User Friendly Data Base

[Lefty Belgian]

To my knowledge the USFA provides 2 data bases from which to derive statistical information about member fencers. First, there is the Current Membership Listing. This allows one access to all USFA registered fencers broken down by region (and sometimes by sub-regions) and provides information including name, gender and weapons classification(s). The second are the National Points Standings which includes name, birth year and division.

However, neither of these data bases permits a search based strictly by gender and/or age division and/or geographic division and/or classification and/or by weapon. So, for instance, one cannot search for all Cadet saber fencers in the Alabama Division anymore than one can search for all "C" rated Y14 mens foil fencers.

Clearly the information is already contained, no matter how far-flung, in the USFA data pool. Is it not possible to present this information in a more user friendly manner, perhaps without so many different access links, in a format in which users can more readily define the search parameters?

I can almost hear the comments regarding the necessity or even the value of such a user-friendly data base. For one, I think it encourages more interaction between fencing lovers and the statistical information comprising the sport. This could also spread nicely to even greater interaction among fellow fencers who find each other through common weaponry, location or otherwise.

I also think it could be very useful to individual clubs hosting tournaments who want to reach out to compatible fencers for their various events. Imagine receiving an email from a local club or even from a club a bit out of your geographical comfort zone but still within reasonable driving distance, advising that there is a particular tournament for which you, your child or someone you know would be a perfect fit.

In any case, there are so many threads discussing ways in which to spread the joys of fencing, making the sport more accessible to current as well as to prospective members, and just generally making information and understanding of the sport more widespread. I think a more accessible, searchable data base would go a long way toward achieving these goals.

[epeemike81]

The USFA provides a flat file with the following fields:
Last Name
First Name
Middle Name
Suffix
Nickname
Saber Rating
Epee Rating
Foil Rating
Gender
Expiration
Division
Section
Member#
Member Type


You can do most of the things you want (still can't cut by age because of their inane objections to including YOB in the file) if you simply load the flat file the USFA provides into a database system, including something as simple as Microsoft Access.

I find what they provide FAR more useful than a searchable interface, as I may well want to cut the data in a way they hadn't anticipated.

Give me all the data (which they essentially have), I'll write my own queries, thanks. It's not that hard.

-m

[telkanuru]

lol l2p nubsauce

[Wafath]

*sigh* Please, No. The data is in the most friendly format available. It imports nicely into a few hundred tools off the shelf. They are not going to provide more columns to the masses. (There is a different DB available to various officers.) If you can't get what you want from the data available, you need to learn more about the tool you think you are using now.

(besides, the data in the membership DB is only worth mining for arguments on F.net. The real interesting data is on AskFRED.)

W

[Lefty Belgian]

*sigh* Please, No. The data is in the most friendly format available. It imports nicely into a few hundred tools off the shelf. They are not going to provide more columns to the masses. (There is a different DB available to various officers.) If you can't get what you want from the data available, you need to learn more about the tool you think you are using now.

(besides, the data in the membership DB is only worth mining for arguments on F.net. The real interesting data is on AskFRED.)

W

Yes, but Fred is notoriously inaccurate in some areas and the USFA (as well as many contributors to this site) are consistently pointing to Fred's disclaimers regarding classifications, event ratings and even at time to results.

[Lefty Belgian]

The USFA provides a flat file with the following fields:
Last Name
First Name
Middle Name
Suffix
Nickname
Saber Rating
Epee Rating
Foil Rating
Gender
Expiration
Division
Section
Member#
Member Type


You can do most of the things you want (still can't cut by age because of their inane objections to including YOB in the file) if you simply load the flat file the USFA provides into a database system, including something as simple as Microsoft Access.

I find what they provide FAR more useful than a searchable interface, as I may well want to cut the data in a way they hadn't anticipated.

Give me all the data (which they essentially have), I'll write my own queries, thanks. It's not that hard.

-m

Thanks, Mike! How do I access this?

[epeemike81]

Yes, but Fred is notoriously inaccurate in some areas and the USFA (as well as many contributors to this site) are consistently pointing to Fred's disclaimers regarding classifications, event ratings and even at time to results.

Kindly focus your attention on the other part of his response, which is far more relevant.

*sigh* Please, No. The data is in the most friendly format available. It imports nicely into a few hundred tools off the shelf. They are not going to provide more columns to the masses.

Development of a utility to allow querying of this not at all complex dataset would be a HUGE waste of resources. Use MySQL, Microsoft Access, SQL Server, Oracle, or any other data tool you wish.

Frankly, the only issue I have with the flat file currently provided is that it doesn't provide year of birth. While I understand privacy concerns quite well, I can't see how just providing the year of birth, not the dob, would be an issue.

-m

[epeemike81]

Thanks, Mike! How do I access this?

http://assets.teamusa.org/assets/doc...p_20091022.csv

[SabreReedfrost]

It all works fairly well. Changes would most likely mean sacrificing something that's already in place, something that would be better left where it is. I've never personally had a problem with it, just getting to it.

[cbcarey]

Frankly, the only issue I have with the flat file currently provided is that it doesn't provide year of birth. While I understand privacy concerns quite well, I can't see how just providing the year of birth, not the dob, would be an issue.

I am with you on that. Its a very minor problem for me, but for you guys doing youth events..I feel your pain.

If the actual birth year is confidential, it would be nice to provide a list of tournament types that the member is approved to compete in. Taking into account age and points. Take all the detective work out of the process.

IIRC I used to have to parse out the USFA database name column into first and last to compare to AskFred registrations. But I just checked and the CSV is broken out already. Thats going to be a huge time saver for me.

For statistics, it would be nice to have club affiliation in there.