data management

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wegotitugetit

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ill try to explain best i can on what i need any help appreciated

need to keep a eye on stock we have and dont have and need to list
1st category
part
2nd category

make / manufacturer
then one in the 2nd category i need it all listed like this
name
description
qty in stock ( maybe not essential)
listed on amazon
lsited on ebay
listed on awebsite
part number
image url
barcode

this is just some of the main title's or topics that will have to be noted

i could essential do with this on multiple computers so if im away some one else can log on and take a look on another pc on the same netwrok

now office do a database type thing but never before played with it so kind of not knowing which route to go down

i currently have excell files to import ot each one then i can go down the route of adding stock levels etc once created

i need to make it easy as possible for other user's i dont mind a bit of technical stuff for me but other users are so basic it is hard enough for htem to turn on a a pc
 
If the data is on a spreadsheet you can go via the shared spreadsheet route if the spreadsheet is on a network that all pc's connect to.
 
thats the thing it currently is not set in any format so rather starting it from fresh then realising it may not work one way and chaning to another i would prefer to avoid if i could

also one of the thins that could be real usefull is if i could say search for a make / model of a biek to see what we have available for that bike
 
Well Access would be the obvious candidate to do this for you....it's not a trivial exercise for a non-techie though, hard to know what to recommend without knowing your comfort level :) Might be worth getting a book to run you through the basics.

Excel may do the job but it's not very robust and unless you know what you are doing it can do weird things and give you data you don't expect. Access is much better if you want something that'll last a while. One of the benefits of using a database like Access is that you can easily get data into other formats if you want to.
 
Access is certainly one solution, but your learning curve could be pretty steep.

With Access you can design input forms and the like and also default values and validation rules, pick lists etc.

Depends how many ' other users' you have Access is not really designed as a multi user system and can be (or at least used to be) a little flaky in that scenario.

I would recommend forms on a local machine connecting to the data tables on a server, (if that's the sort of setup you have.)
 
yes i have local machines on the same network so would require a install onto all machines for them to access it i persum

what i was thinking seems to now be too much i think i need to grab a book on this and have a quick read see if it this is what will work i.e access
 
What you are suggesting is not a five minute exercise.
Prepare yourself for a lot of grief. Highly satisfying if you get it all working though.

I would suggest you create your data tables on the server, applying normalisation rules etc.

Then create forms that sit on individual PCs and 'point' to your server tables.

This could work, although 'grown ups' will tell you you should use MySQL or some-such as the back end, but Access will work, but it's not really designed as a multi user system.
 
Access used to provide specs to allow 10 concurrent users I dont know what they say now. But Ive built multi user systems, and remote synch systems too in Access.

As others have said, proper programmers would recommend MySQL or other grown up database but you could do it with Access or even with Excel or web front ends on MDB tables.

In fact as youre not looking at concurrent users, Excel would do fine. Have you got barcode readers? a little form would make stock updating a piece of cake.
 
Do it the easy way, look at open source stock control solutions. They do exist, are designed to do what you want and will do the stuff you haven't thought of yet. They are also web based so much more accessible.

You can have a look at order harmony (£25 a month) which integrated with other software like xero which you can use for invoicing.
 
It read to me like you were describing a stock control system. Trying to do it yourself sounds like asking for trouble.

We used to use a complete manufacturing control system with bills of materials (for assemblies and sub assemblies), stock control, purchasing, invoicing, you name it. Not cheap but it forced you do do things properly and once used to it we could never have traded without it. Multiple users all doing their thing from storeman to designer to buyer. Oh and the auditors liked it too. At annual audit they could send a junior down and the system printed a list of all stock, where it was and how many there were....and the junior got to count some to check the stocktake.

Sounds like dale has a better idea of what you might need but find something ready made and pay for it if necessary!
 
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There are quite a few good ones around that hook into amazon and eBay as well as keeping track of any stock sold via other methods. Did go looking a while ago and found a few. I'll see if I can dig them out again.
 
have looked at some in the past and one of the big issues i have is it is not exactly a stock programme im after but more for the fact of one part number will fit 10 models sometimes 40 models of diffrent thigngs all listed seperatley so need to be individually based with the part number

some systems thow awobler if they see the same part number twice
 
This is the company we used - http://www.herschel.co.uk/index.htm have to say the web site isn't inspiring but the software worked :)

We stopped trading 6 years ago and had used the system for many years before that. They tailored it for us. Your parts usage thing is exactly what we did - bits on the shelf used in a variety of products. Might be worth talking to them if only to help clarify what you really need.
 
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