Feeling Stupid... integrating Access with Web for Data collection? | dBforums – Everything on Databases, Design, Developers and Administrators
Feeling Stupid... integrating Access with Web for Data collection?
Thread: Feeling Stupid... integrating Access with Web for Data collection?
12-05-08, 19:35 #1
Unanswered: Feeling Stupid... integrating Access with Web for Data collection?
ok.... so i don't have MySql or anything... but can someone point me in the right direction (be nice ) for how i can integrate a form to gather data from a web form and have it connect to an Access Database? Ideally the users will be using PDAs to fill out information which will then be used at the home office to generate bids based on the data collected by the salespeople. Does that make sense?
12-05-08, 20:03 #2
you don't need mysql if you have access
what you do need, though, is a programming language, like asp, php, jsp, etc.
Is there a crash course I can get to do this? A Dummies Book?
12-05-08, 21:40 #4
I got a lot of useful asp info here:
12-05-08, 22:01 #5
Regarding PDA's - we used to use PDA's to gather data. But we found that user's wouldn't update it (due to problems with the PDA) or the data didn't always copy nicely from the PDA -> computer (we had lots of missing data.)
Now we are experimenting with an IVR (using Voxeo by Prophecy) to make calls to users and have them answer questions where the data is then stored in an MSAccess backend.
Voxeo is pretty easy to setup and allows you to do VOIP (voice over IP). It took me a week to develop a 15 question application (I had to learn a bit of php code to do the updating to the database.) You may want to learn php as a source to understand how to update the database via web calls (google on learning php). Otherwise, as Paul suggested, ASP is another route.
What I'll do is create the query in MSAccess, then copy the syntax to notepad, modify it for syntax fixes (for php) and add in the connection/open recordset calls, and save it as a *.php (making sure to change File Types to ALL Files otherwise it doesn't save it correctly as php!!) Then I use my web application (ie. Voxeo) to make calls to the php file. I have many different php files. 1 to update, 1 to delete, 1 to do this...1 to do that...etc... You can easily create php files using notepad (again, google to see many different examples.) You could do something similar with whatever web design program your working with or design everything via ASP.
Last edited by pkstormy; 12-05-08 at 22:10.
12-06-08, 03:03 #6
If you are using a PDA to collect the data
then I think your main problem is going to be the PDA application rather than how you put the data into a database. after all you can save the data as a CSV file and import it into the data store when the PDA retuns home.
if the PDA's will connect to the central machine then you could do the whole thing in something like ASP or PHP as a conventional web client designed for PDA's
If you don't have the comms bit on the PDA then I'd consider developing the questionaire bit in a front end language (Java, VB or whatever floats your boat). if you are using Microsoft PDA's you could store the data in the compact SQL Server that you can deploy on PDA's for free (comes with Studio.NET). compact SQL server is a cut down version of a SQL implementation... but powerful enough for what you want
you then need to dump the data into a central analysis engine..... Again that's a matter of choice and budget. it doesn't really matter it can go into SQL Srver Desktop, MySQL or any other server product, it could go into Access/JET it doesn't matter, providing your analysis & reporting tool can read that data.
if you are used to using Microsoft, then I'd stick with SQL Server desktop or Access/JET.
SO theres two distinct phases in this
1) designing the applciation on the PDA to collect the data
2) designing the applciation that analyses and reports that data
theres lots of sub phases (physical design of the data stroage for both. I woudln't rule out writing to a flat file and uploasing the flat file into you analysis db
the main issue I can see in the analysis is how or who you intend to see the results.. if its to go back to the PDA users then you need a mechanism to send the collated data back there and used there.
Feeling Stupid... integrating Access with Web for Data collection? | dBforums – Everything on Databases, Design, Developers and Administrators
Feeling Stupid... integrating Access with Web for Data collection?
Thread: Feeling Stupid... integrating Access with Web for Data collection?
12-05-08, 19:35 #1
Unanswered: Feeling Stupid... integrating Access with Web for Data collection?
ok.... so i don't have MySql or anything... but can someone point me in the right direction (be nice ) for how i can integrate a form to gather data from a web form and have it connect to an Access Database? Ideally the users will be using PDAs to fill out information which will then be used at the home office to generate bids based on the data collected by the salespeople. Does that make sense?
12-05-08, 20:03 #2
you don't need mysql if you have access
what you do need, though, is a programming language, like asp, php, jsp, etc.
Is there a crash course I can get to do this? A Dummies Book?
12-05-08, 21:40 #4
I got a lot of useful asp info here:
12-05-08, 22:01 #5
Regarding PDA's - we used to use PDA's to gather data. But we found that user's wouldn't update it (due to problems with the PDA) or the data didn't always copy nicely from the PDA -> computer (we had lots of missing data.)
Now we are experimenting with an IVR (using Voxeo by Prophecy) to make calls to users and have them answer questions where the data is then stored in an MSAccess backend.
Voxeo is pretty easy to setup and allows you to do VOIP (voice over IP). It took me a week to develop a 15 question application (I had to learn a bit of php code to do the updating to the database.) You may want to learn php as a source to understand how to update the database via web calls (google on learning php). Otherwise, as Paul suggested, ASP is another route.
What I'll do is create the query in MSAccess, then copy the syntax to notepad, modify it for syntax fixes (for php) and add in the connection/open recordset calls, and save it as a *.php (making sure to change File Types to ALL Files otherwise it doesn't save it correctly as php!!) Then I use my web application (ie. Voxeo) to make 
calls to the php file. I have many different php files. 1 to update, 1 to delete, 1 to do this...1 to do that...etc... You can easily create php files using notepad (again, google to see many different examples.) You could do something similar with whatever web design program your working with or design everything via ASP.
Last edited by pkstormy; 12-05-08 at 22:10.
12-06-08, 03:03 #6
If you are using a PDA to collect the data
then I think your main problem is going to be the PDA application rather than how you put the data into a database. after all you can save the data as a CSV file and import it into the data store when the PDA retuns home.
if the PDA's will connect to the central machine then you could do the whole thing in something like ASP or PHP as a conventional web client designed for PDA's
If you don't have the comms bit on the PDA then I'd consider developing the questionaire bit in a front end language (Java, VB or whatever floats your boat). if you are using Microsoft PDA's you could store the data in the compact SQL Server that you can deploy on PDA's for free (comes with Studio.NET). compact SQL server is a cut down version of a SQL implementation... but powerful enough for what you want
you then need to dump the data into a central analysis engine..... Again that's a matter of choice and budget. it doesn't really matter it can go into SQL Srver Desktop, MySQL or any other server product, it could go into Access/JET it doesn't matter, providing your analysis & reporting tool can read that data.
if you are used to using Microsoft, then I'd stick with SQL Server desktop or Access/JET.
SO theres two distinct phases in this
1) designing the applciation on the PDA to collect the data
2) designing the applciation that analyses and reports that data
theres lots of sub phases (physical design of the data stroage for both. I woudln't rule out writing to a flat file and uploasing the flat file into you analysis db
the main issue I can see in the analysis is how or who you intend to see the results.. if its to go back to the PDA users then you need a mechanism to send the collated data back there and used there.