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  1. #1
    gangel is offline Competent Performer
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 64bit
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    194

    Is sharepoint what i should use?

    Hey everyone, below is my scenario, I'm just after some advice on the correct direction I should be developing in!



    - My company uses a program (MS access db, split db) named "Logik"
    It is primary a data input program with a bunch of specific functions to do with the industry of Pharmacy.


    over 150 pharmacies send us paperwork that they have written summaries for on paper.
    We then take this paperwork (Prescriptions), check the summaries and then input the data into our own program and so on so on.

    What I'm looking at is something that I can run off a website that people at the Pharmacies can enter their data in themselves.
    They still send us the paperwork but when we receive it we can just "accept" a batch of information they have input.

    Now my conscience is saying that this is a sharepoint server. They can enter data to temp tables with their own ID, and only see their own data.

    The issue here is that I would then be up for about $4 per chemist per month...

    Although its a great deal for bigger companies, I don't know if losing $500/month profit is going to give me the increased effiency that the cost is buying!

    Any options/opinions?

    My other thought was just making an access program for them to use, which extracts data into excel and shoots it over to me on email, but it just seems so.... 1990 lol

    Thanks for anyones help

    Gangel

  2. #2
    ItsMe's Avatar
    ItsMe is offline Sometimes Helpful
    Windows 8 Access 2013
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
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    7,862
    I am not an expert with SharePoint. The way I see it, SharePoint is great for enterprise sized organizations that have many Power Users. The IT department can maintain SharePoint and Power Users can create user interfaces for their respective departments. Having said that, there are pay as you go SaaS versions of Access online. The version of Office 365 is eluding me right now, though.

    Historically, these things have been managed with a Web Server and a MySQL database. A specific technology stack would be employed to implement the User interface. For instance, Ruby on Rails or PHP would provide the framework for a web browser to communicate to the server.

    So, you probably could use Office 365 to accomplish what you need. I would not recommend using an on premises server with SharePoint for the sole purposes of collecting form data from your clients. You would need to understand more about what Microsoft offers with their Software as a Service, regarding SharePoint and Microsoft Access. I don't know the answers to questions like security and allowing public access to SharePoint online. I am not aware of any active members here that have more info, either.

    Whatever the answer is, I suspect getting some professional advice would be the feasible thing to do. I would follow up with a security specialist regarding any solution offered by a consultant.

  3. #3
    gangel is offline Competent Performer
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 64bit
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Posts
    194
    Thanks again for your honest feedback.

    I was now thinking that would something like the below be an option:

    Share a dropbox folder with every client,
    They run a front end that inputs the data, then when they "close" a claim, it will export a csv/excel to the folder, where i can just get it from my end...

    Kind of solves most issues doesnt it...?

  4. #4
    ItsMe's Avatar
    ItsMe is offline Sometimes Helpful
    Windows 8 Access 2013
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    7,862
    Yes, that is a common technique that was used with websites a while back. The User opens a browser that includes a submit form. The User fills out the form and POSTs the data to the web server. The web server stores that data as a text file or an XML file. Then, from your office, you download and parse the files on the server.

    I am not sure how dropbox works. I have done similar stuff with Access and ftp. Using a web hosting service like Go Daddy or Network Solutions, you could have an Access file upload a text file to a secure location on their servers. IIRC, the ftp VBA examples out there use some of the older versions of ftp and sending a secure file transfer will not be very straight forward.

Please reply to this thread with any new information or opinions.

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