AQ: Collaboration

Genealogy and/or Family History research can be demanding and frustrating to the point that the help of another family member is advantageous.

Collaboration in Ancestral Quest allows one to share their family file with another person through a log in and a password. AQ has a unique feature that allows you to work with other family members on a single collaborative family file. Each collaborator takes a turn to check out and edit the file. Changes that are made by one collaborator can be seen by the other collaborators after the file has been checked in.

To set up Collaboration, one needs to be a Registered Owner and create an account by going to "Collaboration" and click on "Sign-up" which looks like this:

Following the prompts brings you through the steps as an adminstrator and owner of the file. Once that is set up, one  "Publishes" their family file to our central server by clicking on Collaboration and scrolling down to "Publish Current File" which takes a few minutes. 

To work with a Collaboration File, one uses a proper log in and checks out their file by going to "Collaboration" and scrolling down click on "Check out file". 

While this file is on your own computer, no one else can access that same master file, take time to do your research, changes, etc. that normally happens when working on your family file. If another family member you have given access to needs to look at the file, they can download a 'working copy' which allows them to print reports and look at the data but they can not make any changes to the file. 

When done, click Collaborate and Check In File, you can also set it up that when you close your program it automatically will check the file in.

This whole process provides a way to have ones files on another server (as a backup) and allows one to work with others once access has been set up for them. Here are some links that go into more detail:

• A Visual Diagram:http://www.ancquest.com/images/CollaborationDiagram.pdf
• More detailed explanation:http://www.ancquest.com/aq_collab.htm

The author has used collaboration for years and has found it to be most helpful as there is access from any location as long as there is Internet service. 

Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!

Comments and questions are always welcome!

Happy Ancestraling...

Claire ;)

AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

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