Intro

[paul_y3k]

Hi all,
Just thought I'd say hi and apologise in advance for all the questions that Im about to post.


My wife runs a little back room business and has countless excel spreadsheets and piles of paperwork which I want to replace with a database, some nice forms and try to make her life (and mine) easier.
I'm not to familiar with database programming, or design so consider myself very much a beginner. That said, I'm normally able to pick things up pretty quickly.

So with a bit of luck, reading the forums, and some help from you guys I hope to make some progress.

cheers !

[JoeM]

Welcome aboard!

I'm not to familiar with database programming, or design so consider myself very much a beginner. That said, I'm normally able to pick things up pretty quickly.

A word of warning, Access is a bit different than Excel. It is very powerful. but not nearly as intuitive. The learning curve is much steeper. While you may be able to pick up on how to do a few simple tasks quickly, there are really no shortcuts to creating a well designed database that works well and is easy to use. If you do not have a good grasp on things like Relational Database Design and Rules of Data Normalization, you can program yourself in a corner rather quickly, and cause yourself mountains of frustration (believe me, I have been there!).

If you really want to create a nice database, I would highly recommend taking a little time to familiarize yourself with these concepts, and maybe either take an into to Access class or get an introductory book. Believe me, it will pay dividends down the road, and save yourself from needless frustration! And of course, these forums are great when you run into obstacles and need help with specific tasks.

Here are a few links to get you started:
http://www.deeptraining.com/litwin/d...aseDesign.aspx
http://www.accessmvp.com/Strive4Peace/Index.htm

Good luck and happy programming!