Relational db and Microsoft Outlook application

[Steve Naidich]

I need to develop a custom database application. The application involves
contacts and companies - data that you would normally store in Microsoft
Outlook / Exchange. The application also has many other functions, data and
reports that are industry specific. These features would not be handled
well by Outlook. The application / database will be multi-user.

It does not make sense to re-invent the wheel. Outlook can already store
all the contact info, keep journals, calendars etc... Outlook can synch
with handheld devices. Outlook can NOT handle the industry specific
features.

I need to be able to print up-to-date client/contact reports so I do not
want to maintain two copies of contact data, nor do I want to require double
data entry.

Any ideas how to integrate access and the non-relational Outlook? I have
played around with linking Access 2003 to Microsoft Exchange public contact
folders and have had little to no success. Contacts in outlook do not seem
to have unique id's. Also, there is no relation between Companies and
contacts in Outlook. If I update a company address in one record, I must
update the address record for every other contact who works at that company.
If I have two separate datastores, one in access and one in Outlook, I need
to keep them in-synch.

Thoughts, suggestions, advice?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Karl Aavik]

Steve,

I have been struggling with the same issue. I looked at Outlook Business
Contact Manager, which uses the MSDE relational database, but it is toooo
limited in functionality to do anything. I'm now playing with a product
called TabTag (www.tabtag.com), which seems to do a nice job of integrating
Outlook with an SQL database (either MSDE or SQL Server). You can get a
single user download for free.

I'd be interested in learning more about what you are doing ... maybe we
could share efforts?

Karl Aavik