Need suggestions to build Interface to select/view MS Access Data

[kansaskannan]

I need to build an interface through which users can select (a) period
(b) customer attributes, (c) product attributes, and (d) performance
attributes. e.g., for a given period how did a particular set of
customers do with a given product, and what margins did we obtain on
it? The data resides in a large MS Access flat file.

Once the required data attributes are selected, the output generated
will be a table showing the data. If possible, I would like to have an
accompanying chart.

This will be a single user application.

I would welcome advice on what 'platform' to build the interface in.
Should I do this in
A) Excel. (am most familiar with Excel VBA)
B) Visual Basic 6.0 (am less familiar with VB)
C) Access Database itself. (least familiar with creating reports in
Access)

I use Windows XP, and Office 2000; and do not wish to buy new software
to meet my needs.

I have heard of OLAP Cubes, but am not sure what they are or if they
apply to my current problem.

Any suggestions, pointers to online literature or web sites.. ... would
be much appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Tony Toews]

I need to build an interface through which users can select (a) period
(b) customer attributes, (c) product attributes, and (d) performance
attributes. e.g., for a given period how did a particular set of
customers do with a given product, and what margins did we obtain on
it? The data resides in a large MS Access flat file.

In Access you could create a form with controls which allow your users
to filter the data. You could then run a query which calculates the
margins. Your queries could use criteria which are based on values
in the forms controls.

Then, if the number of records are less than 64 K in Office 2003, you
could export the data to Excel.

A) Excel. (am most familiar with Excel VBA)
B) Visual Basic 6.0 (am less familiar with VB)
C) Access Database itself. (least familiar with creating reports in
Access)

Doing this in VB would also be possible. But Access would likely be
easier to get things working in terms of linked tables and queries.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
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