DogBase Online Manual - Things to Know Before Getting Started

4. Things to Know Before Getting Started
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Basic Knowledge of Greyhound Handicapping

You need to have a basic understanding of greyhound handicapping and its terms. These terms are used throughout this manual. You can familiarize yourself with these by reviewing our Glossary of Handicapping terms.

Internet Browser

You must have a working knowledge of your Internet browser and know how to download web pages (or data) from that browser.

Course Information

You must also know the different courses and course names for the track you are importing. Examples follow:

Track	Course	Course Name
Palm Beach	RP	Royal Palm Course
	3/8	Pat C Rendezvous Course
	DC	Dixie Course
	SC	Sprint Course
Tampa	5/16	5/16ths Mile Course
	3/8	3/8ths Mile Course
	7/16	7/16ths Mile Course

The track records for Courses are optional but are handy information to have.

Grading System

You need to understand the Grading system in use for each track and how it relates to the DogBase Grading System. The DogBase grading system from top to bottom is A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, M, L. Grade M is designated for Maiden Races and L is designated for Schooling Races. On mixed grade races, such as T and S races, the grade equals should be the same as the top grade. However, if the grade is specified (e.g. TA or SB), the grade equals should be set to its appropriate value. Understanding this is critical to how DogBase works. It is also handy to be able to combine T & S races with their appropriate Grade to increase the size of your data samples, especially in courses that are not run very often. On the following page are some examples of different grading systems and what the DogBase Grades should be.

Example 1.

Track Grade = DogBase Grade Equals

AA = A
A = B
BB = C
B = D
C = E
D = F
M = M
Schooling = L

Example 2.

Track Grade = DogBase Grade Equals

A = A
SA = A
TA = A
AT = A
B = B
SB = B
C = C
D = D
E = E
M = M
Schooling = L

Example 3.

Track Grade = DogBase Grade Equals

A = A
B = B
C = C
D = D
J = M
M = M
Schooling = L

Start Day of Purse Week

The starting day of the purse week is used by the Race Day Kennel List to calculate a kennel's recent record. The report uses the kennels last three days worth of performances or back to the first day of the race week, whichever is longer, to calculate the kennel's record.

Basic Betting Types

You need to have a basic understanding of what bet types are available at your track, how they work and what their costs are. The bet types DogBase supports are Win, Place, Show, Quiniela, Trifecta and Superfecta (in most cases).

Minimum Exacta/Perfecta Cost

If your track offers the exacta/perfecta bet, you must know the minimum cost of that bet. At most tracks it is two dollars but some tracks have a three dollar minimum. If your track doesn't offer the bet, simply leave it at two dollars.

Backing Up

As with any system with large data files, backing up DogBase is a must. If something were to happen to your computer, a backup is the only way to recover the data. Please remember to BACK UP often.

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