I have changed my computer and wish to transfer CHASE from the old one to the new one.  How do I do this?

1.  Copy the CHASE data from the old computer.  The three key files you need to copy are CHASE.MDB (Microsoft Access data file), CHASE.MDW (Microsoft Access workgroup file) and CHASE.CFG (configuration file).  These should be copied onto a suitable storage medium before you finish using the old computer.   These are normally in the My Documents\CHASEDatabase directory on your hard disk.  The CHASE.MDB file is normally too large to copy onto a floppy disk.  You may need to use a Zip drive or CD-ROM or a file compression program such as WinZip. For simplicty, it may be easiest to copy the the entire CHASEDatabase folder .

2.  Install CHASE on the new computer but do not run it.

3.  Copy the files from step 1 into the  CHASEDatabase directory.  They will overwrite the empty data files which were set up as part of the installation process.

You should now be able to start and use CHASE from the point you left it on the old computer.  If you are asked for a serial number it probably means that you did not copy the files correctly.  If you use a CD-ROM to transfer the files you should ensure that they are not marked as Read-only - many CD writers mark the file as read-only when writing it to the CD and this remains set when you copy it to the new computer. 

Once the transfer is complete, uninstall CHASE from the old computer.

Can you tell me exactly which files are installed when I set up CHASE?

Yes.  Click here for a full list.

I have CHASE Single-User system.  It has been fine until now, when I always get the message "The user CfW is already logged on", even though I am the only user.

This can happen if the computer or Windows crashes and does not get the opportunity to delete the .usr file trhat controls access to CHASE. Look for a file called ~cfw.usr in the CHASEDatabase folder and delete it manually. This error does not occur with version 2.0.0 onwards.

I have CHASE set up on a network.  It has been fine until now, when I always get the message "The user CfW is already logged on", even though I know it isn't as I am the only user.

You are running CHASE on the workstation with the data files (CHASE.MDB and CHASE.MDW) stored on the network server and CHASE can no longer find them.   The error occurs because, when you log on, CHASE attempts to "lock" the user name so no-one else can use it and, if it fails, this is message you get.

There is a command line parameter included in the shortcut that starts CHASE for Windows which tells the CHASE.EXE application where to find its data.  Either this shortcut has been modified so that the parameter is no longer correct or the directory name or network drive has been changed.  Two examples: your data drive may have changed from E: to F: because a new CD-ROM drive, using E: has been added to your workstation; you may be a woman who has recently married and your data directory has been changed from your single name to your married name.  A typical shortcut command looks like the example here.

    "C:\Program Files\Hastam\Chase\Chase.exe" F:\JSmith\Chasedata

The first part (in quotes because the "Program Files" folder includes a space character) is the command to start CHASE for Windows, the second part is the name of the network directory where the CHASE.MDB and CHASE.MDW files are stored (ie the "Chasedata" subdirectory in "F:\JSmith").  Please refer to your Windows documentation for details of how to modify shortcuts.

NB:  Error reporting is modified from version 1.2.020 to distinguish this condition from genuine attempt to log on twice.  From Version 1.2.027, the user is also given the opportunity to browse for these files.

How does CHASE for Windows find its data files?  I need to know this so that I can set up the network correctly.

When CHASE starts it looks for the CHASE.MDB file in the following locations:

(1)  The CHASE program directory.  If it is not found then it looks in:

(2)  A directory entered as a command line parameter in the shortcut.   If there is no Command Line parameter, or it is not valid, then:

(3)  (from version 1.2.027) it checks the registry data for a location.

If none of these options leads to a valid path to the CHASE.MDB file then (from version 1.2.027 or later) the user may browse for the file using a standard Windows Open File dialog.  When found, this value is stored in the Registry.

How can I backup the CHASE for Windows Data?

