Developing an Access ECO Tracking Database - Need help

[LisaWeiss]

Hi, I came across this site while doing research on ECO databases. I have been tasked with creating one in Access (2003) for my company. We are a small R&D company and everything is manual. I was wondering if anyone had a sample database I could use? Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Lisa

 

[Stijloor]

Re: Need help with developing Access ECO Tracking Database

Can someone help Lisa?

Thank you!!

Stijloor.

 

[Wes Bucey]

Re: Need help with developing Access ECO Tracking Database

Hi, I came across this site while doing research on ECO databases. I have been tasked with creating one in Access (2003) for my company. We are a small R&D company and everything is manual. I was wondering if anyone had a sample database I could use? Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Lisa

A lot depends on how expert you are in Access, but even more depends on what your organization has for an Engineering Change Order process and how willing they are to populate the fields when creating and revising documents each time.

Depending on your budget, there are some software solutions (electronic data management) which use either Access or SQL as the database engine. If your document list will grow much to more than a few hundred documents, most folks find SQL is a more robust database engine than Access, but many folks stick to Access to avoid the learning curve for SQL.

Your organization's task is to determine BEFORE you begin just how many fields they want to have for potential queries and file sorting of original documents and the ECOs which trigger the revised versions of those documents. Frankly, I wouldn't consider trying to keep track of ONLY ECO's when, with a little extra effort, the organization can track ALL its documents.


You may or may not have noticed this is the start of the Labor Day weekend and traffic here in the Cove traditionally drops off a lot on holiday weekends. If you don't get the answers you seek this weekend, come back Tuesday and add another post to this thread to bump it to the top of the recent post queue.

 

[headhunter]

Re: Need help with developing Access ECO Tracking Database

Hi, I need similar database. If you found something I will be glad if you share it. If no ,I can try to make something.

EDIT: OK, because I'm new in my company, I didn't know that they don't use MS Access... Will be problem for you if it will be made in OpenOffice?

 

[Ninja]

You might also consider (unless forced to use a specific program) trying Filemaker Pro. The current version (11) comes with starter solutions, one of which is a document library which might go most of the way toward what you're trying to do.

I am not associated with Filemaker, but am a long time user and have been very pleased with it.
I use it to handle 10K's and 100K's of records and have seen no issue with capacity.

 

[Wes Bucey]

You might also consider (unless forced to use a specific program) trying Filemaker Pro. The current version (11) comes with starter solutions, one of which is a document library which might go most of the way toward what you're trying to do.

I am not associated with Filemaker, but am a long time user and have been very pleased with it..
I use it to handle 10K's and 100K's of records and have seen no issue with capacity.

From what I gather in a quick perusal of the File Maker website, it DOES use the more robust SQL database engine.

Frankly, for a relatively miniscule $299, I don't think anybody could create a similarly robust Access program in man hours costing less than $300. I am [was?] pretty adept in Access and I'm pretty sure it would have taken me a lot longer than $300 of my time to make one, together with necessary documentation for someone to work it in my absence.

Note, this is NOT an endorsement of File Maker or any other specific brand of software, but it is an endorsement for buying off-the-shelf software unless you are an absolute database maven who also writes clear and concise documentation for others to use your program effectively.

 

[True Position]

On this topic, Microsoft just started selling their own 'Microsoft Visual Studio Lightswitch 2011' which is designed to be a step up from Access type projects and simplify creating the types of application you're thinking about making. I've played around with it and it's fairly simple, if you understand databases enough to create something in access you'll probably create a much better more useful product with Lightswitch.

It's designed from the start to build a 2 or 3 tier application using a standard MS-SQL database. Also, it has very simple tools to run the server and database inside Microsoft Azure. (MS's competitor to Amazon ECC)

 

[Ninja]

..., but it is an endorsement for buying off-the-shelf software unless you are an absolute database maven who also writes clear and concise documentation for others to use your program effectively.

Good point and I agree. I would hasten to emphasize/clarify my own post however...

The starter solution would get you most of the way. There would be some customizing to do. It's worth the head start, IMO, but it isn't a COTS ECO tracking Dbase solution...just a head start.

Customizing is easy...but that's my own perpective as said {closet} Dbase maven. Others could easily see it differently.

 

[saravananpg]

Hi,

Have you developed the access dbase to store ECO implementation!
If so can you share me, I will take it as your valuable input.
Presently I am using Access dbase only for the ECO management within department.