Tap Forms Organizer 5 Database 4+

Tap Forms 5 is a Triumph

Tap Forms is terrific and the best thing lies in its simplicity of use. . This ease of facility, together with prompt support from the Forum and its Developer, Brendan, leads to a winning combination for a small or medium-sized enterprise.

I know it is the best because it really helps me adapt to changes in my super-organised, complicated work life. I am an artist and I was born without arms. I really cannot afford to lose my grip. I am highly motivated because I cannot flick through my paintings or canvases to see what I have or need.

Before Tap Forms, I have had varying degrees of success, but mostly failure with other databases

I acknowledge I am not very technically competent. However, I am dogged and determined and I never give up. I try my best. I fell deeply in love with Bento.

After a big upgrade blip at the end of the first year with Bento, I had to buy it again to solve the problem. Bento was so good, and I was so happy, I didn’t consider an upgrade again. I ignored the warnings of imminent demise. I missed the opportunity to migrate from Bento elegantly and when it ceased to be available, I had to start again from scratch. I was catapulted into buying Filemaker. . . . the sledgehammer to crack a nut. I struggled with it for 3 years. It was a steep learning curve. When the time came to pay for the next upgrade, I had just discovered Tap Forms. I have never looked back. It’s beautiful.

I have synchronised Tap forms across several devices on 2 Macs, iPhone and iPad. It allows me to bring my artwork to anyone, anywhere. I create consignment lists for galleries and print receipts and invoices. It holds thousands of my contacts and can cross-reference them.

The challenge for artists is databases are necessary, but they are generally not intuitive or easy to learn. Time-consuming to master, they are built for techies and not artists. And it is scary to invest time in entering data and setting up a system as a one-person operation without the backup of technical support.

When I moved to Tap Forms, Artwork Archive was in its infancy. Now the cloud-based database of choice for many artists, it didn’t offer me then what I needed, independence and the flexibility for my unique circumstances.

Tap Forms 5 is simply a great tool. It goes way beyond organising my art life. It stores passwords, logins, household inventory and music collections. Still, for what I need, it is perfect and of great value just for the limited use, I give it. For example, it comes readymade with a huge variety of built-in lists that you never knew you needed. They are easy to use (if you like that kind of thing). I don’t, so I create my own.
You probably won’t have to start from scratch if you consider migrating a database as It allows the importation CSV files.

When all the data is entered and ready to view, the real power of Tap Forms 5 is evident to the artist.
It allows me to view my artwork in various ways. I can see all my work as thumbnails or create lists of available work. I can also easily group pieces by year sold or created. When I select an artwork, I get comprehensive and varied views. I can create multiple interpretations of my data with different layouts. Each arrangement can show different fields. I can develop forms where I select only the information I want for a collector to see. It is easy to edit any design by dragging and dropping different fields where I want them.

I mostly use Tap Forms to perform searches. Sometimes these are for my own use but primarily for my buyers. It is human nature to want to see everything before deciding which to buy when visiting an artist’s studio. With over 200 available works, this process can be exhausting. So I encourage my studio visitors to look through Tap Forms with me first and pick out paintings that interest them. I also ask them to consider their criteria without looking at everything. For example, if they know they want an image at least 100 cm wide, Tap Forms allows me to select the available work that fits that criterion. Likewise, it will enable me to limit my search to a specific budget or subject matter. This searchable feature is the best selling tool I have as an artist. I can save searches, such as available work, landscapes, or work under €500 for easy reference.

Tap Forms offers many useful functions For example, it can export selected data to Excel or Numbers. I use this for sending lists to galleries. Together with a PDF of thumbnail images, both art buyers and galleries love this facility. I can create catalogues as well as print labels.

Of course, it is not without its challenges. I have experienced some difficulties with Tap Forms. Mostly I have been challenged by the task of synchronising across devices. Problems are caused fundamentally by my ignorance. I try and remember that when I am terrifying myself that it has all disappeared, the automated backups are always there and order is quickly restored. Tap Forms 5 is accessible for non-technical types like me. Over many years, Brendan has been helpful and responsive.

In summary, Tap Forms is perfect for my needs as an artist running a small business. It is easy to set up, edit, and use across many devices. But make no mistake, it is a robust database for organising anything. Tap Forms 5 is excellent for a one-person operation needing a database. It is visual and intuitive, as well as inexpensive. With the backing of the support offered, it is not only tremendous value but also unbeatable. In a world where technical support is reduced to useless helplines and bots issuing sometimes comical automated email responses, support from Tap Forms 5 is a triumph.