All your data is stored in two files - CHASE.MDB and CHASE.MDW.  The first of these stores all the actual evaluation and module data, the second is the Microsoft Access Workgroup file which stores the user information and passwords.  You should make regular backups of these two files using one of the many backup systems available. Do not rely on the File|Download  function as this only copies module and evaluation data.  The CHASE.MDB file includes other items, such as record number counters, which are not copied by the download process.  Always make a backup copy of these two files whenever you do any significant amount of work in CHASE for Windows.  Note that CHASE for Windows must be closed down when you backup the files otherwise it will prevent the backup program from accessing the data files.

How do I go back to an evaluation that has already been completed?

There are two routes.

1. Right click on the appropriate cell in the Allocation Window to bring up a context menu as shown on the right. This has as one of its options Open evaluation... which will list all evaluations for that area/module. The top one in this example is a current uncompleted evaluation; the remainder are previous ones that have been completed.

2.  Open the Evaluations Window, select the View menu and click on Completed.   This will list all completed evaluations, including summaries, by area or by module.  (From version 1.2.006 use View|Display options... )

I have re-opened a completed evaluation and want to make changes to it but I cannot. Why?

When you finish an evaluation through the Tools | Finish Evaluation option the evaluation is "frozen". You cannot make further changes unless your User Name has the Verify or Administrator rights.

How do I save the settings I have set up in, for example, the print options?

You don’t have to. CHASE saves them automatically, together with your current analysis table set-up, whether you are displaying notes, guidance or recommendations on the evaluations screen, the weighting of the last question you edited, etc.  Around 100 different settings are saved.

NOTE: These settings are saved with your User Name. Two different users may have different preferences and requirements and thus changes to settings you make will not apply to a different user.

Can I print in colour?

Colour printing is implemented for the graphics but not at present for text printing. Any colour selections you made when setting up fonts are ignored.

I want to copy the text from one question to another but when I click on the Copy and Paste buttons on the Toolbar nothing happens. How can I do this?

The toolbar is not always accessible - for example, when editing the text of a question - but it is still always possible to access the clipboard through the Windows 95/NT context menus. These are popped up by clicking the right mouse button. If you are editing text and want to copy it, select it with the mouse by holding down the left button and moving the mouse to select the text, then press the right mouse button to bring up the context menu. In a text field this menu will always include the Cut/Copy/Paste options.

I have written a new module and now want to give it to the other CHASE users in the company. How do I do this?

Use theFile | Download facility to make a copy of your module in a separate database file. This can be sent to your other users who can then use the File | Upload facility to incorporate it into their own systems.

I loaded CHASE for Windows on my colleague's machine as well as my own but when I created a module, downloaded it to a file and then uploaded onto his computer, it overwrote the module he wrote.  What have I done wrong?

By installing a second copy onto another machine you broke the Software Licence Agreement which you accepted when you installed the program.  You cannot move data between two installations made from the same system disk using the same serial number without generating errors.  Contact Hastam to arrange the purchase of a second copy of CHASE for Windows or a second serial number and licence.   Significant discounts are available for second and subsequent copies.

CHASE always starts showing the Allocation Window. I would prefer it to start showing the Recommendations due Window. Can I change this setting?

Yes. Open the Recommendations due Window, click on the Window option on the main menu and select Set as Default. A check mark will appear against this option and CHASE will open this window on start up.

You can make any of the following windows the default: the Allocation Window, the Modules Window, the Areas Window , the Evaluations Window , the Analysis Table or the Recommendations Due Window.

If you prefer CHASE to start without opening any window, open the current default window and select Set as Default from the Window menu. This will clear the check mark and not assign it to any other window.

This setting is for your User Name only - other users may have different default opening windows.

I keep clicking in the Close Icon (X) by mistake and closing down CHASE for Windows when I don’t want to. Can I stop this from happening?

Yes, in Tools | Customise select Confirm program exit. If this item is checked, CHASE for Windows will ask you to confirm you want to exit before it closes down.

How can I find out the version number of my copy?

Click on Help and look in About CHASE for Windows.  The version number is displayed in the bottom left of the window.

I often need to reload the same set of evaluations, which can get very tedious.   Is there a way of saving the table so that I can reload it quickly.

