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  • #1

    Microsoft Access?

    Alright, I'm trying to figure the best way to do this. It's really basic, I feel a little silly, but oh well. I'm trying to convert a hand written ledger of customer names, job numbers, addresses, etc to an electronic form. Searchable. That's the most important thing. If this works, we will manually enter many years of records. I started to use Excel, but it's not easy to search, and it seems really hard to find a way to get multiple search results.

    Microsoft Access seems like what I should use, I would like to set it up similar to how this video shows, however that's some utility you have to buy? So Access doesn't provide this type of search, and I would have to build it myself? The whole thing has to be super easy, since I'm not the only one who would be entering records. In fact, once the basics are in place, it will all be done by others. I did convert what I had into Access, but can't seem to figure out how to do the kind of search I need. I can certainly use the "find and replace" but I was hoping for the search like in the video. I feel like I'm missing something super simple. The people I'm making this for honestly want to just open the program and have a blank screen with a search bar. *sigh*

    Basically, all I need is an easy way to enter large amounts of records, and to search the records. No math, I won't need to print forms, or do anything with the info except FIND the info.
    Replace anger management with stupidity management.
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  • #2
    If everything's in one table (a flat file database), I don't think there would be a huge difference between Excel and Access. If someone inhouse is gonna have to make these forms/shortcuts (which seems likely), just see which one they prefer. It's been so long since I did that kind of stuff, I wouldn't even know where to begin anymore x.x

    One significant difference when adding data/searching in the raw data, however, is this: Excel saves only when you slick "save" (this is a good thing, especially when searching on the raw data). Access saves as you go, whenever you finish a record (line), even if not all of the columns contain data.

    Both programs can run searches with specific criteria and set filters, which his forms seem to be automating (it's late, I only got about halfway through)
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    • #3
      I think Access is the right tool for this, because you can build a form for the people to enter the data, and make it idiot proof too, because you can say things like"This field can only hold a 5 digit number and if the the number is shorter add zeros in front." Very handy to avoid mistakes!

      You can build forms like in the video yourself, they might not have the same functionality, but very similar.

      And you can prevent accidential changes to the data, too.

      Get thee a book about the Access version you use and start playing!
      No trees were killed in the posting of this message.

      However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

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      • #4
        'Kay, thanks! I'm probably going to hold off, because this is something I'd be paid to do and I want to explain how much longer it's going to take than they thought it would. It's for my parent's roofing company, and I can 100% guarantee that they'll be like "but why? we just want to search some files..." I have explained that they CAN search right now, but they want a much more sophisticated search, "like google." Yes, that was said, no they don't realize why that's unrealistic.
        Replace anger management with stupidity management.

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        • #5
          Ahem...

          I've heard of Access, but only in terms of "oh dog why are you using *that* as a database?" on TDWTF.

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          • #6
            Hey... Access can make a nice frontend for real databases! For notalwaysright it is the right tool for the job needed.

            @notalwaysright Try that with your 'rents: Why does it take so long to roof that roof, you're only nailing/glueing/whatever onto the roof! It looks so easy I could do it myself!
            I bet your parents have heard all these lines and more. Just because it looks easy it doesn't mean it is.
            No trees were killed in the posting of this message.

            However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

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            • #7
              Access is perfectly fine for smallish databases, but it is not really built for 50,000+ records. Really, Access shines if you want to set up data tables, then make a simple GUI interface so people aren't directly inputting the data. It will really help if you know some basic-to-mid-level SQL to really tweak everything.

              Fifteen years ago, I could have built an Access DB to handle that in my sleep, with GUI, but that was before Office started using years to denote releases.

              Now get off my 8-bit lawn!
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              • #8
                You might want to check out www.bookboon.com for free books about Access (and other IT stuff).
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                However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

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                • #9
                  I was thinking MySQL with phpMyAdmin (I think that's what it's called)

                  That way you have an ACTUAL database. Though the "search" might be a bit of coding on your part...
                  Skilled programmers aren't cheap. Cheap programmers aren't skilled.

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                  • #10
                    Quoth mjr View Post
                    I was thinking MySQL with phpMyAdmin (I think that's what it's called)

                    That way you have an ACTUAL database. Though the "search" might be a bit of coding on your part...
                    PITA to install sometimes. It's nicely packaged into XAMP (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html) however to build a front end the OP may still have to look at some PHP etc.

                    phpMyAdmin does allow bulk loading and searching of data I think (as you say it may require basic DML for a search), although for a small DB should the licensing for Access not be a problem it may well be the best option as backup/recovery and initial learning curve will be lower than "proper databases".

                    For modelling the DB structure QSEE is free and will generate the DDL to create the structure. http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/qsee/index.htm
                    Last edited by Amadan; 09-15-2015, 10:12 PM.
                    Not y3k compatible

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                    • #11
                      Quoth Geek King View Post
                      Access is perfectly fine for smallish databases, but it is not really built for 50,000+ records.
                      From personal experience, this. Up until recently, my office had a large Access-based database that was linked to a "front end" done with Visual Basic. While it worked, as we saved more and more records, some of the tables (such as the one that contained our trading data) would cause the entire works to slow down when you ran a query. Nothing we could do about that, since it simply wasn't designed to handle that much data.

                      Anyway, once we had the tables set up, it was a simple matter of generating forms that were used to input the actual data. You'd go into Form View, pick the fields you needed, and you were good to go.

                      We eventually ditched Access, because the wait for records to load...was becoming annoying. Access just isn't designed for large databases--SQL is a much better choice.
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