Help Desk Call-Centre Log

[Dave \IT\]

Hey Group,

I'm just about to start my task of creating a full-scale Help Desk call
centre database and was wondering a few things:

- I was going to use Access (backend) for it's ease, then either use an
Access front-end or a VB front end...which would be better in your opinion
(VB is 'lighter' I know, but maybe not worth it...I'm not sure how to
connect to an external DB through code)?

- Does anyone know where I can find a Help Desk database/program (free)
that I can use for ideas...or better yet, one that I can just use? :)
(I'm only half joking. If someone had a fully-functional free database app.
I could use, great, but I'd still create need to customize it heavily)

Thanks for any help you guys/gals can provide!
Dave

[Pieter Linden]

Dave,
Before you even start, I would definitely recommend looking around.
TrackIT was bought by Intuit. It uses a VB front end and talks to, I
think, a SQL Server or MSDE backend. Access backends are tricky. If
your network isn't reliable, your database will corrupt. Maybe I just
did a lot of things wrong, but that's what happened to me. At least
looking at TrackIT will give you an idea of what's possible. Without
reasonable programming skills and maybe ASP skills, you'd be better
off buying it, though. In the long run, it'll be cheaper. (Of
course, you won't learn as much, but you'll have lots more free time!)

[Dave \IT\]

I'm very strong in programming, and have actually written a database
application that's being used on a medium-scale network, but I just feel it
isn't as efficient as it should be. That's why I was asking about the best
setup (front-end/back-end). Just for reference, I started with an Access
front-end and back-end, but switched to an SQL2000 backend shortly
there-after. Unfortunately, the persons I worked for at the time were the
type that didn't like to preplan, and wanted to have me build an app as they
thought of things. As I'm sure you know, that is NOT a fun task. lol

Anyway...I'm become long-winded. Thanks for your suggestions! I'll take a
look at the site for ideas. Am I to presume that your opinion of a
front-end/back-end combination would be something like VB / MySQL (for it's
free price-label)? That's how I would ultimately like to program it, as I
figure it's the 'lightest' way. I'm just not sure how to properly make the
connection.

*takes a deep breath* I tend to ramble. :)

Thanks again!

"Pieter Linden" <pi********@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bf**************************@posting.google.c om...

Dave,
Before you even start, I would definitely recommend looking around.
TrackIT was bought by Intuit. It uses a VB front end and talks to, I
think, a SQL Server or MSDE backend. Access backends are tricky. If
your network isn't reliable, your database will corrupt. Maybe I just
did a lot of things wrong, but that's what happened to me. At least
looking at TrackIT will give you an idea of what's possible. Without
reasonable programming skills and maybe ASP skills, you'd be better
off buying it, though. In the long run, it'll be cheaper. (Of
course, you won't learn as much, but you'll have lots more free time!)

[Pieter Linden]

"Dave \"IT\"" <ca******@dueto.spam> wrote in message news:<am*******************@news20.bellglobal.com> ...

I'm very strong in programming, and have actually written a database
application that's being used on a medium-scale network, but I just feel it
isn't as efficient as it should be. That's why I was asking about the best
setup (front-end/back-end). Just for reference, I started with an Access
front-end and back-end, but switched to an SQL2000 backend shortly
there-after. Unfortunately, the persons I worked for at the time were the
type that didn't like to preplan, and wanted to have me build an app as they
thought of things. As I'm sure you know, that is NOT a fun task. lol

Anyway...I'm become long-winded. Thanks for your suggestions! I'll take a
look at the site for ideas. Am I to presume that your opinion of a
front-end/back-end combination would be something like VB / MySQL (for it's
free price-label)? That's how I would ultimately like to program it, as I
figure it's the 'lightest' way. I'm just not sure how to properly make the
connection.

*takes a deep breath* I tend to ramble. :)

Thanks again!

Oh, *big* difference if you know how to program. I wrote my own - not
great, but it did what I needed it to do. And I'm definitely not a
great programmer. you could probably use ASP and then just host the
DB off SQL Server... If you're really good at VB, you can make a
lighter weight front end... there are lots of possibilities. And
TrackIT is expensive, especially if you get the useful modules.
(Which you can probably write yourself, like the e-mailing part, which
is just a VBScript or JavaScript component, I think - I made that part
work easily.) As long as your database structure is okay, the rest is
not so hard.