Is Access a practical solution for an HR database?

[learn2know]

If so, are there examples on the Web?

 

[mnature]

Yes, Access can be used quite nicely for an HR database. I did a google
search, and found there are many companies that are willing to sell you the
rights to use their HR database software. I did not see anything resembling
a sample program. This is probably because HR is a complicated field, and it
takes a lot of effort to put together a decent database for a specialized
application like that.

No matter what you use for an HR database, you should put the computer(s)
that run the database behind a hefty firewall, or better yet, not have them
connected to the outside world at all. HR information is very sensitive, and
should be protected. Just putting passwords on a server share, or on the
database, is not enough.

 

[Bob Miller]

I developed (and am continually developing) an HR database for our
company. It does a lot of things like doing EEO reports, Seniority
Lists, Pension forms, Safety reports, Training tracking. etc. Before
we went to electronic time clocks it tracked absences.
It all started with moving the Absentee db from Paradox to Access 97
and I have kept adding features since.
You could start with the basic employee table (name, address, phone,
etc) with associated tables such as departments, jobs, etc. and build
from there.
The question that has to be answered is, "What do I want out of this
db.?"
Once you determine that, design your tables. Next figure out how to
get the dat into the db (form) and then how to extract it (queries and
reports)
I have even created a way to address envelops for Christmas cards that
determines how to address it based on marital status and sex (e.g.
employee Carol Smith who is married to John would be addressed Mr. and
Mrs. John Smith)
If you would like me to send you my table designs send an email to
bmiller at smurfit dot com.
Good luck
Don't forget to split your db.

 

[Sam]

How about Time Tracking for the hours worked in a pay period...do you have
anything on that?

 

[Bob Miller]

I download data from our Time Management system (WorkBrain) to Access
monthly. I use this data to perform various tasks such as injury rates
and cost center distribution of labor.
I also have the HR person responsible for entering employee info into
PeopleSoft do a download of assigned shifts from WorkBrain (WorkBrain
feeds from PeopleSoft and vice versa.
If I were to design a time management facit of our HR system, I would
have a table that would include EmployeeID, date, and TimeIn & TimeOut
or HoursWorked.
BTW, I have found that for the system to work you have to give the
people entering info something in return. Our incentive is the mailing
labels, and other automation that w wouldn't have if we didn't have the
db.

 

[learn2know]

Thanks Bob. I appreciate your answer and work and your willingness to share
your table designs. I am definitely interested. I am working against a time
constraint and while endeavoring not to recreate the wheel. I was hoping
that there is a downloadable sample(s) on the web, but there are none that I
could find. In that regard, I would like to see if your table designs fit
the parameters of the departmental database that we're trying to create.
There is a corporate database, but it is too extensive for our
inter-departmental needs.

Within the department we want to track: basic employee data, performance
review/evaluations, disciplinary actions/improvement program, reminders,
emergency info, and notes.

If you have any tables that fit these categories, I am grateful to you for
sharing it with me. I will also email you at the address you provided.
Thanks again Bob!

 

[Bob Miller]

If you have emailed me I haven't received it. Remember to replace dot
with a . and at with @ in the address that I posted.