StrataBase help centre

1. 01
   Open the application

   Visit app.stratabase.co.za using a connected device.

2. 02
   Choose Google or email sign-in

   Use your Google account, or register an email account and verify it before requesting organisation access.

3. 03
   Confirm access

   Approved users enter the workspace. A No organisation access message means authentication worked, but a membership is not yet active.

4. 04
   Prepare your device before fieldwork

   Once approved, open Account & Device while online to prepare the app for offline use.

1. 01
   Sign in once

   A successful first login creates your user identity in Supabase. You may see No organisation access.

2. 02
   Request organisation access

   Enter the organisation code supplied by its administrator, then select Request organisation access. The request appears in the owner’s Account & Device approval queue.

3. 03
   Administrator assigns membership

   An authorised owner or administrator reviews the request and assigns your role. Signing in with a company email does not automatically grant access.

4. 04
   Return to StrataBase

   Refresh or sign in again while connected; the application then checks your authorised membership.

Company email addresses

A work email such as name@company.com can be supported through Google Workspace or an organisation-approved Microsoft/Entra integration. Google sign-in and email/password authentication are supported; corporate Microsoft sign-in requires separate configuration and company IT authorisation. No automatic organisation enrolment is granted by an email suffix.

1. 01
   Open StrataBase while online

   Sign in on the device you plan to use. Do this separately on each tablet, phone or laptop.

2. 02
   Open Account & Device

   Use the Install StrataBase section. On supported browsers, select the install option or use the browser install menu.

3. 03
   Check offline readiness

   Confirm that local storage and the offline app shell are available; make sure required Excel functionality has loaded before you lose connectivity.

4. 04
   Make a recovery checkpoint

   Use Device recovery & backup → Create recovery checkpoint, then Download latest checkpoint if you need an external copy.

5. 05
   Test without a network

   After preparing the device online, disable connectivity, reopen the installed app and check that your authorised project is available.

1. 01
   Open Projects

   From the dashboard select + New Project, or open Projects → + Add Project.

2. 02
   Enter project details

   Provide the project name (required) and, where known, project / PA number, client, site or area, default CRS, logger, contacts and status.

3. 03
   Select investigation types

   Enable the methods used on the project: test pits, geotechnical core boreholes, rock mechanics boreholes and/or percussion boreholes.

4. 04
   Choose rock mechanics configuration

   If Rock Mechanics Borehole is enabled, select the appropriate project logging standard in the configuration control.

5. 05
   Set up laboratories

   Tick the laboratories you expect to use. Additional laboratories may be maintained through the laboratory library.

6. 06
   Create the project

   Press Create Project; its overview opens with actions to add locations and begin logging.

1. 01
   Select the project

   Open Projects and choose the correct project.

2. 02
   Open Project Settings

   Select Project Settings in the active-project sidebar or from the overview.

3. 03
   Update details

   Edit project information, investigation types, rock mechanics configuration or enabled laboratories.

4. 04
   Save

   Select Save Project; review relevant logs and reports if you changed a method or standard.

1. 01
   Open the project

   Choose the project, then select Investigations.

2. 02
   Select + Add Location

   Alternatively use + Add Location from the project overview or + New Test Pit for a quick test-pit setup.

3. 03
   Set an unambiguous location ID

   Use your site naming convention, e.g. BH-001, GTB-26-005 or TP-04. A location ID must be unique within the project.

4. 04
   Choose the investigation type

   Only types enabled in Project Settings appear. If the desired type is absent, enable it in the project first.

5. 05
   Complete the setup

   Enter relevant coordinates, elevation, CRS, field dates, contractor, equipment, logger and status. You may copy setup fields from a previous location.

6. 06
   Save

   The location workspace opens with logging tabs appropriate to the investigation type.

The active location appears above the logging forms. Use the location switcher to move between boreholes or test pits without leaving the workspace. Available tabs depend on the investigation type and project logging standard.

1. 01
   Open Coring / Recovery

   Select the appropriate borehole and Coring module.

2. 02
   Enter the interval

   Provide From and To depth in metres for the drill run.

3. 03
   Enter measured quantities

   Capture TCR total length, SCR total length, RQD total length and natural fracture count, where applicable.

4. 04
   Check calculated results

   StrataBase displays run length, TCR%, SCR%, RQD% and fracture frequency from your entered data.

5. 05
   Record anomalies

   Add notes for core loss, broken ground, drilling behaviour or any unexpected recovery result.

6. 06
   Save and review

   Select Add Run, check the table and verify that the next interval is correct.

1. 01
   Choose the correct tab

   Use Geology / Geotech Zones for boreholes or Profile / Strata for test pits.

2. 02
   Define the interval

   Capture the From and To depths. Keep intervals consistent with the observed stratigraphy; note any legitimate gaps explicitly.

3. 03
   Select material state where offered

   Choose Soil or Rock for the appropriate profile and complete the corresponding description fields.

4. 04
   Record descriptors

   Complete colour, weathering, strength, origin, fabric, discontinuity spacing, legend symbol or other fields supported by the selected standard.

5. 05
   Use consistent wording

   Use controlled descriptors or Use Previous Description where suitable, then correct any fields that differ.

6. 06
   Add the interval

   Save the record, review its location in the table and check the next interval.

1. 01
   Open the Structures tab

   In a rock mechanics borehole, open the Structures module. The fields depend on the location’s oriented-core setting.

