PALMER TILDEN
611 Orchard Ave., Santa Barbara, CA 93108 USA
818-324-2372

palmer@4dwizards.com

4 Wizard's Home       How to choose a 4th Dimension programmer

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Objective

Develop Windows and Macintosh databases and applications using 4th Dimension. Enhance or repair existing 4D databases.

Skills

4th Dimension database (Mac & Windows) programmer and designer. Specialist in fixing and enhancing 4D databases created by others.

Experience July 87 to present

Contract programmer, developing custom 4D applications. These 4th Dimension databases saved many thousand of dollars and hundreds of hours of employee time for companies such as:

• Amgen Thousand Oaks, CA
  • Supported and enhanced Amgens 4th Dimension database that programs robots to make DNA. Amgen researchers order DNA sequences on the intranet. The database gives the robots the sequences specifications for each of the five robotic steps of creating the sequences. These sequences are then used in research to develop new ways to treat diseases.
    
    
• Metropolitan Transit Authority - Bridges and Tunnels New York City
  • Managed and enhanced 12 4th Dimension databases that kept track of revenue coming from toll and EZPass transactions in the worlds largest toll authority. Thirty million transactions a month were imported into the database. Created a 4D Matcher database that regularly imported and compared two text files in 4.5 minutes. Each file contained approximately 100,000 records.
    
    
• Genentech South San Francisco, CA
  • Virtual Structure rhgh. Using 4D, I created a "cookbook" of the methods and processes for creation of experimental proteins. Since each protein or bio-chemical has different processing methods, a virtual structure was created. The names and types of fields were kept inside the structure of the 4D database so users could define fields and field types to fit the protein project. One input form was able to fit data entry in any number of data types. Thorough 4D data verification and error checking prevents bad data from changing the actual results. 
    
    
  • Employee Time and Job Tracking.  Revised an in-house 4D database that logs the time that employees put into certain experimental bio-chemical projects. It was necessary to track each run and lot number for each protein type so that costs could more accurately be determined. Made the 4D database more generic because every department had different data entry and printing needs. Added 4D code to send results to the accounting department via the Intranet. The database works on Windows NT Server with both Mac and Windows clients.
    
    
  • Trainee Tracking and Evaluations. Created a new 4D database that allows supervisors to time employee learning curves. Included graphical representations of each evaluated employees.
    
    
• Apple Computer Cupertino, CA
  • Human Resource Call Tracking. Apple's in house programmers created the previous Call Tracking 4D database over several years. When I came to the project the database was crashing at least once a day. After evaluation we determined that a total rewrite and upgrade to the latest 4th Dimension was necessary. Redesign of the numerous screens was done so that one screen would handle the functions of 6 previous screens. This change alone saved Apple personnel much navigation time when time is critical. The Call Tracking database handles phone support for employees who have questions concerning their employment and usually need immediate answers. Extensive use of AreaList, PrintList, and MenuSet enabled the 4D database to do complex functions that expanded the capabilities of 4th Dimension. The 4D Server handled around 25 users. When finished there were no reported cases of the 4th Dimension database crashing.
    
    
  • Health & Fitness Check-in, Exercise-Logs, and Testing. The Apple Health & Fitness Center 4th Dimension database has many functions: Bar code log-in to the Fitness Center, aerobic classes, class check-in, printing of bar coded badges, exercise logs of 30+ different exercises, health evaluations with comprehensive reporting, class assignments, appointment scheduling, equipment check-out, and preventive medicine evaluations. Importing, parsing, and exporting of new and terminated employee records was done on a regular basis.
    
    
  • Developer Technical Support Electronic Mail Processing and Developer Assistance 4D Database. It took Apple 4D programmers 4 years to develop this database. More than 8 different 4D programmers worked on this project. The 4th Dimension database manages the incoming email from Apple Developers who have questions and problems that need the help of Apple Developer Technical Support personnel. An incoming email question comes in. The 4D database sends back an email reply, then with the help of some parsing routines sends it on to a group who determines who should answer the question. The correspondence to and from the Developer and Tech Support are managed in the 4D database, automatically sending and receiving email responses. Email files were compressed/uncompressed by the 4th Dimension database.
    
