User manual for the Serial Numbers Database 2.0

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Please also read the SND2 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for additional information.

1. HOW DO I ACCESS THE PROGRAM? also a brief overview of features..

Enter the program by clicking the button at the top of the forum, or the link located within the messages inside the SND2 forum section.

Upon entering, you will see the Main Screen of the SND2 with several links.

"View the Serial Numbers Database"

This is for looking through all the data that has been submitted by all members. When you enter, you will see a section for Soviet and Mongolian awards. Select an award and you will see all entries made by all members for this award.

The following data is displayed:

Serial number: Self-explanatory
Award Name: Self-explanatory
Award tags: This is how the award was tagged when the serial number was entered. (more on this later)
Date added: When the award was entered into the SND2.

At the rightmost part of the screen, there is a counter that displays how many times this award has been looked at. Below this is an administrative link to delete the award. This doesn't work for members without administrative access. By default, data is displayed from lowest number at the top to highest at the bottom. You can change the way this data is displayed anytime by selecting the viewing option toward the upper right corner.

When you are done looking through the data, click on the link "The Soviet Military Awards Page Serial Number Database 2.0" at the top of the display box. You will be back to the main screen.

"Add Awards"

Clicking this link will take you to the awards entry section. You can enter any Soviet or Mongolian award that has a serial number on the back. To enter data, select "Add Awards". A box will pop-up and ask you how many awards you would like to add. If you have 5 awards, enter 5. It doesn't matter if they are the same. You then select if you are entering Soviet Awards, or Mongolian Awards. Click "Add Quantity". You will see a page with the serial number fields for the number of awards you selected. Each row is for a separate award. Begin by adding your number in the left field, valid numbers are 1-99,999,999. You do not need to enter commas for the numerals. Then, select the appropriate data tag. These are:

"W" for "Wanted". If you are searching for a particular award, use this.

"A" for "Authenticated". If you have an award that was authenticated by Paul McDaniel, include this. It adds extra validity to the data, particularly if the award is rare.

"S" for "Stolen". If you have an award that was stolen, include this.

"D" for "Duplicate". If this award is a duplicate, include this. If you don't know if yours is please ask within the forum. Typically these awards will have small serial numbers and/or be stamped with a cyrillic "D")

If this award is an award you have in your collection and you want it placed into the database, without any tags, you can leave this blank. All awards that do not have a tag are assumed to be part of a collection. Note: the data tags can be grouped. For example "DS" would mean "Duplicate, Stolen". You do not have to enter a comma.

Next, select the award assigned this number. If you have more than one award, repeat and then click "Submit Award" You will then be presented with a summary of the awards you've just entered, and have a final opportunity to change the data. If you need to change the data, click "Change" to edit your information. Clicking "Update" will show the updated data. When you are done editing, click "Submit". Click the button at the top of the forum, or the "Serial Numbers Database 2.0" link to go back to the Main Screen.

All Done!

When all your data has been submitted, a summary of your activity will be posted in the Serial Numbers Database 2.0 forum section in the form of a message post. You can visit this forum section and see the latest data as it's entered and as it's matched. New entries and data matches are posted via the SND2 robot "Blackbird". Note: Posting messages is not permitted in this group. You can however post a reply to the data. this is useful if you want to signal a problem with the submitted data to the administrator. Note: the user "Blackbird" is a robot and cannot reply. Please contact the administrator with any questions or concerns.

"My Submitted Data"

This is where you can browse through all the entries made by you. You cannot alter this data. This is done on purpose so that the administrator can decide which serial number takes precedence over a duplicate entry in the database. For example, if you had an award and sold it, and the new owner wanted to add that award, the database would need to have one entry removed. If you want the data tag of any of your entries changed, contact the administrator.

"Database Statistics"

Stats for all the Soviet and Mongolian awards in the database. See what the highest numbered awards are, the lowest, etc. Lots to click on here. Explore!

That's about it!