Yes (from version 1.2.039).  In the File menu there is an option to Save Table.  This saves a list of the evaluations present in a named file.  This can then be reloaded later.

Don't forget you can also select multiple evaluations in the Evaluations Window and then click on the Analysis button to load all the selected evaluations into the table.

Can I see the notes, recommendations etc for a question displayed on the analysis table without having to go into the actual evaluation?

Yes (from version 1.2.020).  Double-click over a score to reveal the full question (or section).  This command is also available through the right-click context menu and the View menu, or by pressing Alt/Enter.

CHASE for Windows locks up when printing or print-previewing an analysis table.   What is wrong?

Hastam has identified a possible problem with analysis column widths that will sometimes cause this error.  It is dependent on print margins and the printer set-up.   You can work around it by either (a) always printing analysis tables in landscape or (b) ensuring that the sum of the column widths in the Analysis Print Options does not exceed the width inside the left and right margins.  CHASE for Windows version 1.2.012 onwards detects this anomaly and corrects the margins before printing.  You can download the latest version - see top right of this page.

How can I compare the verified and unverified score for an evaluation?

Either load the evaluation a second time using the Load columns button or copy the column to the clipboard then paste it into another column. To copy, click on the column then click the copy button. To paste, click on the column where you wish to paste the copy, then click the Paste button. The column will be inserted at this position. You can then right-click on the column to pop up a menu, select Scores and then set one column to Normal scores and the other to Verified.

I have tried to do this but each time both columns set themselves to Normal or Verified.

You have the Summary column active. Summaries require all evaluation columns to be in the same mode. If you change one column, all the others will change to match. Click on the summary button on the toolbar to remove it.

I have several evaluations loaded but can’t create a summary - the summary button is disabled. What am I doing wrong?

The scores in a summary are calculated on a question by question basis. This will only work if all the evaluations are based on the same module. If there is more than one module present in the table the summary option is disabled. It may also be disabled if there is only one module but the tag settings are different* in the different evaluations, you are displaying completed evaluations and are including scores for deleted questions, or you have one or more targets loaded.

* from version 1.2.020, you can summarise evaluations with different tag settings.

I can’t get a graph to appear. What could be the reason?

You have not selected enough rows or columns. You must have at least one row and one column selected. It is also possible that the Graphics Server program (GSW32.exe, which is not a part of CHASE but is used by CHASE) has been removed from the Windows\System directory. If this is the case, re-install the system files from the original program disks, using the Custom install option.

Can I copy the data to a spreadsheet?

Yes. There are two ways:

1. While CHASE is running open your spreadsheet program in another window and create an empty spreadsheet. Click on the Copy button while the CHASE Analysis Table is active to copy data to the Windows Clipboard. Now go back to your spreadsheet program, click in the top left cell and then click on Paste in your spreadsheet.

2. In the Analysis Table select File|Save as... You can then save the table to a tab-delimited or comma delimited file. This can be imported into your spreadsheet at a later date. Refer to your spreadsheet manual for instructions on reading delimited files as the actual method varies.

The Options | Save and Copy options... in Analysis allows you to determine the format of the data copied.

When I change the summary column to show an Absolute Summary, the scores in my columns suddenly change. What is wrong?

Nothing is wrong. Absolute summaries require that for a question to score a Yes in the summary, it must be answered Yes in all evaluations used to generate the summary. If the questions are not Yes/No but Percentage Word or Marks answers, CHASE has to turn these into Yes or No by applying the compliance criteria. If you are not using compliance in your columns it will switch to using Local Compliance automatically before calculating the summary scores.

When I copy a graph and paste it into Word 97 the format is destroyed. What is the problem?

Most word processors or presentation packages will accept images in Windows Metafile Format (WMF), and this is the default used in CHASE for Windows. However, Word 97 does not correctly recognise this format as it uses an "Enhanced Metafile Format", which does not appear to be backwards compatible. You have to use a Device Independent Bitmap (BMP) format instead - this option can be set in the Options|Copy and Save as... function in the Analysis Window. BMPs cannot be re-sized as readily as images in WMF.

