New to Access - Build a Project Tracking Sheet

[bobgrand]

Hello all, I am very new to Access. I just switched to decaf so I graciously ask for your patience. I am very strong with excel but this project I am working on may be better off if it was driven through Access as I am really struggling trying to get the final reports, so I am asking for some serious help. Here is some info about the project. We have a very large wire project where we need to track several different areas. From the start of the customer po we need to track the following, 1) Quantities released to the jobsite. 2) Quantities released to the customers shop. 3) Quantities released to a holding warehouse. 4) Quantities drawn from the holding warehouse which could go to either the jobsite or the customers shop. All releases are based on a specific date released and who requested the release. The final report for the customer would have the following headers. Item, Original Order Quantity, Additional Qty added to Original Order Qty, Quantity sitting at the holding warehouse, Qty to the site, Qty to the Shop. There is another final report for our records to show dollars, quantities and pounds released and remaining.

I am not asking anyone to build something for me as I am learning Access. If anyone has or can guide me to a template that may have the areas we are needing that I can rip apart to help me learn and to possibly use as our master Project Worksheet I would greatly appreciate it.

I can also provide images of the Excel worksheet we currently use if they can be of any help.

Thank you in advance
Bob

 

[Micron]

I have a page of links for newbies if you'd like me to post them. You shouldn't create anything until you understand db normalization. Being great at Excel is actually a liability here - forget what you know about sheets. To do this well you'll have to do a lot of upfront reading. I'd get a book or books or look for online pdf book copies that you can legitimately download. There are tons of videos too, but IMO you have to know something in order to know what to watch. You can also sign up for paid tutorials that start from square one. Do that and you will have smoother sailing. Don't and you'll spend the time in forums asking why you can't get data in or out, the time you could have spent learning.

I suppose you could start by googling to find templates as well, but I've yet to see a db made from template that did not need to be modified (AFAIK you can't edit actual template files) and the trouble with that is you won't know what you need to do to modify it.

 

[bobgrand]

Micron, Thank you so much for your guidance. I really appreciate it. If you could post your page of links that would be great. In the meantime I will start digging into Access for beginners books and videos.

Again, Greatly appreciated.
Bob

 

[Micron]

Please advise if any are no longer working. IMO, you must first understand normalization. Start your design with pencil and paper. I sometimes use large sheets of packing paper, writing down my table names, their fields, their data types (and properties if applicable) and drawing lines between fields of different tables where relationships are required. I would then create tables and their relationships and post a pic of the relationships and ask for input. Be prepared to answer questions (perhaps a lot) because one has to understand the process before one can say yay or nay to any aspect of the design.

Normalization Parts I, II, III, IV, and V

What Is Normalization, Part I

Thoughts, opinions, samples, tips, and tricks about Microsoft Access

rogersaccessblog.blogspot.com

and/or

Database Normalization – Holowczak.com Tutorials

holowczak.com

Entity-Relationship Diagramming: Part I, II, III and IV

Entity-Relationship Diagramming: Part I

Thoughts, opinions, samples, tips, and tricks about Microsoft Access

rogersaccessblog.blogspot.com

How do I Create an Application in Microsoft Access?

How do I Create an Application in Microsoft Access?

Thoughts, opinions, samples, tips, and tricks about Microsoft Access

rogersaccessblog.blogspot.com

Naming conventions
- General: Commonly used naming conventions
- MS Access Naming Conventions

What not to use in names
- Microsoft Access tips: Problem names and reserved words in Access

About Auto Numbers
- General: Use Autonumbers properly

The evils of lookup fields - The Access Web - The Evils of Lookup Fields in Tables
Table and PK design tips - Microsoft Access Tables, Primary Key Tips and Techniques
About calculated table fields - Microsoft Access tips: Calculated Fields
About Multi Value Fields - Multivalued Fields

Last/First/DLast/DFirst Explained
- ORDER BY - First, Last and always!