new to database work. need some help.

JDub02

Diamond Member
Sep 27, 2002
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I'm an on-scene rep for an engineering company providing technical oversight and my job involves reviewing procedures, component discrepency reports, along with passing trouble records back to the engineers at our lab to resolve.

Right now we track everything in an Excel spreadsheet, which certainly has its drawbacks, such as its inability to query and generate reports. I've got some downtime for the next couple of months, so I've decided to create a database that will track these things more efficiently.

Is MS Access the right tool to use? Can anyone recommend a web site or book(s) that could help me understand DB design so I can put this together right? I've been able to get the basic concept from some Google searching, but nothing seems to give me enough depth to build something I'd actually want to use.

 

clamum

Lifer
Feb 13, 2003
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MS Access would probably be the easiest tool to use to create the database, but depending on your requirements, it may not be the best choice. How many records are you looking at storing? Do you have an idea of how many fields/columns you'll be keeping track of?

Another option would be to use SQL Server, which has a price tag (though I believe the Express version is free), or MySQL which is free. But I suppose unless your requirements are pretty steep then the MS Access database choice would be perfectly fine. I've worked on some pretty large and important applications that have been driven off of Access databases without a problem.

As for database design and learning SQL (query language to retrieve, store, modify database tables and their records), check out W3Schools for a SQL introduction and just Google for a database intro (something like "relational database design" or "relational database introduction") like this.
 

EagleKeeper

Discussion Club Moderator<br>Elite Member
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Oct 30, 2000
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I built a very similar thing for a client back in '05.

Relational database back end with a user front end to allow tracking of trouble reports/issues for multiple componetns of the product line.

Different levels of access based on user login.

I can dig up some UI snapshots if interested.
 

Fallen Kell

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,208
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You should not be trying to build something like this if you are asking questions like this. Go look at any of a thousand help desk ticket software solutions that are already out there. Remedy comes to mind as a good one to start looking at:

http://www.bmc.com/BMC/Common/...9862_109299535,00.html

I am just laying out the facts here... Databases are not something to fool with for a project like the one you are trying. While the right tool is a database driven model, if you have never worked with databases, doing something like this is not the product to learn it. Learn on something like a database to put customer information into it, like contacts, phones, products owned, jobs done, etc... Don't try and setup a database which is going to need to be accessed from multiple locations potentially across the internet with critical information for the first time, especially without having someone who knows how to harden it from attacks...
 

JDub02

Diamond Member
Sep 27, 2002
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Originally posted by: clamum
MS Access would probably be the easiest tool to use to create the database, but depending on your requirements, it may not be the best choice. How many records are you looking at storing? Do you have an idea of how many fields/columns you'll be keeping track of?

Another option would be to use SQL Server, which has a price tag (though I believe the Express version is free), or MySQL which is free. But I suppose unless your requirements are pretty steep then the MS Access database choice would be perfectly fine. I've worked on some pretty large and important applications that have been driven off of Access databases without a problem.

As for database design and learning SQL (query language to retrieve, store, modify database tables and their records), check out W3Schools for a SQL introduction and just Google for a database intro (something like "relational database design" or "relational database introduction") like this.

I'm looking at 3-400 trouble records and 5-600 procedures over the course of the next 5 years, although not evenly spread out. MS Access is what I have access to (no pun intended). I've been looking at relational database design and have started building a DB. That seems like the easy part. Looks like the hard part is going to be creating a usable front end.
 

JDub02

Diamond Member
Sep 27, 2002
6,209
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Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
I built a very similar thing for a client back in '05.

Relational database back end with a user front end to allow tracking of trouble reports/issues for multiple componetns of the product line.

Different levels of access based on user login.

I can dig up some UI snapshots if interested.

That would be great. The UI has always been my weakest area.
 

JDub02

Diamond Member
Sep 27, 2002
6,209
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Originally posted by: Fallen Kell
You should not be trying to build something like this if you are asking questions like this. Go look at any of a thousand help desk ticket software solutions that are already out there. Remedy comes to mind as a good one to start looking at:

http://www.bmc.com/BMC/Common/...9862_109299535,00.html

I am just laying out the facts here... Databases are not something to fool with for a project like the one you are trying. While the right tool is a database driven model, if you have never worked with databases, doing something like this is not the product to learn it. Learn on something like a database to put customer information into it, like contacts, phones, products owned, jobs done, etc... Don't try and setup a database which is going to need to be accessed from multiple locations potentially across the internet with critical information for the first time, especially without having someone who knows how to harden it from attacks...

What I'm trying to create is actually far more simple than what you're suggesting. It's really only going to be accessed by a handful of people on a closed network. I've used Remedy before and all I would need is an extremely basic version of that. Remedy (and most IT trouble call tracking software) is way more powerful that what I require.

We currently use a spreadsheet to track everything and that works, except there's no way to query and generate reports.
 

Kntx

Platinum Member
Dec 11, 2000
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You can definately create reports in Excel. If you have your sheets set up in a regular way you can create consol sheets to pull everything in and aggregate however you like. Find a good accountant in your organization to talk to. They do amazing things with Excel.
 

Unheard

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2003
3,774
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Have them give me $500 and I'll get them all setup (hehe).

Access would probably be the easiest for you to learn/use. If you get into the raw SQL side of things, it is a good way to get into full blow SQL server.