An alternative is to use PowerPoint 97, which will correctly accept WMF data from the Clipboard, as an intermediate program.  Copy the graph to the clipboard in CHASE for Windows.  Open PowerPoint 97 and create a blank presentation.  Create a blank slide and paste the graph onto it and re-size as required. Select the image in PowerPoint and copy to the Clipboard, then paste it into Word 97.  This slightly more complex route retains the re-sizing properties of the WMF image.

This problem does not occur in other versions of Word.

I have an area no longer in use, but I wish to retain the data. Can I hide it for the time being?

From version 3.0, you can hide areas or groups of areas.

I set up an area called Birmingham Factory on my central CHASE system. However, when the user at the Birmingham Factory sent me an evaluation and I uploaded it I, found a second area called Birmingham Factory on my system with the data assigned to it and my own remained blank. Why did CHASE do this?

All records in CHASE are identified by internal ID numbers. The user at Birmingham will have created an area record called Birmingham Factory and this copy of CHASE will have identified it with a number generated based on its serial number. Your area called Birmingham Factory will have a different ID because your copy has a different serial number. When you uploaded the data, a copy of area record created at Birmingham was also uploaded and this is the one used. If you are importing data from other sites always allow the area records to come from those sites (they are always downloaded automatically with an evaluation) and do not attempt to create them yourself. Only ever create areas for which you will conduct evaluations yourself. You can delete your own area called Birmingham Factory as it will never be required.

How many areas can I have?

The theoretical maximum number of areas is 65535 per system. If you expect to have more than two thousand you should have at least 500MB RAM and a 1GHz or faster processor, otherwise performance will degrade considerably.

Is there an easy way to see in which sections there are still some unanswered questions?

Prior to version 1.2.029 you have to use the Tools|Find facility to "Find questions whose Status is not answered"  which will show you only those questions that do not have an answer.  From version 1.2.029, the section icons in an evaluation will display a check mark when all questions within that section have an answer.

If you are using the Verification facility, a "V" is displayed on the section icons when all questions have been verified.

An example of CHASE showing completed and verified sections is displayed here.

 

I have answered all the questions but the program still shows the evaluation as incomplete. Why is this?

Although you may have answered all the questions, you may still wish to make notes and recommendations. CHASE does not know you have completed the evaluation until you explicitly finish it. This can be done through the Tools | Finish evaluation option, available either within the evaluation itself, or from the Evaluations window when it is showing uncompleted evaluations (View|Uncompleted).

I set up a dummy evaluation to test the software and now want to delete it, but I can't find out how to do this.  Is it possible?

Yes, but we deliberately made it a little difficult to do, so it doesn't happen accidentally.  First you must finish the evaluation - go into it and select Tools|Finish evaluation. Then go to the Evaluations window, select View|Completed, and find the evaluation you wish to delete.  Highlight it and select Edit|Delete evaluation from the menu.

I want to perform a re-evaluation of an area but all I can do is go through last year’s answers. How can I keep last year’s evaluation and perform a new one for this year?

You need to finish last year’s evaluation (see above). You can then start a fresh evaluation for this year (if you have set up the allocation properly the due date should be approximately correct) by double clicking in the appropriate cell in the allocations window, or selecting the evaluation from the evaluations window. When you do this you will be given the option of either filling in a blank set of questions or copying the previous year’s answers and updating them.

I have verified a question by mistake. Can I unverify it?

Yes, use the Edit | Remove verification option. NB: only Users with Administrator or Verify status can do this.

I have started a new evaluation based on an earlier one and it tells me the answers are "Not confirmed". What does this mean?

The answers are all copied from the previous evaluation but until you go through the evaluation and either re-select the same answers, or change their values to different ones they have a status of "not confirmed". This shows that this was the answer at the time of the last evaluation, but you have not indicated whether the answer is still correct or has changed. Unless you specifically tell analysis to ignore them (right-click on a column and choose Scores from the menu), unconfirmed answers are scored in the same way as normal answers.

