Excel and Access are two different tools. One is not "better" than the other.
It depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
Lots of people use Excel as a database; I did for a while. My spreadsheet
was 8.5MB without any data entered (health benefits app). I had around 18
sheets; most were 23 columns wide by 255 rows - mostly formulas. I had a
custom temporary tool bar and several reports. But couldn't handle
2000+people. So we ported it to Access. The next port will be to SQL Server.
Access *can* handle calculations - in queries and/or VBA code. Look at all
of the apps for Payroll and accounting programs that are in Access. But
Access takes longer to learn than Excel. And speaking form personal
experience, switching from Excel to Access bent and twisted my mind for a
while. I had to forget "In Excel I did it this way".
I think Access would be better than Excel (in this case) to store the
customer info and BOM and do calculations AND generate reports. But I also
think it would take Jenn 6 months to a year (minimum) to get a working DB. A
better option would be to pay someone to write it for her. Then she has time
to learn Access to be able to modify it herself.
Time and money....you know the saying "Cheap, Fast, Good. Pick two - you get
what you pay for"
I found a post by Linq Adams - here are the online sites he recommends for
beginners:
<Quote>
Here's some sites, listed from the easiest to understand to the more
difficult. The first is a great starting point, having 23 well written, well
defined, clearly named chapters.
FunctionX.com:
http://www.functionx.com/vbaccess/index.htm
Jeff Conrad's resources page:
http://www.accessmvp.com/JConrad/accessjunkie/resources.html
The Access Web resources page:
http://www.mvps.org/access/resources/index.html
A free tutorial written by Crystal (MS Access MVP):
http://allenbrowne.com/casu-22.html
MVP Allen Browne's tutorials:
http://allenbrowne.com/links.html#Tutorials
<UnQuote>
And here is a link to some books:
http://www.mvps.org/access/resources/books.htm
HTH
--
Steve S
--------------------------------
"Veni, Vidi, Velcro"
(I came; I saw; I stuck around.)
JennKriv said:
Okay so if using Access for calculations isn't the best way, do you have any
other suggestions.
Here is a brief description of what I am trying to accomplish.
We are a cabinet shop (woodwork) we create cutlists within excel at the
moment. I want to be able to have a place where we can put all of our info
for the projects. I am able to put accounting info in no problem. I jsut want
to somehow be able to get the cutlists in there also. I am hoping by doing
this I can easily calculate my materials by separating them with a report in
the end which cannot be done in excel very well.
If it is not a great idea to do the actual calculatons in access can I at
least some how open and Excel worksheet through access so that it is logged
under the specific job?
I hope that kinda makes sense.
Richdwills said:
Hi Jenn
I went very quickly from Excel to Access and STRAIGHT BACK!! - Access is
brilliant for handling lots of data and different types, it ISNT good at
calculations and from the looks of your formula that kind of thing! I would
definately suggest keeping the two separate and only using Access to Analyse
the finished calculations.
You can perform calculations using 'Queries' within MSAccess, but it is no
where near as easy nor powerfull as Excel is!!!
Sorry it's not good news...
(
Rich
Where can I find information on the coding so that I can learn how to do it
rather than asking everytime because I understand that its difficult for you
all to figure it out without the whole picture.
Hi Jenn,
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
If your using math...then yes it will work the same way in access as
well an excel.
