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Technologies Used

 

Database (Ms Access -> SQL Server Express -> SQL Server)

·         Microsoft Access

o    Provides a powerful set of database tools that allows users to easily organize access and share information across the enterprise. It supports a wide variety of sources and readily links with other existing business systems, including Excel, SQL, ODBC data sources and other databases and files. Its design and coding environment assists the developer in creating customized navigation tools, data entry screens, and robust reporting.

·         SQL Server

o    If you need a more robust and larger database Microsoft now has SQL Server Express. With SQL Server Express 2005 you can run your database application on a desktop, laptop or server. It contains industry leading data security, reporting services and other innovative feature typically found in higher end products (such as XML, T-SQL, CLR, full text search)

o    As your enterprise grows, no worries, so can your database as you migrate to the full fledge SQL Server to handle terabytes of data? Commonly used by financial services, manufacturing, retail, professional services, government and other industries.

 

Language (VBA -> VSTA - > VSTO - > VB.NET)

 

·         VBA

o    Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications is the programming language embedded within the Microsoft Office family of products that enables developers to build custom solutions extending the functionality of the Office Suite (Access, Excel, Word, etc.). Developers creating applications in VBA can significantly reduce the development cycle of custom business systems.

 

·         Microsoft is moving VBA to VSTA

o    Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Applications (VSTA) provides a powerful customization toolset for ISVs, their customers, and their partners.  Built on Visual Studio and the .NET Framework, VSTA enables innovative customization scenarios while offering new levels of security and control.

o    When integrated into an application, VSTA accelerates the development of tailored solutions for specific customer needs.  Offering managed extensibility for both COM and .NET applications, VSTA makes it easier to write reliable, robust, and secure customizations.  In addition, VSTA projects open in full Visual Studio, making customizations easier for IT departments to develop, manage, and deploy.

o    VSTA enables ISVs to serve a broader customer base without modifying their core product.  A standardized toolset and a managed extensibility environment, VSTA gives ISVs a strategic advantage in meeting specific customer needs more rapidly and at lower cost.

 

o    As part of the Visual Studio family, VSTA will continue to inherit innovations in Visual Studio and .NET, gaining new features with each release.  For example, VSTA will soon enable customizations that use Windows Presentation Foundation for rich UI or Windows Communication Foundation for connected systems development.

 

·         VB.NET

o    For the most powerful solution we have VB.NET.

o    Visual Basic is a tool for productively building type-safe and object-oriented applications. It allows developers to create a wide range of Windows, Web, mobile, and Office applications built on the .NET Framework.

 

MS Office (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, InfoPath, Visio & more)

o    MS Office is not just a word processor spreadsheet anymore.

o    It is tools for teams to collect, organize, and share critical information across geographic or organizational boundaries

o    Microsoft Office Professional / Enterprise or Ultimate will help you and your organization work more efficiently and effectively with a new set of powerful tools for creating, managing, analyzing, and sharing information

o    Get more out of the Microsoft Office system programs you use every day.

o    The Microsoft Office Fluent user interface enables you to be

o    More successful finding and using program features by organizing product features according to task, labeling them with both text and graphics, and enhancing ScreenTips with illustrations and Help text.

o    Deliver high-impact results that look more professional.

o    Create, review, and publish professional-looking content quickly and easily.

o    Develop and share greater insight from spreadsheet data.

o    Manage your time and commitments more effectively.

o    Streamline communication, information sharing, and group project work.

o    Integrate documents into business processes.

o    Gather information efficiently and reliably.

o    Make more effective use of corporate data resources.

 

Frontends (MS Access, InfoPath)

• How the user sees and uses the data & forms how you perform your everyday functions and process. All very important.
  
• The frontend must be clean, inviting and user friendly.
  
• We now have choices that will allow us to create fabulous and great looking frontends that are attached or bound to your data.

        MS Access (Access Data Projects)

·         Like an .mdb file, an Access project file also allows you to develop a database application in the Access environment, but instead of using Jet, you're natively using either Microsoft SQL Server or the new Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) as the back-end database. You can use an Access project to create an entirely new SQL Server or MSDE database, or to connect to an existing database. You then use tools in Access to create or modify the tables, relationships, views, stored procedures, and other database objects that are stored on your server, and create and save the client application objects (forms, reports, macros, and modules) that are stored in the .adp file.

·         Another cool thing about Access projects is that you can now develop a rich user interface for SQL Server or MSDE databases by using the familiar Access environment. For example, you can create forms, reports, macros, and modules just as with traditional Access applications. However, creating tables is a little different, and relationships are called database diagrams. In addition, there are new database objects that you can use, such as views, stored procedures, and data access pages. For data access, you can use ActiveX® Data Objects (ADO), which is a rich object model for accessing data from a variety of sources.

InfoPath

·         Collect and manage data with ease. Extend the reach of your business with rich electronic forms.

·         Like most people, you probably fill out business forms on a regular basis, including expense reports, time cards, surveys, or insurance forms.

·         You can use Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007, which is part of the 2007 Microsoft Office system, to both design and fill out electronic forms.

·         You can use InfoPath to collect business data from the people whom you work with, including your colleagues, partners, suppliers, and customers. For example, you can use InfoPath to create a form template for expense reports for the people in your organization.

Data Back Ends (MS Access, SQL Server Express, SQL Server, Oracle)

o    Access

o    You can connect your form template to an existing Access database. Users can then query or submit data to that database. Similarly, you can populate list boxes with values from the database or bind (bind: To connect a control to a field or group in the data source so that data entered into the control is saved. When a control is unbound, it is not connected to a field or group, and so data entered into the control will not be saved.) controls to the fields and groups associated with the database.

 

o    SQL Server or other ODBC data

o    InfoPath works with SQL Server databases in any of the following formats: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 through Microsoft SQL Server 2005.

o    You can design a form template that is connected to a SQL Server database. Users can then use the form to query or submit data to the database. Similarly, you can populate list boxes with values from the database or bind controls to the fields and groups associated with the database.

 

3rd Party Add-On

Are you tired of the same look and feel?  Or do you want extended functions and capabilities. The follow companies make great add-ons to do just that! Calendars, Schedules, PIM, animated list boxes, dialogues, charts, etc.

 

We can add these extra functionalities to your projects.

o    DBI Tech -

o    FMS, Inc -