FAMILY INSIGHT
©Copyright 2010 by Donald R.
Snow
Sections of the Class Notes
This page last updated 2010-01-21.
Return to the
Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Home Page , or
Don's Class Listings Page
.
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION TO CLASS
- Welcome
- Instructors are Donald R. and Diane M.
Snow ( snowd@math.byu.edu and dms34@juno.com ) of Provo, Utah; St. George,
Utah; and Nauvoo, Illinois.
- These notes with active Internet links are posted on the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group website
http://uvtagg.org under
Class Outlines , Don's Listings .
Many other class notes for family history are posted there, too.
- Family Insight is a PAF utility
program written by John Vilburn of
http://www.ohanasoftware.com/ that, among other things, forms
the link between your PAF database and New FamilySearch.
- Spiritual thought
OVERVIEW OF FAMILY INSIGHT AND
HOW TO GET STARTED
- Family Insight (older versions
were called PAF Insight) works with PAF databases to help with editing
places, comparing and updating two databases, merging
duplicates, changing RIN's, finding and trimming isolated "islands", and
searching New FamilySearch and the IIGI for matching data.
- Commercial program (downloadable version
$25, CD version $35) from Ohana Software,
https://www.ohanasoftware.com/
-- free
for FHC's (contact Ohana Software for a license)
- Has good help screens and step-by-step
instructions in Family Insight and other lessons on the Ohana Software
website.
- Can open Family Insight in two ways
- Directly from within PAF when
a database is opened in PAF -- go to Tools > Family Insight -- and
- By clicking on the Family
Insight icon and then opening your PAF database in it -- this way
sometimes avoids problems when saving the database later
- When first opened on a database
Family Insight recommends that you clean up your database
by
- (1) Determine how many
separate pedigree "islands" of data you have in your database, i.e. blocks
of data connected to each other, but not to the main pedigree, and edit
RIN's (see below)
- (2) Merge duplicate
entries, and
- (3) Edit all the
places
REPAIR, COMPACT, AND SAVE THE DATABASE
- Family Insight automatically repairs
some file structure errors that PAF cannot (computer-science type errors, not
logical errors)
- File structure errors creep into PAF
databases due to some types of merges, deletions, and moving
data.
- PAF itself can correct some file
structure errors by File > Check-Repair > Check-Repair, but be careful
since there is a bug in PAF 5.2.
- In PAF follow these directions (see
more detailed instructions in the notes
Cleaning Up Your Database on
http://uvtagg.org
- Run File > Check-Repair > Check to get a
list of any errors. If none of the errors involve an individual's
Notes you are safe to run File > Check-Repair > Check-Repair to fix
them. If any errors do involve an individual's Notes,
DON'T run PAF's final Check-Repair option since it
may disconnect the Notes from some of the individuals.
Family Insight's Repair option does not have this problem.
- Some file structure errors require
you to re-enter data by hand; when this occurs either PAF or
Familyl Insight will show you what you need to do.
- Compact Option in Family Insight
- Deleted records in PAF leave those
Record Index Numbers (RIN's) vacant and the first new name entered is
assigned to the last RIN deleted
- Family Insight will remove all the
"holes" (deleted record numbers) and thereby make the file size smaller, BUT
this changes RIN's for ALL individuals after the first empty RIN.
- Saving your database when finished
editing
- While working on the database with
Family Insight any changes you make are held in the computer's memory and
not saved until you actually click Save
- Then, clicking Save, saves it
-- overwrites your original file unless you change the
name
- Clicking Save As and giving it a
new name doesn't overwrite the original file and helps in
case you make a mistake or want to go back to the earlier version
- Helpful hint: Change the
file name by adding the date to it, e.g.
Snow-2010-01-21, or Snow-2010-01-21a, if there is more than one
version with the same date.
