If this is a company-wide project, the easiest way would probably be a
web-based product (but read further for more info). You could use Access/Jet
to store this information, but your company's intranet may already host a
database engine like MySQL, Oracle, MSSQL etc. And Access is file-based,
thus while it's often easier for you to work with, it's also easier to hack
than server-based data. I don't know how sensitive this information would
be, but if it's something that could cause legal problems if it leaks out,
you might want to use a more secure database engine like metioned earlier.
If you go web-based, the language you'd use would depend on what type of
server it's hosted on. If it's a Windows machine, then your best bet is ASP
(or ASP.NET, depending on your flavor of servers) to render dynamic pages,
and ADO to "talk" to the database. You'd use Structured Query Langauge (SQL)
from within ADO to retrieve/update data ...
Of course, you could also write a VB/Access frontend that connects to your
server database, if that's more to your liking. Desktop applications are
usually much more feature rich than web-based ones, thus you can do a lot
more with a desktop application. The trouble with this type of scenario is
updates and deployment hassles. When you need to send out a new frontend,
you'll have to update all users individually. You can automate this any
number of ways, of course, but it's still a problem to deal with. There's
also the issue of compatibilty among desktop environments (especially if you
use Access as the frontend); different combinations of OS/Office can cause
headaches. Again, this isn't insurmountable, but it's one factor to
consider.
What it boils down to is this: a web-based interface is easier to deploy and
maintain that a desktop interface. However, a desktop interface offers you
many more User Interface considerations than does a web-based. So you must
determine which are the more important aspects. If your tests are all yes/no
or simple multiple choice, then a web-based interface would work fine. If
users must manipulate objects (i.e move things around on screen) or draw
things, a desktop environment will be much more useful.
"Jerry W. Swatsell" <sw******@swbell.net> wrote in message
news:I3****************@newssvr30.news.prodigy.com ...
I have a project to put together. My company keeps records of employee
regulatory testing. I want to put together a program that will track
employee testing.
The employee will log in, take the test which, only whether they passed or
failed the test, will need to be stored in the database. There will also
be
an interface that will show them what tests they have passed/failed and
which ones haven't been taken. From there, they should be able to click on
a
link to take another test. I have some programming experience, I'm just
not
sure what would be the best way for this information to flow (ASP, Access,
VB, SQL, XML, etc.).
I would like to start out with something small (2 or 3 users and only a
couple of tests).
Any help would be appreciated,
Jerry