So here is the thing:
I started an engineering internship with a tug and barge company this summer. My boss wanted me to build him a vessel maintenance management system using which he could
1) Enter records of maintenance completed
2) Enter records of regulatory inspections completed
3) View a history of maintenance and inspections completed
4) View all upcoming maintenance and inspections, tiered by priority.
5) An alert function for tasks upcoming within a given time duration
6) A way to print a report for work history (3) and a worklist (4)
7) There would be a separate workbook for each vessel. Easily add new components or inspections to book for it to track.
8) Easily copy and modify the workbook to work with a new vessel
I am a really computer savvy guy but had little to no knowledge of programming or macros. I do have a really good ability to pick up new computer skills quickly to get work done. As long as I have a defined problem, I can come up with solutions. It took me a little over two weeks to figure out how VBA works with Excel and build a system that does everything mentioned above really well. The maintenance and inspections work off of either time or engine hours. I figured out a way for the worksheet to pull the engine hours from another workbook that gets updated with running hours every month. Using "Hours to Go" till an overhaul or inspection is due and the average number of hours an engine runs over the course of a month, the workbook can predict when a new inspection or maintenance is coming up. All these inspections and maintenances are compiled into a sheet where they are prioritized using conditional formatting. Once an inspection or maint. is completed, my boss will select it from a drop down and hit a button which will paste the entry with a time stamp into a Work History sheet and at the same time, reset the Upcoming Work sheet so that the component or inspection gets an updated due date (satisfying 1, 2, 3 and 4). Then I figured out a way for Excel to send out an email using Outlook once a component or inspection fell within a certain "Days to Go" range (5). The email would contain the name of the vessel, the component or inspection that needs attention and the number of Days to Go. Currently working on figuring out how to have Excel automatically add the due dates to the Outlook Calendar. I am also in the process of streamlining 6,7 and 8, and just making the workbook robust in general. My boss is highly satisfied with this current system I built but I want to make it better. I want to explore all the possibilities.
I have two more months to go on the internship and I have just now started looking at MS Access. The program just seems to be a lot more clean-cut and has the same VBA capabilities. I am wondering if it would be worth it for me to move this whole program into Access or if it is a total crap shoot. As it stands right now, I know nothing about the program but I can learn quick and am pretty interested in learning about databases. I have already started playing around in Access, just exploring what it is capable of. So it is time for me to reach out to you Access gurus! Is it worth it? Are there any better options?