Why do you call them evaluations and not audits?

CHASE is designed to be used both for self assessment (active monitoring) by, for example, line managers and by independent assessors for audit purposes. A self-assessment cannot be classed as an audit as it is not carried out by an independent assessor. We use "Evaluation" as a generic term to include both audits and self-assessments.

Can I print out one section of the evaluation to take on-site?

Yes. Open the evaluation and select the section you want to print in the top left of the Answering an Evaluation (or Target) window. If you select Print from the toolbar or File menu, only the selected section will be printed.

I want to print just the unanswered questions so that I can take the printout on site. I can’t find this in the Print Options; is there any other way I can do this?

Use Find... in the Tools menu of the Answering an Evaluation (or Target) window. This will allow you find questions whose status is Not answered. You can then print out the evaluation. Rather than have the Print options cluttered with a large number of items you can achieve much greater flexibility by combining Find… with Print Options. For example, you can print all those questions where there is a note by setting the Find condition to

This setting will restrict the evaluation to only those question where a note has been entered. (The * in the right hand field means "match any text".)

How can I delete an allocation I set up by mistake?

In the Allocation Window find the allocation and either:

select it with one left click of the mouse, then select Delete allocation from the Edit menu,

or

right click on the allocation and choose Delete allocation from the Context Menu that pops up. Alternatively you can delete allocations from the Areas Window or the Modules Window. Note that you cannot delete an allocation if there is an evaluation in progress for it. You must go into the evaluation and select Tools | Finish.

Can I print a list of the evaluations due for my Health and Safety Module over the next 12 months?

Go to the Evaluations Window and, from the View menu, select Display options... In the dialogue box select  By module and Due. Select Dates from the Tools menu and set the Until date to one year ahead. If you click on the module name, a list of due evaluations is displayed on the right. Now select Print from the file menu or click on the Print button on the toolbar. If you are not sure if you have done this correctly, use the Print preview first.

I added some text to the Notes field of a question in the Module Editor.  When I go back into an evaluation, this text does not appear in the Notes field of the answer.   Have I done something wrong?

Not exactly.  When you start a new evaluation, data in the notes field of a question in the module is copied into the notes field of the answer.   This copy can then be edited by the person answering the question.  As it is a copy, any subsequent changes to the question notes in the module will not affect the notes in the answer.  If you want to make the new notes text in the question appear in the answer, you must delete the old answer (Edit | Delete answer when answering the question).  The notes text from the module will then be copied into the new answer and the question can be re-answered.

Can I copy questions from one module to another?

Yes. Open the source module and select the questions (or sections) you wish to copy. The selections must be made in the right hand pane of the module edit window. Copy these to the clipboard by clicking on the Copy button or selecting Edit |Copy.

Now open the destination module, highlight the section into which you wish to paste the questions by clicking in the left hand pane and then click the Paste button or select Edit | Paste. If you wish to copy an entire module use the File | Copy Module option in the Modules Window.

I am developing a new module and I don’t want anyone else to use it until it is complete.  Can I hide it from other users?

From version 1.3.008 there is an option in the Modules Window to hide a module from all other CHASE windows until you are ready to use it. This is a box marked Hidden in the upper right of this window.  If your version is earlier than 1.3.008, please download the latest version from the download page or request an update from us.

By default, a new module is automatically set to Hidden and the module name in the Modules Window is prefixed with '[Hidden]'.

As a workaround, you can set user accesses to ensure that only selected users can see this module - go to the Users Windows to do this.

I have an audit already in a word processed format. Can I import it into CHASE for Windows?

Not automatically. The data in the CHASE database is rigidly structured while that in a word processed document is not. To import automatically CHASE would have to be able to read the document and understand where the sections started and ended, what was question text, guidance text etc. This will be difficult to achieve until computer software understands natural language.

However, you can use the clipboard to cut and paste text. Open the audit document in your word processor and a module in the CHASE Editor. You may need to create a new module. Create a new question in CHASE. Select the question text in the word processor document and copy it to the clipboard. Click in the question text field of the new question in CHASE and right-click. From the pop-up menu select Paste. The text will be copied into the question field. Note: if the question text will not fit into the space it will not be pasted as the question field is a fixed size. This restriction does not apply to guidance. 

