CYC is replacing the unstable, outmoded, 15-year old database it uses to register racers and keep race track of members, thanks to Geoff Pease.
By the time the work is done, probably before the end of the year, Pease estimates he will have spent 100 to 200 hours on the project. A consultant offered to a similar job - though not as extensive -for $17,000.
Geoff Pease, a four-year CYC member, is a self-described "geek."
Pease, a self-described "geek" who crews mainly in the J/24 fleet but also sails on other boats, is a senior development lead on the Windows Experience team at Microsoft, where he has worked for 12 years. He has been a CYC member since 2004.
The club has been using a customized database based on Microsoft's FoxPro software since 1993. Over the years FoxPro has become outdated, and as many users have fiddled with CYC's computers, the database has become corrupted and unstable.
"The tools to fix FoxPro aren't even on the machines, so there's no way to move the program forward," Pease said. "And FoxPro has been crashing every time you launch it."
The new system is based on Microsoft's latest business database, Microsoft SQL Server. It will be much more stable and flexible than FoxPro, enabling the club to do much more with its computers than previously possible.
In the future, for example, Pease says he expects to add functionality that will enable members to access the club's computers remotely to retrieve information and communicate with the club more easily.
The new system also will be capable of providing multiple email addresses for various club officials. "I spoke with current and past managers, and I tried to put everything into the system that they wanted and things I thought of that they didn't."
Pease also has donated a server that will link the club's computers and make regular backups of the club's files. CYC will continue to use Sailwave for race scoring and QuickBooks for accounting.