First steps

A five-step happy-path walkthrough — from opening the demo database to generating your first borehole log

⏱ 15–20 minutes. At the end you'll have a project with one borehole, its stratigraphy, and a generated borehole log.

This walkthrough takes you end-to-end through GeoDin's core workflow: open a database, create a project, add a borehole, describe its layers, and produce a borehole log. Each step links to the deeper reference page if you want more detail.

What you need before you start

• GeoDin installed and licensed — see Install & activate

• The Express installation's demo database (installed by default) — or a database of your own

Already have data in AGS, Excel, gINT, or GeoDinML? This walkthrough covers manual entry against the demo database. To import existing data instead, start at Importing Data.

Step 1 — Open the demo database

Launch GeoDin. In the left-hand Databases panel, expand the tree to find the demo database installed with the Express setup.

Double-click the database to connect. The tree populates with any existing projects.

Databases are colour-coded — blue for local, yellow for network. The demo database is a local Microsoft Access database.

→ Reference: Connecting to a Database

Step 2 — Create a new project

Right-click the demo database and choose New Project (or double-click the New Project method in the ribbon). Give the project a name and save.

The new project appears under the database in the tree, with empty sub-branches for Objects, Measurement Points, and Documents.

→ Reference: Working with Projects

Step 3 — Create your first borehole

Select your new project in the tree. In the central Methods ribbon, double-click New object (or right-click the project → New object).

Choose an object type — for a standard geotechnical borehole, (G1) Location (GeoDin's standard geotechnical investigation object type — see Object Types Overview) is the common choice. Enter identifying information: borehole ID, coordinates, and elevation.

Coordinates are interpreted in the project's configured coordinate system. If you'll be working in a specific CRS (UTM zones, British National Grid, SIRGAS for Brazil, etc.), confirm the project's system before entering data — see Coordinate Systems and EPSG.

The new borehole appears under the project's Objects branch.

→ References:

• Object Types Overview

• Creating Objects

• General Data

Step 4 — Enter layer data

With the borehole selected, double-click the Data management method in the ribbon. The data management editor opens — this is a parallel method, so it stays open as you work.

Switch to the Layer Data section and add stratigraphic layers: depth top, depth bottom, soil/rock description, and any other fields required by your workflow. Layer colours, patterns, and consistency come from the configured dictionaries.

Save your changes. Because Data management is a parallel method, you can keep it open while navigating to other parts of the tree.

→ References:

• Layer and Stratigraphy

• Dictionaries

Step 5 — Generate a borehole log

With your borehole selected, open the Layout Overview from the bottom-left of the object manager to see the templates available for this object type.

Pick a borehole log template and run it. GeoDin produces a PDF-style log showing the stratigraphy, annotations, and any configured elements (groundwater, samples, test results).

→ References:

• Creating Borehole Logs

• Print Preview and Layer Overview

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Where to go next

If you want to…	Go to…
Bring data in from CSV, AGS, or GeoDinML files	Importing Data
Build cross-sections between boreholes	Creating Cross Sections
Visualize boreholes on a map	Getting Started with Maps
Query your database	Creating Queries
Produce a full report	Report Templates

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Stuck on any step? See Troubleshooting or Get Support.