Getting Started Checklist
· Important Tips & Cautions
Masters, Clients, and synchronizing between them: First Look Pro’s Synchronization tools make it easy for you to keep your First Look Pro preplans up-to-date on every computer on your network. The first step in synchronization is to properly establish the relationship between the Master First Look Pro installation and the Clients. This is normally done during the initial set up of First Look Pro on each computer. Once you have the correct Master/Client relationships established, you can synchronize any changes made to the database on any computer, ensuring you have the latest preplans on all your computers.
It’s strongly suggested that you first install First Look Pro on the computer that want to house your Master database. Create your initial database there, or upgrade your First Look Pro Version 3 data to work in Version 4 on that computer only. Once your Master database is established, install First Look Pro on the mobile computers and other computers that will be Clients to that Master. Use the Replicate option in the First Look Pro initial set-up screens to make each Client database an exact copy of the Master. Then use First Look Pro’s Synchronization feature to keep the latest data on Master and all the Clients.
If you have already installed First Look Pro on multiple computers and you did not follow these steps – don’t worry. Go to each computer whose Master/Client status you want to change, start First Look Pro and select Synchronize (Database Tools menu). The Setup Screen contains tools that allow you to start over by making a computer the Master, selecting a new Master, or replicating a Master database.
Switching Between Fire & Police Screens: First Look Pro was designed to allow fire and police users to share the same pre-planning information. There are separate screens for each type of user with fields that are of interest just to them. For example, police users do not normally see the Hydrant information. If your fire department users want to access the Police Information Screens, or if your police department wants to be able to have access to the Fire Information Screens, you can configure First Look Pro to allow it by setting up administrative users with privileges for both. See Setting Up Users and Passwords for more information.
Where to get data: It can be a big task to set up a database of occupancy names and addresses, maps, building plans and photographs, but there are often resources available to give you a head start. You can often get a database of building addresses from your dispatch center, county GIS department, tax department, or planning department. If they can give you a database in basic ASCII text format, you can use the First Look Pro Data Importer to import those addresses into First Look Pro.
The best place to start is with your dispatch, or 911, center. Ideally, you want First Look Pro and the dispatch system to have exactly the same database of addresses. Of course, you can add much more pre-plan information in First Look Pro, but it helps if the basic building addresses are the same.
In order to use First Look Pro Map, your database records must include latitude and longitude values. Normally a database provided by your dispatch center or GIS department will have this information. If your data does not have latitude and longitude values, you can use the First Look Pro Address Verification program to obtain them for most locations in the United States.
Manage your data! First Look Pro Version 4 contains new Database Management tools that make it easy to back up your work and prevent loss of data. See Database Management for more details.
