Is Access fit for my purpose?

[MikeMurray]

I'm unsure as to whether Access is the right program for what I require. I've tried for almost a fortnight to get the answers I need by searching forums and tutorials but I've had to resort to the forums.

I work in a post room and we're working to further our paperless environment.

We currently record the details of every piece of mail we receive by recorded delivery, every piece we send out, and all incoming and outgoing equipment. I would like to work towards putting this in a database so that we aren't all getting up and down and swapping the various folders back and forth.

The questions I have before I request an Access 2010 install from our IT department are these:

1. Is it possible for multiple users to add entries to the database at the same time? This is vital as it would cause great confusion if we had to take turns to add records.

2. Is it possible to create a macro to add a new entry? And does every machine need a full install of Access to use this?



3. Difficulty wise, how does adding a new entry compare to, say, adding entries in an Excel document? There are some people on the team that don't pick things up as quickly as others.

I've been able to follow the basic and intermediate tutorials on YouTube and I'm able to install and even create basics macros in Excel.

I'm able to have Access 2010 installed on all machines but would rather it on only a few if possible.

We have access to a shared drive.

[JamesDeckert]

1. Is it possible for multiple users to add entries to the database at the same time? This is vital as it would cause great confusion if we had to take turns to add records.
yes, data resides on shared drive, each computer has the program.

2. Is it possible to create a macro to add a new entry? And does every machine need a full install of Access to use this?
Not sure what you mean, but you can write macros or VBA. Either a full install or the runtime (free - but this will introduce additional coding challenges)

3. Difficulty wise, how does adding a new entry compare to, say, adding entries in an Excel document? There are some people on the team that don't pick things up as quickly as others.
If the DB is designed properly it should be easier than giving someone access to an Excel document to mess up. This will be harder for the DB designer, but easier for the user.

[orange]

A few questions to consider:

How big is your organization?
How extensive is the IT Department? What authority does it have?
Does your organization have documented data management practices/standards?
Do you have anyone(management) supporting this proposed project/database application?

[orange]

Mike,

You may find this article by Luc Chung(FMS) worth reading to help with the use of Access in an Organization.
http://www.fmsinc.com/microsoftaccess/Strategy/