Expert Advice Please

  • Thread starter Thread starter JEM
  • Start date Start date
J

JEM

WHAT I NEED:



What I need in my hand: At the beginning of each month, I need to print a
calendar for a schedule. In each day of the week, there are six periods. In
each period, I need the calendar to show me 3 things (1) the class being
taught (2) the number of classes to date (3) what will be taught during that
period.



QUESTIONS:



Can this be done in Excel or should it be done in Access.



Can this be done by a 'high-beginner to low-intermediate' user who is
willing to put in the time and effort? (And some question to NGs)



Should I consider hiring someone to do it for me? E.g.: posting the job on
Rent-A-Coder? I've used them before when I haven't had the time to hack
through small projects myself. Something that would take me a few weeks to
work through in my spare time can be set up in a day or two by a pro.



I've been helped in these groups immeasurably and I am really grateful. But
I guess this type of project is probably above and beyond the scope of a
regular post. So, if one of the experts could just point me north, I'd
appreciate it.



PS, a few details can be seen in this post:



On Monday, April 19, 2004 1:44 PM, I posted a 'My Schedule: Am I Dreaming?'
in a few of the Excel groups.



It was a rather long post, and probably at first glance, not something
someone would want to dive into. Anyway, to this point, I've gotten no
replies. (Not complaining, mind you, just time to ask the question at the
top of this post.)



In the original post, I asked, 'Am I Dreaming?' because I've been told by my
peers, 'You can't do that, we have been doing that work by hand for years.
If it could have been done, we would have figured it out by now!' (With
that, I might add, none of these people (including myself) are expert with
any type of spreadsheet or DB application.)
 
This is a relatively simple exercise, and as you need to store an amount of
back data, it might be best suited to Access. But you can combine Access and
Excel, use Access to build a proper database and store the data, use Excel
to retrieve that data and format it.

It could be done by a relatively savvy user, but it might take some time.
One of the problems with the NGs is that if you are not sure of the
question, it can be difficult to get an answer. Simple straight-forward
questions get answered almost immediately, but the more complex ones usually
require some digging to get at the 'real' requirement.

It seems to me that you would probably be better to hire someone. It
shouldn't cost too much, but as ever, the quality of the solution will
depend enormously on the quality of your requirements specification.

--

HTH

Bob Phillips
... looking out across Poole Harbour to the Purbecks
(remove nothere from the email address if mailing direct)
 
Thanks Bob,

I could do it given the time and would probably enjoy doing it, too. I've
been tinkering with it in my 'spare' time for a week or so and come up with
some mixed results, mostly 'Frankenstein monsters'. But the clock is ticking
and I've needed it since the beginning of April, so I guess I'll
Rent-A-Coder for this one.



Like you said, it's actually a pretty straight forward, just figuring out
how to handle all the variables consistently has got me stumped.
 
I'll do it for you for a small contribution to my daughter's Gap Year
Project if you want. Mail me direct.


--

HTH


Bob Phillips
... looking out across Poole Harbour to the Purbecks
(remove nothere from the email address if mailing direct)
 
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