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Microsoft Access Database
Development
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Microsoft (MS) Access is only one of many database solutions available to
our developers. To decide whether or not MS Access is the
tool for your company's data management, click on the following links.
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Reasons to use MS Access
 | MS Access is a component of the Microsoft Office
suite of programs and is therefore part of the most popular and
widespread desktop system in the world. Microsoft products will be
supported for many years to come so you can have confidence that the
software in which your company has invested will not become
redundant.
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| No additional software needs to be purchased for
any workstation on which Microsoft Office Professional has been installed.
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| Being a component of Microsoft Office, data may be
imported and exported seamlessly from MS Access to other Office
applications such as Word and Excel. Interfaces to Access are also
available from non-Microsoft suppliers.
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| As a consequence of its widespread popularity, MS
Access has more consultants available than any other desktop
database system. Consultancy rates are therefore correspondingly
lower.
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| MS Access lends itself to rapid development of
complex systems and is therefore significantly to implement and
maintain than its competitors.
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| MS Access is an excellent prototyping tool that may
be used to establish the functionality of a database development
before upsizing it to interface with existing corporate databases
held as Oracle or SQL Server tables.
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| Sometimes MS Access is not the most appropriate
database to use. If you intend to have a high number of concurrent
users (for example, more than 20 people accessing the database at
the same time), a very large volume of data (over 1 million records
per table), a need to enter data rapidly, or require a high level of
security, another solution might be more appropriate, usch as using
Microsoft SQL Server data tables with either a Visual Basic or an
Access front end to provide the user interface. Aircross Ltd will be
happy to provide impartial advice on the best choice of database to
meet your own business needs. |
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Reasons to use professional developers
The popularity of MS Access and its user-friendly
interface may lead inexperienced designers to design solutions that fall
short of recognised industry standards. Such databases may contain
redundant data, be inefficient and difficult or frustrating to
use. Unfortunately, if the database subsequently becomes corrupt, or
slows to a halt, the only solution that remains is to hire an experienced
consultant to recover the data and rewrite the database to professional
standards.
Typical mistakes include:
| Creating poorly structured data tables that may
contain:
 | A single monolithic table that includes every
single item of company related information, instead of a
properly normalized set of linked tables that results in a
more efficient database. |
| Duplicated records within the same table (the
absence of a properly defined primary key). |
| The same pieces of data replicated across two
or more tables, leading to an extra maintenance overhead and an
increased likelihood of corrupt records.
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| Poor form layout and colouring. The human eye
prefers pastel shades to vibrant colours, and finds it easier to
process a few, tidily formatted items on a page rather than scores
of items that are spread around it in a haphazardly manner.
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| An over-reliance on macros and MS Access wizards to
achieve functionality, usually symptomatic of the developer having
insufficient knowledge of coding techniques. Often it is the Visual
Basic code lying behind the forms that is the secret to robust,
high-performance database operation. Avoid at all costs the
developer who states that properly written Access databases should
not need to use Visual Basic code - this is misguided thinking.
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Reasons to use Aircross Ltd
| Poor knowledge of SQL (Structured Query
Language, which is used for communicating with the data
tables themselves) will lead to a database that performs
inefficiently and, in extreme circumstances involving large amounts
of data, may not perform at all.
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| Our database developers have been involved in IT
industry for over 20 years and are familiar with best practice
techniques in software design. Whilst we regularly undergo training in
the latest packages, we do recognise that some programming techniques do
not change. There are ways of writing efficient code that have been
proven over many years - we do not develop new techniques at your
expense.
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| We have experience of MS Access right back to its inception during
the early 1980s. The most common flavours at the current time are Access
95, 97, 2000 and 2002 XP, and we have experience in all of them.
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| We are able to create database solutions that can
meet both your immediate and long term needs.
| If your business needs a simple solution to
solve non-critical issues, we can provide a value database
quickly and at minimal cost using rapid-development facilities
provided by Microsoft. Such a solution might suit users who have
some database abilities themselves and who are willing to accept
some of the limitations imposed by such techniques.
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| If your company depends on the development of a
robust, complex database to continue its business, you may
opt for a 'black-box' solution that performs
exactly as you want it to. Such a database will allow non-IT
specialists to operate it with no concerns about whether your
data will become corrupted, either by accident or malicious
intent. We may find it appropriate and cost-effective to provide
initially a partially-functional prototype solution using rapid
development techniques for your approval and then go on to
develop the final version from the prototype.
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| You may have a legacy system, perhaps written
in DOS and no longer supported, or a system on a mainframe which
expense you can no longer justify. We can convert these into
user-friendly MS Access solutions to meet your precise needs. If
data migration from the old system to the new is required, this
will be included as part of the development.
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| The programming support for your existing MS
Access system may no longer be available. We are familiar with
many versions of Access and can offer support on a time and
materials basis.
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| Perhaps you are developing a database
yourselves and simplt need a little assistance to solve an
undocumented problem. We will be happy to provide assistance at
reasonable cost. Please contact us with your requirements.
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| We guarantee our code. If errors are detected they
will be fixed free of charge. Similarly, in the unlikely event that
the performance and functions of the delivered product do not match
your written requirements, corrections will be applied at our
expense.
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| We are flexible and understand that your
requirements may change over time, perhaps even within the system's
development period. We endeavour to create enough flexibility within
the developing product to allow us to make changes quickly and at
minimal expense. The costs of any deviations from the written
specification will be borne by yourselves - cost and time estimates
will be provided for your approval before such work is carried
out.
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| After delivery, we will provide telephone support
at no extra cost. If a site visit is required, or if extra
development is required to meet your requirements, we will supply
this at our normal rates. |
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How does the development process work?
| The scope and outline of your project will be
established during a preliminary meeting.
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| We will provide a written specification overview of
our understanding of the project and our estimates of cost and
system delivery date. If the proposed development is large or
complex, we will make a charge for writing the specification. If you
choose to proceed with Aircross Ltd, the charge will be deducted
from the final cost. If you choose to proceed with another
developer, the specification is yours and you will be free to use it
as you please.
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| If you authorise us to proceed, we will agree a set
of deliverables and payment terms as described in our Terms
& Conditions.
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| We encourage you to participate in the development
cycle by involving you at key stages in the development. We find
that we are able to trap and deal with any discrepancies far more
effectively be letting you see the product and the progress that has
been made to date.
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| We keep detailed timesheets of all work done on
your system and these will be presented on request. Any particular
problems encountered that lead to delays and unexpected costs will
be fully documented. |
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