New to Access

[brink]

I work in the parts department of a new car dealership. We ar
frequently asked by customers for fluid capacities and types of thei
vehicles. Unfortunately this information is not in our parts catalog
so we must obtain the information from service manuals in the servic
department. I had the bright idea to gather this information and pu
it in a database, so I purchased Access. I have studied som
information regarding relational databases and I have a
understanding on relationships, however I just don't know how to pu
it to practice. For example, a 2005 Explorer has more than on
engine choice, transmission choice, front and rear axle choice etc.
Also these different engine, transmissions, etc. may fit differen
years and models. Would this constitute a many to many relationship
What key field would I use to gather all the related informatio
together? I like to create a form that would gather the year, mak
and model from a user and display all the fluid capacity and type
for that vehicle. Any help on getting me started in the righ
direction would be greatly appreciated

[Alan Webb]

Brink,
To get started you need a copy of Access. Create a new Access database.
Inside that database create your first table with column names for the
attributes of the things you want to make a list of. It's probably a good
idea to work with pencil & paper initially to figure out the columns of your
list, what sort of data will be stored in each column, and so on before you
build your table.
--
Alan Webb
kn*******@SPAMh otmail.com
"It's not IT, it's IS"

"brink" <br***@mygalaxy express-dot-com.no-spam.invalid> wrote in message
news:kq******** ************@gi ganews.com...

I like to get the discussion restarted regarding my original post.
What do I need to do to get started? I responded to Strasser's
question, so what do I do from here.

[Alan Webb]

Larry,
It's not so much what is wrong with Jet as it is what I miss from SQL
Server. Triggers, a much better security model, transaction logging and the
ability to recover from the logs, pretty cool support for data cubes, etc.,
are all things that are missing the versions of Jet & Access I own. There
is at least one bit of SQL which was complex enough that Jet wouldn't run it
but SQL Server would. One could make the case that perhaps my SQL was
needlessly complex but with my skillset it was what would get me the result
I wanted. These days I don't do anything with Access & Jet that requires
the things I miss in SQL Server so I just use plain vanilla .mdb's and a bit
of VBA to fill in the gaps where straightforward bound forms and Jet SQL are
not enough. If I work for money again I'd want to use SQL Server or MSDE if
at all possible because security, database triggers, and check constraints
are better suported in these DBMS's.
--
Alan Webb
kn*******@SPAMh otmail.com
"It's not IT, it's IS

"Larry Linson" <bo*****@localh ost.not> wrote in message
news:JK_2e.2842 5$Ax.19157@trnd dc04...

Alas, Alan, many of the "darts" you throw at Access just don't make sense,
unless you can't differentiate between Access (the end-user-interface and
development tool) and Jet (the default database engine).

There is no direct comparison between Access and MySQL, for example... one
is a UI tool that can be used with the included Jet database or with any
ODBC compliant database (including MySQL, for the record); the other is a
server database that has to have _some_ kind of front end or client UI.

In this area, the demand for developers seems to be picking up somewhat.
The
obsession of the Mighty Microsoft Marketing Machine with huge, enterprise,
distributed, web-based applications and the promotion of .NET has helped
the
image of those who develop applications for other environments.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

"Alan Webb" <kn*****@hotmai l.com> wrote in message
news:He******** ************@co mcast.com...

Larry,
I was in the S.F. Bay Area until 2001. These days I am in Richmond, Va.

and

in the middle of writing a book on a completely different subject. My
degree is in English Literature and computers were a hobby that turned

into

a career for a while. I'd go back to coding for money again if I found

the

right project/client/compensation. In the meantime I continue to enjoy
throwing darts at Access and trying to be helpful in this newsgroup.

--
Alan Webb
kn*******@SPAMh otmail.com
"It's not IT, it's IS

"Larry Linson" <bo*****@localh ost.not> wrote in message
news:1PL2e.2660 5$wL6.5607@trnd dc03...

> "Alan Webb" <kn*****@hotmai l.com> wrote
>
> > . . . I am still bitter, though, because
> > in the job market I competed in knowledge
> > of Access alone wasn't enough to keep me
> > employed. So I tend to trash Access a bit.
>
> Until the general business climate went South about 2000, in the Dallas - > Fort Worth area, the problem since 1994 had been finding enough Access
> people to fill the demand for Access developers.
>
> Most of my work was on Access clients to various backend server
> databases -
> Informix, Sybase SQL Anywhere, Sybase and MS SQL Server. But there was
> a
> good deal of demand, as well, for development of Access apps for
> individuall
> users and Access/Jet multiuser.
>
> There were, of course, areas where I didn't even bother trying to seek
> work -- companies with some server DB who had already decided that the
> client application had to be PowerBuilder, for example. And, it was always > helpful to have experience in and be skilled in collecting and documenting > requirements, writing software specs, and designing applications along
> with
> "Access development".
>
> Where are you and what was your target market?
>
> Larry Linson
> Microsoft Access MVP
>
>
>
>