Inventory Database / Scanner / Server

[Matthew]

Hello, I'm new to the forums!



I'm working on converting an Excel Spreadsheet over to an Access Database for an inventory of products for a small-business.

The goal is to allow users to scan products into and out of the inventory using a barcode scanner either at the warehouse, or in the field.

All of this I am able to grasp, but from a hardware standpoint I'm lost.

I was looking for advice on if a a server would be necessary and which types of servers are available to help accomplish this for a small-business.

Thanks in advance!

[RayMilhon]

Depends on Several Factors. Number of Employees requiring Access, Data Volume.

If your initial Database is Under 100 MB and your daily growth under 5 MB and total employees under 10 you probably don't need a server.

However, Remember Access has a 2 GB Limit. As soon as you start getting close to that you will have performance problems. Also Access in a multi-user environment works pretty well up to about 10 concurrent users. After that you'll have issues.

It'll be a huge improvement over what you currently have using Excel. Just keep those limitations in mind. Do a thorough analysis of your data needs and potential growth. You may be able to use Access for a year or two but plan to upgrade at some point to a Server with SQL Server standard edition.

Another thing to keep in mind is your database structure. Make sure you do a thorough analysis of your data needs keeping data normalization formost in your analysis. You do not want to store your data in Access in the same structure you store it in Excel. It'll kill ya when your business grows enough.

[Matthew]

After looking over the needs of the business and this project I have determined:

- The database will probably NOT exceed the 2GB limit.
- Only 2 employees would have access to using the database for queries and whatnot.
- No more than 4 employees would need to update information via the scanners.

So in your professional opinion, would it be safe to say that a server isn't necessary, and this database could be rolled out using just a standard desktop PC?

Thanks again for your input.