n00b needs help

[Clernix]

I have dabbled in Access but never went beyond a basic knowledge. I am thinking about learning MySQL or Access in the short term and probably both over the next couple years. I am not sure which one to learn first. I work in a call center and we have an issue with pulling the data from three sources all of which can be exported to excel. I need to merge these three data sets and query them. One of the sheets will have multiple entries attach to a number and some would have only one. But the numbers would act as uniform identifiers across all spread sheets.

Given the first task I would like to do should I learn Access first or MySQL?

Any help is greatly appreciated

[aytee111]

Learn database table design! That will cover you for all database systems. Although is sounds as if you aren't looking for a database system, but want to use Access to pull data from one system and push it to another, without any permanent data storage.

[ranman256]

You cant build a house until you get the bricks.

[orange]

As the others have said learn about database design - whether Access, MySQL, Oracle.... Relational database concepts and principles apply to all.

Access vs MySQL depends on your ultimate requirement. It seems you have and use Excel, which may focus your solution. You haven't told us what/why Excel - or whether that may be replaced as well.

There are several excellent, free "nuggets" related to Analysis and design on youtube by BA-Experts. They are very well done and humorous, and well worth watching to get re-oriented with analysis techniques.

Good luck.

[CJ_London]

MySQL is just the table part of an application - the backend - plus queries which in access are in the front end. Access provides not only the backend in the form of ACE (but could be MySQL or SQL server instead) but also provides the means to create a front end so also has an involvement with form and report design. For MySQL and other db's you would typically use something like html for the front end.

SQL code is similar in most respects regardless of the server. You can do some things in MySQL which you can't do in Access and visa versa.

[Clernix]

The database would be temporary. It would only be used to run queries from one user on the data for a short period of time. The idea would be to import the three spreadsheets into a database or three databases linked. All of them have the same identifier. Two sheets have one piece of information with the unique identifier and one sheet will have multiple pieces of information with the unique identifier.

Data Base table design would be covered in Access. I did create a few tables and link them in a class I had. I am thinking about buying the book Access New Perspectives. I used the Excel version to learn Excel and its a very good book.


I am completely new to this so table design for me means what I would do in Access. I'm not really looking for a quick fix. I am starting from point 0 and I am willing to put in the time.

[aytee111]

For your purposes, you can link to the external tables (External Data > then select the external data source type, which may or may not be recognized by Access).

Next, go into query design and create a list of data with the fields that you would like to export it to Excel.

Create a new blank form. Add a command button. In its OnClick event create a macro which exports the query to Excel.

And learn database design.

[orange]

I am completely new to this so table design for me means what I would do in Access. I'm not really looking for a quick fix. I am starting from point 0 and I am willing to put in the time.

There are links here that should help.
Good luck.