Summation HELP!

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Summation iBlaze Tips and Tricks

Topic: Creating a new case

Topic: Tally (or as I call it, a Two-fer!)

Topic: Creating a new case

When creating a new case in Summation, you're asked to enter a name, up to 120 characters. But you have to ask yourself, what is Summation really doing with those words?

1. Summation creates a folder, exactly as you typed it, under the CaseData folder (within Summation's folder structure)
2. Summation creates a .ci file, under the Cases folder
3. Summation creates database files that are created in one of two ways:
4. If the name you entered was 8 characters or less, it will use the first 6 characters, e.g. meyersdb
5. If the name you entered was more than 8 characters, and two or more words, Summation creates an acronym based on the first letter of each word, e.g. Bob Meyers v. Meyers Bob becomes bmvmbdb
6. For most people, this knowledge is just too much information. However, when browsing within Summation's structure, you sometimes might have several databases that you're managing, and knowing how the files were named could save you some heartache.
7. Note: This tip is for all versions of Summation post-4.6 versions, i.e. all versions of the LG line

Topic: Tally (or as I call it, a Two-fer!)

What's a two-fer you ask? Two-fer-the-price-of-one! This tip is used when working with coded or indexed data, most specifically data that you tend to have only one item entry for, or a list of items. For example, the Document Type field is a great field to Tally. The Tally will help in two ways: 1) It accounts for all unique items entered (or loaded) into that field. Thus when you Tally the column (field), you will see all the good and bad (i.e. misspelled) versions of any given word. 2) By double-clicking on any entry in the tally, Summation conducts an immediate search based on that item (from that column). This is particularly useful when reviewing documents within a subset. Here's an example:

I tally the Document Type field, and notice there are many emails I want to take a look at. Once the tally is done, I single-click on the entry for email. All the emails are 'pushed' for me to take a look at. I can now begin to look at the emails. When I'm done, I can them click on the contracts and look at them, etc. I call it 'doing a search, but you're not doing a search, yet a search was done'. Here's how it's done:

1. Make sure you are looking at the Column view of your database, and you have the column displayed that you wish to Tally.
2. Right-click directly on the column header. Find the item that says Tally and click on it.
3. Summation immediately begins a count of all unique items in that column
4. Single-clink on any item within the tally and the database immediately is 'pushed' down to just those documents. I say 'pushed', as you'll see other summaries above and below the item you tallied. Summation does not cull down when it tallies, it organizes those items grouped by the items in that column. (For your inner-techie, Summation is doing a really cool "exploded sort" to make this function happen.)
5. Note: Tally is available in all versions of the LG line.

Copyright © 2014 Bob Meyers.  All rights reserved.

Any questions on anything at all, please feel free to contact me directly: bobmeyers@legalsoftwarehelp.com

Or give me a call: +1 (424) 35-HELPU (424-354-3578)