New CPAP users: Some Common Questions Asked And Answered

us1415 · Post by **us1415** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:58 pm

Since I dont have a card reader i m asking if someone who does have can check this out:
Check to see if you can actually read the card thru windows explorer and see what kind of files does it have on that card. if someone can post it or PM me I might be able to help you out with a ODBC driver (which you can use to brow through the database from access if the data is in another format).
Thanks,

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:02 pm

us1415 wrote:Since I dont have a card reader i m asking if someone who does have can check this out:
Check to see if you can actually read the card thru windows explorer and see what kind of files does it have on that card. if someone can post it or PM me I might be able to help you out with a ODBC driver (which you can use to brow through the database from access if the data is in another format).
Thanks,

Hmmm - now there's a thought for those who are having troubles ... I gather that their data is actually being downloaded so if it's in the SQL Server database, that can be directly accessed by Access!
If not, I've heard there is a utility to read the data somewhere?

Mindy

us1415 · Post by **us1415** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:07 pm

^^ODBC allows you to access data from all sorts of databases. Access has a lot of them built in and you can download others from the web. The only thing I m looking for is the extension of the file to see what database system are they using.

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:08 pm

us1415 wrote:^^ODBC allows you to access data from all sorts of databases. Access has a lot of them built in and you can download others from the web. The only thing I m looking for is the extension of the file to see what database system are they using.

Yes, I use ODBC at work. EncorePro uses SQL Server.

m

us1415 · Post by **us1415** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:09 pm

[quote="goose"]My thing about the software is that it can't be that difficult to put out a "user only" version. (there's revenue there also....can't believe the bozo's haven't thought of that angle)....
It's a MSSQL DB. It is done with tables, reports, stored procedures etc. etc. etc. (I won't bore you with more minute details).

I believe the only legitimate argument that Respronics has for pulling Encore Pro software is the machine control portion. There is no logical reason to deprive users of the data that can help them determine if their treatment is working or not.
Totally agree with Jen though, that one should always consult the doc with regards to the treatment -- I know a lot of us don't always do that, but personally I like to keep my doc in the loop (I also have a very good doc). Doctors need to embrace educated patients, not push them away and treat them like idiots......Who's the idiot??

There are also DME arguments in that if you and I are making the simple pressure changes to our machines, they don't get to bill (rip off) the insurance company over $100 for a 30 second change......

It should be a fairly simple procedure to "comment" out the sections of code that allow the machine manipulation and allow the data collection and report generation to continue.

The bottom line is dollars. Somewhere, somehow, someone thinks they're going to lose a buck or two if the software is available to the public.

My suggestion is to inundate the manufacturer with emails, letters (much
more effective), phone calls and express your displeasure that there is no user version of the report generator available.

One thought just occured to me, is that there are Federal laws in place that ensure that your medical records, treatments, test results etc. are all available to you. Why is it "legal" to "hide" this part of those medical records????
Congress?? (Useless as they are, there IS an election coming up)......

'nuff said......

cheers
goose

us1415 · Post by **us1415** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:10 pm

mindy wrote:
us1415 wrote:^^ODBC allows you to access data from all sorts of databases. Access has a lot of them built in and you can download others from the web. The only thing I m looking for is the extension of the file to see what database system are they using.
Yes, I use ODBC at work. EncorePro uses SQL Server.

m

Great! Have you tried the odbc for SQL Server to read that data into access?

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 1:12 pm

[quote="us1415
Great! Have you tried the odbc for SQL Server to read that data into access?[/quote]

Nope - mine isn't broken! Have been a little too busy to experiment but perhaps it's time to do so.

Mindy

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:25 am

Any news here?

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:37 am

Reading the data from the card directly isn't easy - it's a "blob" of binary data. If you have EncorePro installed, once you've selected a patient there is a menu pick for exporting a patient. When you do that it creates an XML file. This can be read by Excel and should also be readable by Access.

It can be rather huge .... 36,000 records for about 5 days.

I set up an ODBC definition for the EncorePro database and read it directly from Access, but all I got were the database specifications. Not sure what I did wrong.

So, I'd opt for the export. I haven't gotten around to analyzing the exported data yet but when I do, it will likely be in a statistics package like Stata or SAS so those aren't usable by most people.

Mindy

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Sat Oct 06, 2007 10:11 am

I updated my original post at the top of this thread to remove stuff about the software (and piracy) controversy and include new information about the new software and a few other tidbits newbies might find useful.

I hope other veterans (and I use the term veteran for myself loosely!) will contribute to this thread and newbies will keep asking questions. I have gotten lots of pm's about how much this thread has helped people, so I felt an update was in order. And BUMP!

Jen

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