forms vs. DAP

After spending approximately 80 hours setting up a
database and creating what I consider user-friendly forms
my teammates think that it will be too difficult for our
executives to use. They want it to be more "web-like". I
know there is a way to create data access pages (DAPs)
that can be used for data entry but after looking into it
I don't believe it is something that is reachable with my
skillset.

My question is how big is the learning curve for creating
DAPs including understanding the front-end, back-end
server stuff?

Can I get there from here - or do I need to take some
classes?

Why not make your application more web like?

Further, you can't possibility expect users to go out and have to take a
course on how to use ms-access to use YOUR application.

So, since users should not have to use ms-access, do you make efforts to
hide, or at least ensure that users don't have to know to use ms-access?

If you simply switch something that is hard to use to a web based system,
you will only create anther disaster.

Web based systems tend to be slow, and very clunky to use. However, web
based systems do force the designers of the application to break up tasks
into a series of steps since you don't have things like nice menu bars etc.

If your application is well designed, then your application SHOULD BE easier
then a web based system. This is not a issue of web vs winfoms, but an issue
of making a easy to use and intuitive UI.

For example, when a user has to search for a name, or invoice or whatever,
how do you do that? Some access people actaully thow up a form, and then
hope the user knows about using filters, or placig the curosor in a field
and going ctrl-f etc. That is WAY WAY WAY too much junk to confuse the user
with!. So, you need to make the task of seaching VERY easy. Here is what I
do, and you can read about it he

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn/Search/index.html

There is also a link in that above article to a on-line book on creeating
user friently software.

And, if your executive type users are find the system hard to use, then you
need to make some nice screens for them (they are not donig data entry..so
you need nice report prompt screens). You can see some examples of this idea
he

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn.../ridesrpt.html

And, if you want some tip on how to reducing training, and make ms-access
easy to use..you can read the follwing, and there is some nice screen shots
also:

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn...erFriendly.htm


--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn

I don't think I made myself clear. My database is very
user friendly. All the user has to do is launch ms-access
and they begin at a sign in screen. It is the only option
available to them. Once they type in their ID they are
sent to a set of forms set up similiar to the employees
form in the northwind database. There are several tabs
and the data is populated with the current information
available. They are asked to check a box if the
information is correct on the tab, correct anything that
is wrong and add any new information in the space
provided. On the last page all they do is click a button
and it closes the database.

What happened was that yesterday we tried to paste the
address of the sharedrive into an email so that all the
executives would have to do is select the link and it
would automatically put the user into the first form in
access.

Unfortunately, our Outlook will not allow you to open an
link with the extension .mdb because of all the recent
virus activity. So the only option the recipient has is
to save the database to their hard drive. This doesn't
help me collect data and it could potentially put
information onto the executive's hard drive that is not
related to them. They would have to know the trick of
holding down the shift key when opening and I don't think
they have the time or malicious intent to get to the
information.

Our only options are to ask the executive to copy the
address into the run box or the IE address box and it will
launch the database or send them to the share drive via
the address (minus the accessfile.mdb )and ask them to
open the database.

Neither of these options was acceptable to the team. It
was to me but they are more sensitive to the executives
software acumen than I am.

By the way I was on you site today and your article about
using a WAN with ms-access answered the mystery of why I
keep crashing another database I put together everytime I
run an update query over the cable modem. I have
corrupted the database at least 10 times this past year.

It also made me question if what I am trying to accomplish
is feasible without a SQL server as a back end. You also
made me aware of this Thin Server Technology that I might
have to look into once I either covert this to DAP or find
a way to launch ms-access without violating any security.

I don't even want to think about this now.

Thanks for all of your information.

Please let me know if you know of any workarounds for my
current situation besides rebuilding using DAPs.

Maggie
-----Original Message-----
Why not make your application more web like?

Further, you can't possibility expect users to go out and
have to take a
course on how to use ms-access to use YOUR application.

So, since users should not have to use ms-access, do you
make efforts to
hide, or at least ensure that users don't have to know to
use ms-access?

If you simply switch something that is hard to use to a
web based system,
you will only create anther disaster.

Web based systems tend to be slow, and very clunky to
use. However, web
based systems do force the designers of the application
to break up tasks
into a series of steps since you don't have things like
nice menu bars etc.

If your application is well designed, then your
application SHOULD BE easier
then a web based system. This is not a issue of web vs
winfoms, but an issue
of making a easy to use and intuitive UI.

For example, when a user has to search for a name, or
invoice or whatever,
how do you do that? Some access people actaully thow up a
form, and then
hope the user knows about using filters, or placig the
curosor in a field
and going ctrl-f etc. That is WAY WAY WAY too much junk
to confuse the user
with!. So, you need to make the task of seaching VERY
easy. Here is what I
do, and you can read about it he

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn/Search/index.html

There is also a link in that above article to a on-line
book on creeating
user friently software.

And, if your executive type users are find the system
hard to use, then you
need to make some nice screens for them (they are not
donig data entry..so
you need nice report prompt screens). You can see some
examples of this idea
he

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn...t/ridesrpt.htm
l

And, if you want some tip on how to reducing training,
and make ms-access
easy to use..you can read the follwing, and there is some
nice screen shots
also:

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn...s/UseAbility/U
serFriendly.htm


--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada

http://www.attcanada.net/~kallal.msn


.