On most keyboards you can also use shift/insert to paste.

How can I put the module into a word processor?

In the Modules window, highlight the module name and select File|Save as… This will allow you to save the module as a text file for import into a word processor. If the Module is open in the editor you can save either the entire module or individual sections depending on what is selected in the left hand pane.

You can also use the clipboard if the module is open. Click on the Copy button to copy the highlighted section(s) or questions(s), switch to your word processor and click on Paste.

If you have the Crystal Reports option, you can start an evaluation using this module (on a dummy or test area), load this into the Analysis table and use the Questions or Questions and Guidance reports to generate a Word document from this module.

How can I re-order the sections within a module?

Each section is given a number and CHASE always displays these numbers in ascending order. To re-position a section within the module (or a sub-section within a section) select the section name in the module edit window, select File | Open section from the File menu (or use the Context Menu on the right mouse button) and change the section number in the Edit Section dialogue to the number you want the section to become. If a section with that number already exists, it and those following will have their numbers increased by one. Once you have re-positioned your sections you may want to choose Tools | Renumber to ensure there are no gaps.

I have a Safety Policy Document and I would like the CHASE question numbers to be the same as the items they refer to within the policy. Can I do this?

Yes. In the Module Editor open the required module, then open each section or question and manually set the numbers to the required value. If you do this you must not use the Tools | Renumber option! Sections and questions usually have numbers starting from 1 but you can also use a single letter (A..Z or a..z).

I have a module where all the questions are Yes/No and I want to change them all to percentage. Is there a quick way of doing this?

Yes (from version 1.1.510 onwards). In the Module Editor open the module. Select the module name in the left pane then choose, from the menu, Tools | Set Question Type for Module…. This will allow you to set the answer type, whether N/A is allowed and the compliance for all questions. You can select a section and set the question type for just the one section. There is a similar Tools | Set Weighting function to allow you to set the question weighting for all questions in a section or the module.

We would prefer to all them "Actions" but the program always prints "Recommendation".  Can this be changed?

It can from version 1.2.020.  In the Recommendation print options you can now change the text "Recommendation" to your own terminology.

The Recommendations Due are sorted in Priority order. I would like them in date order. How can I do this?

Click on the Due header at the top of the list. These are sort buttons - clicking on them forces the list to sort on that field. Clicking on a button a second time reverses the sort order.

I would like to sort the recommendations due by question number. Can I do this?

Yes. You need to have the question number as one of the fields in the recommendations list. Right-click over the list and select Headings from the menu. This will allow you to change one of the field headings to "Question number", which will then allow you to sort by question number.

The recommendations print command only allows me to print either the selected recommendation or the whole list. I want to print seven out of the list of 55. Do I have to print each one in turn?

No. You can select more than one recommendation (version 1.2 onwards). Hold down a Ctrl key and click on each recommendation you wish to print. The Ctrl key allows you to make multiple selections. When you have selected all the required recommendations, you can then print them in one go.

Note that if you have more than one recommendation selected you can no longer edit the data. To clear a multiple section, click on a recommendation without holding down the Ctrl key.

Can I see and/or print the answers and notes to the question relating to a recommendation?

Recommendations are stored as separate entities and are not attached to a particular evaluation.  However (from version 1.2.031) it is possible to view and print the answer from the most recent evaluation.  Double-click on the recommendation entry in the list of recommendations to view it, or include the fields in the recommendation print options to print it.

Can I copy the recommendations into Microsoft Excel?

Yes - select the required recommendations and use the copy button on the CHASE for Windows toolbar to copy the recommendations, then switch to Excel and use the paste button.  From version 1.2.031 you have a choice of copy formats (in Tools|Save and Copy options).  For Excel, use the "Tab delimited" format if you want each field in the recommendation to go into its own column.  (This format works with most spreadsheets and many databases).