Newbie needs help on setting up database!!!

[JC]

Greetings everyone,

I am an accounts person but was tasked to setup a database. My very limited
experience with Access was based on learning whatever I can from Access help.
So far, I managed to get a test database working after weeks of bumping
around and now i need to present it to management and users.

The database's requirements are very basic, contains the following:
- A few tables to store data with relationships to each other, For example,
Quotation, Client, Supplier, etc.
- Respective forms to input data into the tables, for example, Add data,
Edit Data for each table
- Some reports for reviewing of data required by users, Quotation status,
Client details, etc.
- A switchboard with sub-switchboards to help users to navigate around.

The problem I face now is I need to do a demo and have feedback from users.
What are the things I need to ask the users for feedbacks? I think this
question is quite general as there are probably thousand and one things to
ask them. But I mean just the fundamentals, things that I MUST know to
ensure the database do not die on me.

 

[Vincent Johns]

OK, now you have your test database working, kind of. Of the list of
requirements, which have you not yet taken care of? Several of these
can be accomplished with the help of various Wizards that Access
provides, such as the Switchboard Wizard.

Concerning a demo, have you yourself tried to produce each of the
reports that you will need to have working? (Such as the status of each
open quotation.) I assume that you have a few records of dummy data in
each of your Tables, and perhaps you ran the Reports a while ago.

My guess is that the main reason to run a test with users is to check
out the data-entry functions (via some Forms, I assume) and the user
interface for requesting output (maybe via the Switchboard and some
dialog boxes to allow the user to specify a range of dates or someone's
name). But your Tables, I think, need to have a reasonably
comprehensive collection of dummy data to provide a realistic experience
for your testers.

Most of the "requirements" in your list look to me like descriptions of
the way that you'd go about doing something related to a database, not
like a list of useful work that the database must be capable of
performing. I would have expected to see something like a list of the
data that an agent would need to record for a new rental contract, or a
fairly detailed description of a sales report that a manager might request.

I suggest that you check out some of the example databases that the
Database Wizard can generate (via, for example, File --> New -->
Databases tab --> Ledger), or that you load and play with the "Northwind
Traders" sample database, to get some additional ideas of what you might
be able to do.

-- Vincent Johns <[email protected]>
Please feel free to quote anything I say here.

 

[JC]

Hi Vincent,

Many thanks for your response.

You are right, I have the database running at a very primative level,
meaning, able to input data, retrieve them in simple reports or queries with
simple calculations. Managed to do all this with Access help and the
northwind database. Have tested the functionality of the forms and reports.
So far they seem to be working fine.

We are a new setup and do not have a complete system with this being an
attempt to start off. As we build up our processes and data, we will need
more "advanced" functions like those you mentioned which I will need to
explore later on, such as running a query to generate a quotation amount
based on some of the historical data of similar factors, such as project
type, client type, etc. But that I will leave to a later date.

Right now, the demo is basically to let the users be involved to get a look
and feel of what is in place. My greatest fear now is that is my database
fundamentally sound and secure? Which I believe it will be hard to try to
get anyone to answer that unless you know fully what we do and how my
database is setup.

So, what I am hoping to have is to know what are the things that I need to
look out for to prevent a meltdown or a need to rebuild the whole system as I
am new to Access.

 

[tina]

The problem I face now is I need to do a demo and have feedback from
users.

What are the things I need to ask the users for feedbacks? I think this
question is quite general as there are probably thousand and one things to
ask them. But I mean just the fundamentals, things that I MUST know to
ensure the database do not die on me.

the user is not going to be able to give you that information - that's a
development issue. from your users, you want to know if the database is easy
to use: are the forms intuitive? is the "flow" of data entry forms logical
and easy to navigate, and can most (if not all) of the data entry be done
without being *required* to use the mouse? are the forms easy on the eye?
(see http://home.att.net/~california.db/tips.html#aTip12 for my comments on
that issue.)

putting multiple users in the database at the same time will test its'
performance in a multi-user environment. but before you do that, you should
first do everything you can (within reason) to make sure the database is
optimized for multiple users. to that end, see the following links:
http://home.bendbroadband.com/conradsystems/accessjunkie/splitting.html
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/performancefaq.htm

suggest you bookmark the following sites for future reference - and you will
have future references, believe me!
http://www.mvps.org/access/
http://home.bendbroadband.com/conradsystems/accessjunkie/resources.html

hth

 

[JC]

Hi Tina,

Thanks a bunch. The links are very useful.

 

[tina]

you're welcome, and good luck!

Hi Tina,

Thanks a bunch. The links are very useful.