- Reason for writing file name
and date in the format yyyy-mm-dd is so that the files
alphabetize in order with the latest one last -- can delete earlier
generations of files when you are sure there are no problems --
Reason for keeping several generations of old files is so that when your
database gets fouled up (and it will sooner or later), you have previous
versions to go back to and you haven't lost everything as you would have if
you had overwritten the old version every time
- Family Insight also has an "Archives"
feature where it stores older versions of your file for a given length of
time
EDIT RIN'S AND PEDIGREES OPTION
- Changing RIN's allows you
to make yourself RIN 1 if you aren't already - also can make your
spouse RIN 2, your children or parents RIN's 3, 4, etc.
- Screen shows you everyone in your
database with their RIN's
- To change RIN for an individual,
highlight the person and click the Change RIN button, select whatever
RIN you want -- you see new RIN for the person
- Can change as many as you want -- old
RIN's column shows you the way they were originally
- Nothing is saved to your hard drive
until you click Save or Save As, so you can quit anytime or restore any
RIN's until you click Save or Save As
- Groups of names labeled "Main Pedigree",
"Pedigree 1", "Pedigree 2", etc. and lists of names linked together
- Main Pedigree is usually the
largest
- Pedigrees 1, 2, etc., are "islands" in
your database where the individuals are connected to each other, but not to
the main pedigree
- Can select any of the pedigrees by
clicking in box at top left (All Records, Main Pedigree, Pedigree 1,
etc.) -- then can work with just that island or can "Trim" that
island out
- When done working be sure to save the
database with your changes, if you want them.
- To close the database, but stay in the
program, click File > Close -- clicking File > Exit takes you out of the
program
EDIT PLACES OPTION
- Edit Places feature of Family Insight
makes cleaning up your PAF database much easier
- Family Insight shows list of all the
places used in your PAF database with the number of times
each occurs, e.g. a 7 in the right column indicates that place is used 7
times in your database
- List is sorted alphabetically from
largest to smallest jurisdiction, i.e. by country, then state or
county, then by city or parish -- this sorting is not obvious since they
are left-justified and the countries and states don't line up under each
other
- Clicking on a place, if connected to the
Internet and logged onto New FamilySearch, goes to nFS and tries to find that
place and shows the correct spelling, county, etc. -- very helpful to get
your places correct
- Can edit all records in your PAF
database with that location by just double clicking on it and editing it
-- that corrects it in every record where it occurs throughout the
entire database
- Can also drag and drop misspelled
locations onto correct ones to change all the misspelled ones -- the total
number of times that location is used then increases according to how many
records were changed
- Highlighting any location shows the
records that use that location in the upper-right panel and clicking on
a name in that panel shows that person's record in the lower-right
panel -- you can edit that person's record there, but editing there
doesn't change the place in other occurrences
- This place editing option is
extremely helpful to get places uniform in your database and gets them
the way New FamilySearch wants them
MERGE OPTION
- Merge Option analyzes your database and
shows a list of possible duplicates in it -- picks up many that PAF doesn't
since it also checks family relationships
- Also in PAF you may not have the
options set well to pick up different types of matches for
possible merges (see the Options button in PAF's Merge screen)
- List of Possible Duplicates in
Family Insight shows ranking by an algorithm of "percentage" match
-- higher percentages mean more probable matches
- Default sorting of possible matches
is by percentage with best possible matches at top, but
can sort on any column by clicking in the heading of that column --
second click there reverses the sort on that column
- Pink highlighted data fields show
differences in the two matching records -- when merging it will keep the
record (and RIN) on the left
- Switch sides if you want to keep the
other RIN
- Check the boxes for items on right that
you want to have replace the data you have on the left
- On the Notes tab there is an Edit
button on the left individual so you can edit the notes and copy in
anything you don't want to lose, e.g. variant birth dates or places, or
different temple ordinance data -- can enter note with VARIANT: so you
can search for these later to do more research on them
- Also in Notes tab the default is to merge
both sets of notes which may duplicate them in your final record -- or can
select to keep only left notes or right notes
- If you want to save the source citations
from the right, click on the small pencil icons at the ends of the data lines
and check to Add citation when merging
