The Price Guide Browser
by Bill Meier
Overview | Buy It! | Demonstration | Database | Download | Installation | Support
Database Format
The entire 2007 Price Guide Database is available in tab delimited text files. Commemoratives, miniatures, salesmen samples, etc. are not included because they do not fit well into the "CD & Primary Embossing" model. This database is for advanced users who are familiar with creating a database from scratch.
The database is composed of several tab delimited text files:
- Embossing.txt - Lists the main embossing entries
- Color.txt - Contains the detailed price and color information for a given embossing
- Primary.txt - Lists the primary embossings and their abbreviations
- Price.txt - Lists the price ranges used
The Embossing.txt and Color.txt files are joined by the ID field to form a relational database.
Sample Database:
This sample database just contains data for the battery rest insulators.
Download a sample database: Windows (exe
file) Mac (zip file)
Layout of Embossing.txt:
| Field | Type | Detail |
| ID | Number (Unique Primary Key) | Long Integer |
| CD_Sort | Number | |
| Primary_Embossing | Text | 30 characters |
| Embossing *** | Text | 255 characters |
| Base | Text | 3 characters |
| CD | Text | 20 characters |
| Embossing_Index | Number | Integer |
| Style_Number | Text | 20 characters |
| Style_Number_Sort | Number | Integer |
| Embossing_HTML *** | Text | 255 characters |
| Embossing_Text *** | Text | 255 characters |
Sorting by CD_Sort, Primary_Embossing, Embossing and Base will yield the order of the main listings that appear in the 2007 Price Guide. The ID field is the primary key that is not directly related to fields that appear in the Price Guide.
*** Please take careful note of the various Embossing fields.
- Embossing contains the special Insulator Arial font characters. This is only used if you are able to set the font name for this field/column in your application.
- Embossing_HTML does not contain any special font characters, but it does contain some simple HTML formatting that will allow items like No to be displayed. Thus this field can only be used within an application (most likely a web browser) that can render HTML text.
- Embossing_Text is the simple embossing without any formatting. Special characters are replaced with a text description such as [Star] rather than a symbol of a Star. This field should be used where the application only is able to display simple text.
All the single and double quotes in the Embossing field are "printer's quotes" or "curly quotes"; i.e. the matched set of left and right single or double quotes. The quotes in the Embossing_HTML and Embossing_Text fields are the normal standard " and ' that appear on the keyboard.
| ‘ ’ | left and right printers single quotes (character codes 0145 & 0146) | Used in the Embossing field |
| “ ” | left and right printers double quotes (character codes 0147 & 0148) | |
| ' | standard single quote (character code 39) | Used in the Embossing_HTML and Embossing_Text fields |
| " | standard double quote (character code 34) |
Several numeric "sort" fields are provided. This is because the textual representation of numbers does not sort as expected. When you sort on Field you get 1, 10, 11, 2, 20, 21 but when you sort on Field_ Sort you get the expected 1, 2, 10, 11, 20, 21 ordering.
Layout of Color.txt:
| Field | Type | Detail |
| ID | Number (Primary Key) | Long Integer |
| Price_Sort | Number | |
| Color | Text | 45 characters |
| Price | Text | 15 characters |
Sorting by Price_ Sort and Color will yield the order of the color listings in the 2007 Price Guide. The ID field is the primary key that is not directly related to fields that appear in the Price Guide.
A numeric Price_ Sort field is provided because the textual representation of a numeric price range like 100-125 does not sort as expected. When you sort on Price you get 10-15, 100-125, 125-150, 15-20 but when you sort on Field Sort you get the expected 10-15, 15-20, 100-125, 125-150 ordering.
Layout of Primary.txt:
| Field | Type | Detail |
| Primary_Embossing | Text (Unique Primary Key) | 30 characters |
| Primary_Abbreviation | Text | 5 characters |
This file is not required, and contains the valid values of Primary Embossing and the mapping between Primary Embossing and Primary Abbreviation, as shown in the 2007 Price Guide, Appendix XI, pages 254-255.
Layout of Price.txt:
| Field | Type | Detail |
| Price | Text (Unique Primary Key) | 15 characters |
| Price_Sort | Number |
This file is not required, and contains the valid values of Price and the mapping between Price and Price Sort.
Database Examples:
Microsoft Access:
PriceGuide.mdb in the Microsoft Access folder is provided with all the tables loaded and optimized. There is no support provided beyond verifying the data is correct. We can not assist you with the generation of queries, forms, etc.
mySQL:
In the mySQL folder there are SQL commands to create and load the various text files into a mySQL database. You may have to modify the LOAD DATA INFILE command to specify an alternate location.
Support: (questions, problems, suggestions, etc.)
See http://www.priceguidebrowser.com/support/ or email