2. 02
   Set depth and type

   Enter the measured structure depth and type, such as joint, bedding, shear or fault, as supported by the chosen standard.

3. 03
   Capture orientation

   For non-oriented core, enter Alpha only. For oriented core, record Alpha and Beta using the documented core reference line; Gamma may be relevant where supported.

4. 04
   Describe quality

   For oriented core, record orientation status and confidence. For non-oriented core, describe discontinuity characteristics and confidence. Add roughness/JRC, infill, wall strength, thickness and comments where relevant.

5. 05
   Add the structure

   Confirm it appears in the records table; repeat for subsequent structures.

Several discontinuities may occur at the same depth. The data model allows individual structure records to share a depth; do not combine separate observations simply to avoid matching depths.

Where the Run QC module is available, it records field observations about individual runs. It is a data-capture table, not the same thing as the project’s automated QC & Review screen.

1. 01
   Select Run QC

   Open a location with this module.

2. 02
   Enter the run interval

   Set From and To depth in metres.

3. 03
   Assess orientation quality

   Choose High, Moderate, Poor or Lost according to the project’s field assessment method.

4. 04
   Enter counts

   Record natural joints, orientable features and spun/unusable structures as applicable.

5. 05
   Document the reason

   Record broken core, spin, fragmented zones, drilling behaviour or other context in the run note.

6. 06
   Save

   Select Add QC Run and confirm the new row appears.

1. 01
   Capture the sample

   Open the location’s Samples or Samples & Tests module. Enter ID, relevant depths, type and notes.

2. 02
   Open laboratory management

   From Data & Reports → Samples & Laboratory, select the recorded samples.

3. 03
   Assign information in bulk

   Choose a laboratory, update status and select requested tests for the chosen records.

4. 04
   Produce outputs

   Generate the sample register or laboratory schedule as supported by the project.

5. 05
   Manage the library

   Use Project Settings → Manage Laboratory Library to add or edit laboratory contact details. The directory is shared across authorised projects in the same organisation when online.

1. 01
   Open the correct table

   Select the project, location and logging module.

2. 02
   Choose Sort by

   Use the control immediately above that record table: Depth ↑, Depth ↓ or Recently added.

3. 03
   Edit a record

   Use its row action to open the edit form. Change only the needed fields and save.

4. 04
   Review after edits

   Check displayed depths and values; sorting affects screen order, not the underlying records.

5. 05
   Delete carefully

   Use the row delete action only when needed. Some deletions can be undone immediately; once synchronised, other devices may also receive the deletion.

Project-wide edits

Open Data Review to inspect and edit supported records across all locations in the selected project. The Data Review table has its own sorting control.

1. 01
   Open the project

   Select the project you want to check.

2. 02
   Choose QC & Review

   The screen displays the numbers of Errors, Warnings and Information items, plus locations without errors/warnings.

3. 03
   Filter the issues

   Use All or an investigation type to focus the list.

4. 04
   Open the affected location

   Select Open location on an issue, then examine the original record and supporting field notes.

5. 05
   Correct or explain

   Amend errors where the observations support it, record legitimate exceptions and review again.

1. 01
   Open Data & Reports

   Select the project and the Data & Reports sidebar page.

2. 02
   Use Investigation Summaries

   Choose investigation type and geology grouping. Inspect detected column headings before exporting CSV or Excel.

3. 03
   Export the Project Workbook or inspect project records

   Use Project Workbook to export full logging tables into separate Excel worksheets. Choose the full project, one investigation type or one location. Use Data Review for consolidated review.

4. 04
   Generate a log

   Open Investigation Logs, choose type and location, review readiness notices and select Generate / Print PDF Log.

5. 05
   Save the output

   Use your browser’s print dialog and choose Save as PDF. If nothing opens, allow pop-ups for the StrataBase app site.

1. 01
   Select the target project

   Make sure the correct project is active. Create it first if necessary.

2. 02
   Open the import workflow

   Choose Data & Reports → Excel / CSV Import → Import Data.

3. 03
   Choose the source file

   Select the workbook or CSV supported by your project configuration.

4. 04
   Map the columns

   Check location IDs, interval depths, orientation and recovery values against the imported headers.

5. 05
   Review the preview

   Look for rejected rows, duplicates and blank required values. Stop if the counts do not match expectations.

6. 06
   Import and verify

   Create a recovery checkpoint first, then import and compare per-location totals with the original source.

1. 01
   Before risky work

   Create and download a local device checkpoint.

2. 02
   For one project

   Export Project JSON from that project’s Data & Reports page.

3. 03
   For the organisation

   Confirm cloud sync has completed, then select Archive to Google Drive and verify the archive timestamp and record count.

4. 04
   For recovery

   Download the archive and test a restore in an isolated, non-production environment before relying on it.

1. 01
   Check the status

   Open Account & Device → Sync & Archive; inspect the cloud state and latest check.

2. 02
   Synchronise while online

   Select Sync now when the connection is available.

3. 03
   Verify a second device

   Open the same project on another approved device and check record counts and selected values.

4. 04
   Resolve edit conflicts deliberately

   If two devices changed the same record, inspect both values and select the correct version. Keep a checkpoint before resolving.

5. 05
   Check before archiving

   Resolve outstanding conflicts and pending uploads before creating an organisation archive.

If the issue remains, contact your organisation administrator. For StrataBase platform support, email stratabase.dev@gmail.com. Do not email OAuth secrets or confidential client records.

Checkboxes on this public page are only a visual checklist. They are not saved as an application field record.