- When ready, click the Merge button --
after the merge you see how the merged record will look -- Remember that
your changes are not saved until you click Save, so it's a
good idea to save your file after every few merges, so if you goof
you can go back to an earlier one without losing a lot of work
- All the standard features
of Windows work in Family Insight, e.g. can highlight several
names at a time by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on the
others; or for an entire block of names, highlight the first and go down
to the last you want, hold down the shift key, and click Enter -- then
clicking Merge or Not a Match, etc., does them all at once
- Small pedigrees to the right show how the
possible duplicate individuals fit into their pedigrees -- sometimes helpful
to see what you will be linking by merging
- Options you can select here are
- "Not a Match" -- writes a note that
says these two are not a match, so they are never shown as a match
again -- depending on how you set the preferences, this note is either put
into the notes of the individuals or else written to a separate file
that Family Insight checks when doing a future merge check on this
file
- "Switch" -- changes sides so you can
keep the other RIN and whatever data you want, unless parts are checked;
- "Research" -- enters a note that you
need to check this further, since these two might be a match
- When done save the file by File > Save
As and give it a new name, e.g. Snow-2010-01-21
COMPARE
AND SYNC OPTION
- Allows comparing two PAF databases to see
the differences and bring in or update only the parts you want -- avoids
having to make a GEDCOM and import it, since you see the comparison and only
select the records you want
- First database opened is the "Primary"
database (the one you want to update) and is on left -- second database opened
is the "Secondary" database (the one you want to get the data from to update
the Primary one) and is on right
- Options are to show All Differences,
Changed or New Records, or where the Right Side is More Recent (has a later
modification date)
- Screen is like the Merge Option with
pink highlighting to indicate differences -- you put checks by what you want
to keep from the record on the right -- green items mean they will be added as
a new person (e.g. spouse or possible parents, unless you tell it otherwise)
- When ready, click Update to bring the
selected info from the Secondary database into the Primary database --
remember that nothing is overwritten in your file until the file is saved --
save the file periodically with a new name, so you don't lose much work
when you decide you didn't like some update
- For names in the Secondary database
which don't have matches in the Primary database click Add and these will be
added to the Primary database
- Can use Windows option of highlighting
several names at once -- then Update or Add does them all at once
- When done click File > Save or File
> Save As to save the results -- the Primary database is only overwritten
when you save the results with the same name
SEARCH
NEW FAMILYSEARCH OPTION
- This is one of the most powerful features
of Family Insight -- it will do searches in New
FamilySearch for individuals in your database by trying various
combinations of places and names related to the individual
- Only registered LDS members can use New
FamilySearch at present, so you need your LDS FamilySearch user name
and password
- Family Insight usually does more
complete searches than most people and even than New FamilySearch
does, so it sometimes finds matches that you or New
FamilySearch don't find
- Try Family Insight next time
someone in a FHC says there is an ordinance in the old DOS FamilySearch that
isn't in the IIGI nor New FamilySearch.
- User Name and Password box that opens is
for your LDS New FamilySearch user name and password (that you obtained with
your LDS membership number and confirmation date) -- Family Insight logs
you onto New FamilySearch, but nFS is set to log you off if it is idle for 10
or more minutes
- Set the option to see the names you want
to check, e.g. All Records, Incomplete Dates or Places, Needs Ordinances,
Incomplete Sealing to Spouse Info, etc.
- Highlight an individual and click Search
-- it shows you what it found and you can select the parts you want to
download to your file
ASSIGNMENT
- Open your PAF database in Family Insight
and run the Edit Rin's/Pedigrees on it and see how many "islands" of data you
have.
- Run the Merge Option on your database and
see if there are duplicate individuals in it. Did you think you had that
many islands?
- If you have another old database, run
your master database as the Primary one and the old one as the Secondary one
and check to see whether there is any data that you need to update into your
primary database so you can delete the old one.
- Do a New FamilySearch on some name
in your database using Family Insight and see what you want to download.
Return to
Don's Class Listings
page or to the home page of Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group
.