Should I use Access for development

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Greenthumb - 27 Dec 2004 15:39 GMT

I own a Landscaping business and would like to track the services that I
provide to each client and create reports that show number of employees,
time, materials, etc. for each job. I would like to be to perform analysis
based on all information stored in the data base.

I have some programming experience and might decide to market the
application should it turn out to be a useful solution to other landscapers.

My concern is not to devote myself full time as a developer but to built the
application as needed as i have the time.

I currently have windows XP home edition but do not have the MS Office
package. Before I invest, I would like opinions about whether to go with the
Office solutions or another product.

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

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John Parkinson - 27 Dec 2004 15:55 GMT

Mr. Greenthumb,

Access will work very well for what you are wanting to
accomplish.

If you purchase ACCESS, take a look at the templates on
the Micorsoft > Office > Templates website. There are two
mdb's there that may do the trick for you, or you can
modify these for your needs (Time & Billing and Service
Call Management).

Good luck,

John Parkinson

>-----Original Message-----
>I own a Landscaping business and would like to track the services that I
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>Thank you in advance for your feedback.
>.

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Greenthumb - 27 Dec 2004 18:27 GMT

Thank you for those tips. I do use quickbooks pro for the accounting side but
is doesn't seem to provide the service detail that i would like to have.

> Mr. Greenthumb,
>
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> >Thank you in advance for your feedback.
> >.

Reply to this Message

John Parkinson - 27 Dec 2004 18:31 GMT

No problem. I have used a lot of information from this
site and try to reply when I feel qualified.

John

>-----Original Message-----
>Thank you for those tips. I do use quickbooks pro for the accounting side but
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>>
>.

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GLandscaping, NYS - 09 Jan 2005 17:25 GMT

I also own a small landscaping business, to track customers and employees i
use Clip Sofware, a great little program. a bit pricey, but I tihink its
worth a try.

> Thank you for those tips. I do use quickbooks pro for the accounting side but
> is doesn't seem to provide the service detail that i would like to have.
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
> > >Thank you in advance for your feedback.
> > >.

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Rick Brandt - 27 Dec 2004 16:53 GMT

> I own a Landscaping business and would like to track the services
> that I provide to each client and create reports that show number of
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> Thank you in advance for your feedback.

If you ever envision it trying to cover any accounting aspects of your business
then you are better off going with QuickBooks, Peachtree, or similar as that is
a VERY big and complex wheel to attempt to reinvent. For what you have
described above, Access would do the job very nicely and you would be able to
start small and add functionality as you go.

You might want to first analyze and describe in these forums the basic table
structure you want to start with and get some tips on setting that up correctly.
Getting the tables correct will minimize rework as you try to add features later
on.

Signature

I don't check the Email account attached
to this message. Send instead to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

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PC Datasheet - 28 Dec 2004 00:30 GMT

Access is certainly the right tool for what you want! The learning curve
however is rather steep. If you need the database you describe up and
running soon, contact me at my email address below.

--
PC Datasheet
Your Resource For Help With Access, Excel And Word Applications
resource@pcdatasheet.com
www.pcdatasheet.com

> I own a Landscaping business and would like to track the services that I
> provide to each client and create reports that show number of employees,
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Thank you in advance for your feedback.

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