or regions or to the central location.  FAO-AgriMarket has built in routines which allow the export and import of data from any site. 

When setting up a network of sites to use FAO-AgriMarket, each site must have the same country, commodity, market, data series, and unit codes to enable comparison of data.  In this regard, it is easiest when setting up the network, to enter all the codes on one computer (the central location) and then copy the FAO-AgriMarket data file (FAMv2DATA97.MDB) from the central location to all the other sites on the network. Appendix 4 of the User's Manual contains details of using FAO-AgriMarket on a network of sites.

5  Login/Password Questions

FAO-AgriMarket is a secure database which requires the entry of a valid username and password.  When FAO-AgriMarket is first installed and run, the username is Admin and the password is admin.  Please note that both the username and password is case sensitive.  The user "Admin" cannot be deleted or changed, although the password for "Admin" can be changed.  The user "Admin" can also set up additional users on the system.

6  Technical Support

Technical support for FAO-AgriMarket is available via email.  Please send a message to agrimarket@fao.org describing the problem or question in detail.  Please also indicate the version of FAO-AgriMarket, the version of MS Access, and the version of Windows that is being used.

7  Upgrading from older versions of FAO-AgriMarket

FAO-AgriMarket version 2 was developed in Microsoft Access 97.  Installation of FAO-AgriMarket version 3 for Microsoft Access 2000 will not over write the data from any previously installed version of FAM.  It is strongly recommended that a backup of the data file FAMv2data97.MDB is made prior to installation of the new version.

During installation of version 3, the programme will look for the following data file: C:\Program Files\FAO-AgriMarket\FAMv2data97.MDB, and if detected, will copy this data file to the new folder in which the files for FAM for Microsoft Access 2000 are located, i.e. C:\Program Files\FAM2000.

8  Backing up of data

FAO-AgriMarket is supplied with two MS Access database files.  The application file contains all of the forms, reports, modules which are required for the programme, while the data file contains all of the tables and data which is added by the users. Only the data file requires regular backing up, as the application file can be reinstalled from the original CD.  NOTE THAT WHEN REINSTALLING FROM THE CD, MAKE SURE TO FIRST COPY THE DATA FILE FAMv2data97.MDB TO ANOTHER LOCATION ON THE HARD DISK.  After the reinstallation, you will need to restore the data file to the FAO-AgriMarket folder.

To perform a a backup, first locate the data file, which will be either: C:\Program Files\FAO-AgriMarket\FAMv2data97.MDB, for users of version 2, or  C:\Program Files\FAM2000\FAMv2data97.MDB for users of version 3.  Copy this file to a recordable CD, zip drive, or some other removable media. 

9  Custom Reports

FAO-AgriMarket comes with many different report formats.  These report formats cannot be changed by the user.  If, however, a custom report format is required which is not currently available, please contact  technical support at agrimarket@fao.org.

10  Macintosh Version

FAO-AgriMarket is currently available only for Windows.