Using the USCF Database and Supplement Files

As fewer and fewer users have experience with using the USCF's Tournament Administrator program to maintain copies of the USCF ratings database, we are finding that more of our first-time users have questions about how to work with the USCF ratings database. We hope the following primer will be of assistance.

After reading the following, you may want to take a look at WinTD user Jim Aman's step-by-step audio/video tutorial on downloading and using the monthly supplements. You'll find a link for the tutorial on his web site.

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Already Have a Ratings Database?

If you know you already have a copy of the USCF ratings database, all you need to do is:

1. Start WinTD.
2. Select the "File-USCF Directory" operation.
3. Use the dialog box to point to the directory containing your existing copy of the USCF database.

You only need to do this once--WinTD will "remember" the directory setting. As soon as you have set the directory, you will be able to use the USCF database to add new players to your tournament or Master Player files. You can also update ratings of players already stored in a Master file by using the "Master-Update from USCF Supplement" operation. See the WinTD Help for details on these operations.

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Have a Copy of the "Golden Database"?

If you don't have an existing database file, but have downloaded a zipped copy of the "Golden Database", you just need to do the following:

1. Decide where (i.e. in which directory) you want to maintain the database. If necessary, create a directory using Windows Explorer or similar. For example, you might want to create and use a directory called C:\USCF for this.
2. Unzip the contents of the zip file into this directory.
3. In WinTD, use File-USCF Directory to tell WinTD the name of the directory.

You only need to do this once--WinTD will "remember" the directory setting. As soon as you have set the directory, you will be able to use the USCF database to add new players to your tournament or Master Player files. You can also update ratings of players already stored in a Master file by using the "Master-Update from USCF Supplement" operation. See the WinTD Help for details on these operations.

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Have a "Supplement" File?

If you already have a copy of the player database, WinTD can update that database file using the newer information in the supplement file. If you do not already have a copy of the database, WinTD can create one from the supplement information. Instructions for both scenarios are provided below:

If you do not already have a copy of the database, and therefore need WinTD to create the database from the "Supplement" information:

1. Unzip the contents of the supplement file into a temporary directory.
2. Decide where (i.e. in which directory) you want to maintain the database. If necessary, create a directory using Windows Explorer or similar. For example, you might want to create and use a directory called C:\USCF for this.
3. In WinTD, use File-USCF Directory to tell WinTD the name of directory from step (2).
4. Do File-Update USCF Database, and point WinTD to the temporary directory into which you have unzipped the supplement files in step (1).

WinTD will use the information in the supplement files to create a new USCF player database in the directory specified in step (2).

If you do already have a copy of the database and have been using it with WinTD, you just need to have WinTD update the database using the "Supplement" information:

1. Unzip the contents of the supplement file into a temporary directory.
2. Do File-Update USCF Database, and point WinTD to the temporary directory into which you have unzipped the supplement files in step (1).

WinTD will use the information in the supplement files to update your existing database.

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