We regularly work with information in the following formats:
a) CSV or other text formats
b) XLS - spreadsheet formats
c) XML - file based or web service based
Our recent experience of importing and exporting information with Microsoft
Access includes:
SAGE Integration
For a number of clients we have developed integration with their SAGE accounts
systems. Commonly this is done to that details of invoices or purchases recorded
in the Access database can be automatically transferred to SAGE without the need
for anyone to re-key the data.
Web site download
For an event management company we implemented an automated download facility
within their Access database so that registration information from their web
site (MySQL) could be automatically downloaded, duplicate checked and inserted
into the database.
Web site upload
A training company needed a facility to collate feedback on their training
courses via their web site. We developed a facility to automatically generate an
email to the attendees which a link to the web site where we built pages linked
to a web server database for them to insert the data. This involved
uploading details to the web sit so that users could log in and see details
about the course they had attended before submitting their feedback. Feedback
was then automatically downloaded back into the database once a day.
This was achieved using VBA to extract the necessary database information and
then dynamically building a spreadsheet to present this information in such as
way that no further work would be required by the user to get the spreadsheet to
comply with the industry accepted standard layout
XML Upload/Download to PDAs
A client with a team of engineers out on the road with PDAs needed a
solution to automatically upload job details from their Access database to the
PDAs and to download the job details once the job had been completed. Working
with an Internet based 3rd party provider of PDA services we were able to
automate this exchange of job information using XML to exchange data with the
mobile devices.
Annual statistical return production Word - Educational Sector
A client in the education sector required a solution automate the generation of
an end of year statistical return which could many hours to compile manually. By
building a database to store and record the relevant student information we were
then able to automate Word so as to build the document at the touch of the
button.
The document contained statistics drawn from many different areas of the
database which had to presented in a particular layout and format in order to
meet the requirements of the body to which the document was submitted.
Legal document analysis
For a legal client we were required to use Access and Word to automatically
analyse the content and properties of a large batch of documents so that certain
performance information could be obtained regarding the staff who originally
generated the documents.
Diary Management & Email Generation - Insurance lead management
For a leading insurance company we build a solution to automatically open the
Outlook/Exchange diary of the sales consultant who covers a particular postcode
area based on the address details entered into the lead management database.
Call centre staff could then use the database to book an appointment in the
diary and generate an email both containing the necessary database/call related
information that the consultant would need for that appointment.