MS Access, SQL Server, Web server

[cnlai]

Scenario
--------
I am planning to write an application using MS Access as front-end.

User enters records (mostly 15 records or less per user per day) into an
Access database. Having done that, users click a button to transfer
these records to a web server hosting an SQL Server database (set up by
a service provider). Each record represents a job; provider will update
its status when a job is done.

At the end of day, user will open up the database to enquire the records
status, which will be retrieved from the web server (through HTTP protocol)

A service provider will probably have 2000 records/jobs per day, which
will be fetched from the web server to its PC for job scheduling purposes.

Question
--------
Can someone advise me as to how to go about doing this ? I have read a
little on WinInet APIs of MS Visual Studio 6, but I am still not sure;
eg how to get SQL server to send data to client PC using HTTP.

Thanks for your advice.

[billmiami2]

I can't really understand the scenario here. You are going to have to
explain this better.

1. Who are the users? What do they do? Are they mobile in that they
are not connected to the network when they are working, like traveling
salesmen?

2. Who are the service providers? I'm assuming that these are not
Internet Service Providers or Application Service Providers, but rather
people who work for the company and do things for customers. What kind
of jobs do they do? Do they provide their services in places where
they have access to the network?

3. Why are you considering MS Access for this, either as a front-end
or a database? What do you think that Access will do for you that you
couldn't do otherwise?

If you explain a little more clearly, perhaps many of these things will
come to light.

Bill E.
Hollywood, FL

[cnlai]

Let's assume that users are orchid buyers, provider is orchid seller.

I can't really understand the scenario here. You are going to have to
explain this better.

1. Who are the users? What do they do? Are they mobile in that they
are not connected to the network when they are working, like traveling
salesmen?

Orchid buyers. They don't order orchid everyday.

2. Who are the service providers? I'm assuming that these are not
Internet Service Providers or Application Service Providers, but rather
people who work for the company and do things for customers. What kind
of jobs do they do? Do they provide their services in places where
they have access to the network?
Orchids seller. After receiving orders, they deliver.
3. Why are you considering MS Access for this, either as a front-end
or a database? What do you think that Access will do for you that you
couldn't do otherwise?
I suppose most people have MS Office on their PCs.

If you explain a little more clearly, perhaps many of these things will
come to light.

Bill E.
Hollywood, FL

[billmiami2]

This sounds like an e-commerce scenario to me. If you already have MS
SQL Server set up, why don't you set up a web application where buyers
simply open their browser, go to your site and make orders? Sellers
can use the same application to check orders and make deliveries. If
sellers need to be able to check or update order status on the road,
you can issue them (or they can obtain for themselves) tablet PCs with
a wireless network card and pay for a monthly subscription to a
wireless service. We're doing a similar thing (wireless) with a
Municipal Code Enforcement application and it works great.

Bill E.

[cnlai]

Thanks Bill.

How about transferring a batch or records stored in a database at client
PC (just to explore whether this more efficient) ?

Anybody can suggest ? Thank you.

This sounds like an e-commerce scenario to me. If you already have MS
SQL Server set up, why don't you set up a web application where buyers
simply open their browser, go to your site and make orders? Sellers
can use the same application to check orders and make deliveries. If
sellers need to be able to check or update order status on the road,
you can issue them (or they can obtain for themselves) tablet PCs with
a wireless network card and pay for a monthly subscription to a
wireless service. We're doing a similar thing (wireless) with a
Municipal Code Enforcement application and it works great.

Bill E.