Common Fields
Certain fields containing basic demographic information occur on many SYSTOC data screens.
Note: Because various symbols are interpreted by the programming language
to have special meanings, use only letters, numbers, hyphens (-) and underscores (_)
in ID fields.
| Label | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | The identification code assigned to a record in any file. ID codes must be unique within their file, but repetition can occur from one file to another. For example, you can assign the ID ABBOT to both Dr. Abbot in the Staff file and to Abbot Manufacturing in the Company file. ID codes typically contain eight characters, although the Patient ID must have nine characters. |
| Each ID should be clear, distinct, and easy to recognize, remember, and type. If possible, it should suggest the identity of the person, company, procedure or fee it represents. It is generally better not to use numbers alone in an ID code, except in the Patient and Fee Files. For a staff member, the first eight letters of the last name often works well. For a company, use common abbreviations (such as UPS for United Parcel Service), or create IDs using the first three characters of the first name, plus portions of the second name. | |
| Description | Description fields normally accompany ID fields to store a recognizable name for the ID. |
| M.I. | Middle Initial; use if available. |
| Suffix | Use this field for name descriptors such as Jr., Esq., MD or PhD. |
| Address | SYSTOC provides two lines for address information. Both lines will be printed in reports if they contain data. |
| Zip, City, State | Enter a zip code and SYSTOC will fill in the city and state (and county, if applicable) for you. If you need to add a code, do so in the File Maintenance section. Some zip codes apply to more than one city. If this is true of a zip code you are using, one way to select the appropriate city (other than typing the city manually) is to use the Lookup, entering the zip code as your search criteria. Choose the city you want from the resulting list. |
| Contact | Enter the name of the contact person at this organization. |
| Phone, Fax | Phone and fax fields have room for the area code and phone number. The adjacent field marked by an 'x' can store an extension. These fields already contain dashes for the phone or fax number; simply enter the information. |
| Optional field for email address. | |
| Comment | Comment fields are optional fields where you can enter any information that is not stored in other fields. |
| Date fields | Each date field holds ten digits so you can type in all four digits of the year. As a convenience for those accustomed to typing only two digits, the defaults are set to the twentieth century when the year is 25 or greater (i.e. 1926), and to the twenty-first century for years between 0 and 24 (i.e. 2001). You can also override the defaults and type in any complete four-digit year you wish. |
| Time | Use 24-hour time (e.g., 1600 for 4 pm or 1712 for 5:12 pm) in all SYSTOC time fields, or press F9 or double-click for the current time. |
| FEIN | Federal Employer Identification Number. |