    When I was asked to upgrade the database to the latest version of 4D, there was a chart on the wall showing the monthly down time of the database. Analysis of the code found that there were no provisions for multi-users. Since 80+ Technical Support personnel used the database, it was critical that a code rewrite be done. We decided to scrap the old 4D code and in 6 months I did a total rewrite of the 4D code and forms. Many new features were added including replacing output forms with AreaList. It was interesting that no ordinary input or output forms were used in the database, to improve the efficiency forms were all done with dialogs. 4D allowed users to change to read-only or read-write text fields on some forms. Multiple 4D hierarchical popup menus gave users more freedom to choose product classifications for the email responses. Upon completion of the new database, the chart on the wall was taken down.
    
    
• Sony Music Recording Studio New York City, NY
  • Studio Scheduling. The data in the 4th Dimension database they were using to schedule rooms for music and television recording sessions was damaged. This database was critical to their entire operation since they did not know who or when artists were coming to use their facilities. For example, the popular TV show "Who wants to be a Millionaire" was scheduled for a certain room at a certain time but since the database was non-functional they could not do any advance preparation for the show. I did emergency repairs to the massive 2-gigabyte 4D data file and within hours the 4th Dimension database was working and "the shows could go on."
    
    
• Press Leap New York City, NY
  • 4D Automatic Job Costing. Fast turn around is necessary for this full color printing company. Ordering, job costing, invoicing, and multi-address shipping is done in this 4th Dimension database for 24 hour guaranteed delivery. Speed of data entry was maximized.
    
    
• Independent Adoption Center Pleasant Hill, CA
  • Adoption Tracking. The 4D database matches birth parents with clients in preparation for adoption. An additional browser interface allowed distant offices to track adoptive parents via the Internet.
    
    
• Stanford Telecommunications Santa Clara, CA
  • Future Business. Business development 4D database.
    
    
• Pacific Bell Directory San Francisco, CA
  • Performance Evaluation System. Evaluation of phone book yellow pages order takers using 4th Dimension.
    
    
• Stanford University Palo Alto, CA
  • Network Inventory. Manages the networking equipment check-out and check-in in 4D.
    
    
• Signet Bank Richmond, Virginia
  • 4D Commercial Loan Tracking. The new 4th Dimension database tracks the progress of commercial building loans of $10 million and greater.
    
    
• Network Equipment Technology Redwood City, CA
  • Management Information Tracking Library. Scan in then catalogs the literature of the competition using 4th Dimension.
    
    
• Acuson Mountain View, CA 
  • Project Prediction A 4th Dimension planning and decision making tool. 4D gave managers the power to make major decisions.
    
    
• Apple Computer Cupertino, CA
  • SQL/4D Minicomputer Developer Information. 4D help system front end for a major Oracle database.
    
    

• Falcon Microsystems Redwood City, CA
  • Instructor Beginning and advanced classes in 4th Dimension. Several of my students were from NASA. One of my better students became head of technical support for the company who makes 4D.

Education

4th Dimension Web Database Designing - 4D Inc. - 2001
4D In-Depth and Optimizing Your 4th Dimension Code - ACI US - 1999
4th Dimension in a Multi-Platform World - Acius - 1994
4th Dimension Multi-user Training - Acius - 1991
4th Dimension Advanced Training - Acius -1989
Advanced Concepts in 4th Dimension - Generation Four - 1989
Ten years training - Slydini School of Magic - 1970-1980
BA - Sacramento State University - 1970

Special Skills

Innovative. Proven ability to understand user needs, translate requirements into specifications, and implement solutions.  Effective in self-managed 4D projects and as a team member. Fast, efficient, high quality 4D work.

The important thing is that I can make a difference.

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