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#1
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Questionaire For Design??
Hello,
I've had no problems in the past developing databases for my company because I have always been directly involved in what we do and so it has been easy to develop an outline for the databases. I have taken on a new project that is out side my realm. Does anybody have a great questionnaire that can be used with the clients to gather the information required to create a great database?? Any help would be appreciated |
#2
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Questionaire For Design??
Database design responds to your "real world" information needs, it doesn't
dictate them. |
#3
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Questionaire For Design??
Ryan
I've found that questionnaires seldom capture the full information needed to design/build an application that meets the clients' needs. That isn't to say that a questionnaire can't capture some of the information, but there are many pieces of the puzzle that never show up that way. Are you saying that you've been told that you have to create an application for a set of users you don't get to talk with?! Interesting constraint ... did they want fries with that? g Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP "Ryan" wrote in message ... Hello, I've had no problems in the past developing databases for my company because I have always been directly involved in what we do and so it has been easy to develop an outline for the databases. I have taken on a new project that is out side my realm. Does anybody have a great questionnaire that can be used with the clients to gather the information required to create a great database?? Any help would be appreciated |
#4
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Questionaire For Design??
No I am just looking for a starting point. |
#5
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Questionaire For Design??
Ryan
Hopefully you will get some responses. I know that there are innumerable 'formal' systems designed to elicit requirements. The ones I'm familiar with tend to focus on providing a questioner (?!YOU?!) with steps to follow to elicit requirements. As for a canned set of questions to ask, ... not so much! Good luck! Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP "Ryan" wrote in message news No I am just looking for a starting point. |
#6
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Questionaire For Design??
What do they need to get out of the database when they have finished doing
their data entry? What reports do they need - where does each piece of data on the report come from? You will need forms to capture that. How many different ways do they want to see the data? By date, location, size, person...?? What do they want to be able to see all at once while they are doing data entry? What are the major groups of information - people, actions, products, locations ... how are they tied together? I don't think it would be easy to come up with a questionnaire that suits every database design. You just have to do a lot of listening. What do they want to know from the stored information? Gear the data gathering to that. And don't forget the MS templates to give you ideas. Some of them now have very professional looking form layouts that are worth copying too. Mich "Ryan" wrote in message ... Hello, I've had no problems in the past developing databases for my company because I have always been directly involved in what we do and so it has been easy to develop an outline for the databases. I have taken on a new project that is out side my realm. Does anybody have a great questionnaire that can be used with the clients to gather the information required to create a great database?? Any help would be appreciated |
#7
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Questionaire For Design??
Candace Tripp has created a client questionaire to gather database
requirements. I've used in my college classes. It's pretty useful. You can find it he http://www.candace-tripp.com/utterangel.aspx. Go to the very bottom of the page. -- --Roger Carlson MS Access MVP Access Database Samples: www.rogersaccesslibrary.com Want answers to your Access questions in your Email? Free subscription: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/...UBED1=ACCESS-L "Ryan" wrote in message ... Hello, I've had no problems in the past developing databases for my company because I have always been directly involved in what we do and so it has been easy to develop an outline for the databases. I have taken on a new project that is out side my realm. Does anybody have a great questionnaire that can be used with the clients to gather the information required to create a great database?? Any help would be appreciated |
#8
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Questionaire For Design??
I should also mention that in Michael Hernandez' book "Database Design for
Mere Mortals", he gives a very detailed process for interviewing customers about their database needs. This might prove useful to you too. -- --Roger Carlson MS Access MVP Access Database Samples: www.rogersaccesslibrary.com Want answers to your Access questions in your Email? Free subscription: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/...UBED1=ACCESS-L "Roger Carlson" wrote in message ... Candace Tripp has created a client questionaire to gather database requirements. I've used in my college classes. It's pretty useful. You can find it he http://www.candace-tripp.com/utterangel.aspx. Go to the very bottom of the page. -- --Roger Carlson MS Access MVP Access Database Samples: www.rogersaccesslibrary.com Want answers to your Access questions in your Email? Free subscription: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/...UBED1=ACCESS-L "Ryan" wrote in message ... Hello, I've had no problems in the past developing databases for my company because I have always been directly involved in what we do and so it has been easy to develop an outline for the databases. I have taken on a new project that is out side my realm. Does anybody have a great questionnaire that can be used with the clients to gather the information required to create a great database?? Any help would be appreciated |
#9
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Questionaire For Design??
in addition to the good responses already posted...
i usually try to look a bit beyond the parameters of the process that i've been asked to support with an Access application; i call the concept "where did it come from, and where is it going". in a company or organization of any size, very often the process you're working to support is only part of the total work process. looking beyond the immediate requirements of the data/user(s) you're building for, you can sometimes uncover issues that will need to be addressed in your design, and sometimes streamline parts of the process that nobody had any idea could be improved upon. and sometimes not; but it usually pays to broaden your scope a bit during the process analysis phase of development. hth "Ryan" wrote in message ... Hello, I've had no problems in the past developing databases for my company because I have always been directly involved in what we do and so it has been easy to develop an outline for the databases. I have taken on a new project that is out side my realm. Does anybody have a great questionnaire that can be used with the clients to gather the information required to create a great database?? Any help would be appreciated |
#10
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Questionaire For Design??
Total agreement!
It's very rare that a process operates in isolation in an organization. Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP "tina" wrote in message ... in addition to the good responses already posted... i usually try to look a bit beyond the parameters of the process that i've been asked to support with an Access application; i call the concept "where did it come from, and where is it going". in a company or organization of any size, very often the process you're working to support is only part of the total work process. looking beyond the immediate requirements of the data/user(s) you're building for, you can sometimes uncover issues that will need to be addressed in your design, and sometimes streamline parts of the process that nobody had any idea could be improved upon. and sometimes not; but it usually pays to broaden your scope a bit during the process analysis phase of development. hth "Ryan" wrote in message ... Hello, I've had no problems in the past developing databases for my company because I have always been directly involved in what we do and so it has been easy to develop an outline for the databases. I have taken on a new project that is out side my realm. Does anybody have a great questionnaire that can be used with the clients to gather the information required to create a great database?? Any help would be appreciated |
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