Database Query

[Nigel]

Hi,

i do not have any experience with Access though it does seem pretty straight
forward to use up to a certain point. i am an excel guy but i think Access is
what i need for this.
I need a database that will handle the following:

generate and store quotes to lookup via client or project number,

make purchase orders and the purchaces logged against the project,

enter workers hours against the project to reference hours to quote,

add suppliers with ability to look up suppliers and see materials they
provide with cost,

Add clients,

log employee days time including holiday etc,

work staff timesheet entries,

so basically i could follow a project or a multiple of and know how much
each project is spending etc etc.

i am not looking for this to be free, however i would like to find out where
i can get one from either by web site or someone to build one. i have shopped
around and they are all either far too expensive as in £30,000 for a 3 person
licence which i have been quoted. i like the look of access and its ability
to be compatible with other office packages only i do not have the time to
learn the packake to make such a complex database.

Can anyone either help me or point me in the direction of a good access
database supplier?


thanks in advance,


Nigel

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Nigel

It sounds very much like you are describing a project management
application. Have you looked into the product Microsoft offers (MS
Project)? Much lower cost, but you'll need to learn to use it.

The accounting portion looks like an ... accounting package. What do you
need to do that a commercial accounting application can't do? Ditto on cost
& learning.

You have a start on the "requirements", but you may wish to hire some
consulting time to develop detailed specifications, which you could then use
to evaluate commercial software or spell out the development you need.

--
Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP


Microsoft IT Academy Program Mentor
http://microsoftitacademy.com/

 

[Nigel]

Hi Jeff,

its not an accounting package as such. i use sage for that. what i need is a
package where i will cost a project, make purchase orders that deduct off the
project, add employee hours that deduct off the package so i can have easy
access to any project at any time and get the information to hand very
quickly. i currently use Excel which is ok but every job has its own book and
own other files which is quite time consuming when i am trying to retrieve
data. it is a management package but accounting.
i looked at MS Project but it is quite difficult and doesn't offer the "to
hand" information a database would. i am just looking for a system that has
all information readily available in a central station where multiple users
can update information without having to wait for a user to finish & close
the file first.


Regards,


Nigel

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Nigel

My experience has been that Access has a fairly steep learning curve. If
you've not been working with Access, and if you've not been working with
normalized, relational databases, you could put in a fair amount of work to
pull together what it sounds like you're looking for.

If you'll be the only one using the finished application, you can leave
some of the user-friendly aspects out (since you'll know what you can and
cannot do by that point). If anyone else may be using it, you'll either
need to train them up, or add in ease-of-use features to make it less likely
they'll break something or get lost.

Either way, I suspect this represents some study and work if you decide to
do it yourself... even if someone from the newsgroup can offer you a
template. Speaking of templates, take a look at the Microsoft site --
perhaps they have a template that already does some of what you're looking
to do.

Best of luck on your project

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP


Microsoft IT Academy Program Mentor
http://microsoftitacademy.com/

 

[TC]

I think you are hugely underestimating what it would take to do that
properly, in a database product like Access. It's nothing like a
spreadsheet approach.

If you really want to do it yourself, the critical thing to get right
first, is the structures of the database tables. Do not even /think/ of
writing any queries, forms or reports, until you have the tables right.
To do that, create an english language narrative description of your
data needs, & post a question in
microsoft.public.access.tablesdbdesign, to ask for guidance on the
table structure.

Or pay a few hundred dollars for an off-the-shelf product, and save
your self a large learning curve, and probably /at least/ 6 months'
work!

HTH,
TC (MVP Access)
http://tc2.atspace.com

 

[TC]

PS. or go for a template, as Jeff suggested. If you could find a
suitable template, that would save you tons of work.

TC

 

[Bretsw]

I've done nearly every task you described in an Access database that I have
now been nearly 6 years. My service db tracks over 7000 jobs and tracks
timesheets and service reports, purchase orders, bill to information.
vendors, associated with each job. Tracks labor and material costs and
compares them against estimated cost. Prints job cost reports, service
reports for customers.

I also recently created a nearly identical db for our construction division
and this version unlike the service db requires users to log in and tracks
who does what.
I also have setup permissions so that only certain groups are allowed to
delete or modify certain records.

Both of my db's use a front end for user interface and forms and have the
actual data stored in a backend database.

Like you I am an Excel guy at heart but I found Access is the only way to do
handle the tasks. In addition the space required on my servers is fractional
compared to the hd space that a complex Excel spreadsheet/database would
require.
Speed of use is also a major reason to switch to Access.

So yes Access is the right application to use.

If you think your database will be in service for some years you might
consider creating it in the SQL version to improve its future connectivity.

 

[Nigel]

Hi Bretsw,

Sounds like it is just the thing. how long did it take you to read up and
build your db? i have a very demanding job so i don't always get the time to
learn new things. i am sure Access is the right tool yo use and if you can
have users to log on too, well thats even better. do you supply databases or
are they strictly purpose built?

as requested previously, i am looking to purchase one ( easy way out i
suppose ) and Access seems to be the most adaptable as i could enhance as
required rather than getting a £1000.00 per day technician to which i am
currently being quoted. i only have a small business and these costs are far
tooooo high!

thanks,


Nigel