Converting MS Access database to stand-alone app

[JoyfulC 132299]

I have a database that I developed in Microsoft Access that I would like to develop into a stand-alone app to make it available to other SPs. Anyone have any idea what that would cost? I guess you have to have some developer's tools to do it, which I don't have.

 

It's basically a system for managing contact info so, at a glance, one can see if someone has ever contacted them before from a particular phone number or email address, the history and details of those contacts, whether the contact method is linked with any known person, any other contact info associated with them, and any code that might have been applied. It's also set up to handle scheduling and reporting (for tax time) and trend tracking and such.

 

All the tables and forms and such are already built, although I might need some advice on how to build in an ability for running custom queries (like for tracking a specific ad response). I'd also like to build in an expense tracker.

 

Anyone have any experience in this? Is my best bet to go to one of those bidding boards? Any advice? I'd love to pick your brain!

[Guest Ou**or**n]

Have you investigated whether you can just use MS Access runtime?

 

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10910

 

Converting to a standalone app is possible, most likely using Visual Basic .NET or Visual C# .NET however it will cost you. If you want a straight conversion then going for a bidding company is straightforward as you are looking to replicate functionality.

 

If you want new functionality then be carefully and spec it out fully in advance. Create screen mockups (even if by hand and scanned). The more precise your specification the better chance you'll get what you want.

 

Hiring locally is really expensive, farming out overseas on a bidding board is cheaper. However be careful and try and set checkpoints to monitor progress and base payments accordingly.

[JoyfulC 132299]

Have you investigated whether you can just use MS Access runtime?

 

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10910

 

Converting to a standalone app is possible, most likely using Visual Basic .NET or Visual C# .NET however it will cost you. If you want a straight conversion then going for a bidding company is straightforward as you are looking to replicate functionality.

 

If you want new functionality then be carefully and spec it out fully in advance. Create screen mockups (even if by hand and scanned). The more precise your specification the better chance you'll get what you want.

 

Hiring locally is really expensive, farming out overseas on a bidding board is cheaper. However be careful and try and set checkpoints to monitor progress and base payments accordingly.

 

Thanks for the solid advice. Perhaps I should start with a scaled down model of just those core components that I use most and that work really well. Despite the increased costs, I hate the thought of farming out a job offshore. After all, my customers are people who work in this job market, and I should really support that.

 

Additional Comments:

As for the runtime, I'll check into it. I built this in MS Access 2000. I seem to recall having looked into it before and there was some problem, but maybe I'll slap some fresh eyes on it.

[mod 135640]

I would export the db to a csv file (comma separated values) then write a script to use that data in any language (vb, c, etc) i know perl so personally i would write it in perl and convert the perl script to a executable file and distribute it with the flatfile csv (you can also then import the csv into excell or other spreatsheets.

[JoyfulC 132299]

I would export the db to a csv file (comma separated values) then write a script to use that data in any language (vb, c, etc) i know perl so personally i would write it in perl and convert the perl script to a executable file and distribute it with the flatfile csv (you can also then import the csv into excell or other spreatsheets.

 

This isn't a flat database. It's a multi-table relational database. And it's not the information in my tables I want to be able to share, but the whole application (tables, forms, scripts, queries, reports, relationships). I would hope another SP who used it would fill the tables with her own information.

 

The runtime might work.

[mod 135640]

ahh, i see. Too bad it's in ms access, doesn't look like a simple answer is available. One option would be to use freelancer.com and put up a request for quote to make a standalone version of your DB (get some quotes on having it done) then use those quotes as a reference for a local programmer. Overseas quotes will be at least 1/3 of the price usually then local but the headache and often language barrier is usually worth the extra 2/3's cost.

[xBen 120]

Could you not just build a connection to Visual Studio?

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms171893.aspx

 

Its a long shot but I was thinking if you could build a connection to visual studio and then release it as an app.

[backrubman 64800]

I don't think we're ready to have customer information on the web. I realize that financial services use online systems with adequate security, but let's face it: with them, a person is merely facing financial ruin. If our info got out, it could mean the loss of his testicles. ;)

 

I tend to agree with you so I would put it on a private network not accessible from the Internet and then make it available by having to light up an encrypted VPN tunnel (yes, across the Internet) to get to this special network and only doable with an inexpensive hardware authentication token. Still has the advantage and convenience of a web based application and nobody loses their testicles :)

 

In a way it horrifies me what we are doing today as I'm sure a lot of private information is exchanged via the CERB PM system and that entire database is Internet touchable (I just inserted is record into it).

[JoyfulC 132299]

Yeah, with respect to Data Access Pages, I'd only be using them on my own system. Not even on my network. It would just be a convenience so I didn't have to open Access every time I wanted to do something or look something up.

 

No system of security is 100% perfect. If someone can make it, someone else can break it. But that said, most people here only have a small number of people for whom their participation here would be relevant, and for those people, suspecting that it's happening, figuring out where it's at, getting in and getting it is probably more trouble than it's worth. There are better ways to skin a cat.

[kerrixoxo 33719]

Wow this sounds like an amazing project! I can't help but I can say that I love(d) working with access :) Truly brilliant idea!

 

Xo

[Gntlmn 796]

Converting to VB.Net is likely the easiest path, in some ways, if you have a lot of code-behind-the-forms written in VBA.

 

However, the thing that I've always really liked about Access is the ease with which you can develop parent-child subforms and have everything VERY easily tied to your underlying data. That can take a lot more work to translate into non-Access solutions in comparison.

 

The runtime is definitely the way to go, I think, because you really wouldn't have to change anything. You just need to find somebody who has "Visual Studio Tools for Office 2003" which has the "Access 2003 Developer Extensions" which allow you to create the runtime version of the MDB. I use Access 2003 everyday at work and have programmed in VB3 thru VB.Net. Unfortunately we've never had a need to create a runtime version of our databases so I don't have those tools or I'd simply get you to send me your MDB with dummy data and send it back to you, converted. That would likely take just a day. But as far as enhancements go, you'd be best to build that in now and then the translation would include it.

 

Or ... you might want to buy a newer version of Access (2010) and convert your MDB to the newer accdb format. After it's converted and working you can then Create an "accde" file which is supposed to incorporate the runtime technology. Access 2010 costs around $160.

 

In short, if you can find someone with the tools, they can solve this issue fairly quickly and it would all work the way it does now ... sort of.

[JoyfulC 132299]

Hi Gntlmn! I responded to your kind offer privately.

 

Backrubman, don't think I haven't thought of that. When I first started using VoxOx, I had visions of either being able to link it to my base or encouraging them to build similar capability into it. But after three years, it's still in beta, there doesn't seem to be much interest in developing the phone features and making good on their original promises, and I've pretty much given up hope.

 

So now I see why there are no Data Access Pages in my base. Usually, I go in and play with everything. So why didn't I do that before? Probably same reason I'm not doing it now. I can't get it to work. Not sure what the problem is.

 

I found a Visual Basic tutorial online that I think I'm going to check out. For now, I guess it stays in Access. For the moment, I'm trying to put some of the finer touches on it. Thanks to everyone.