Database help

TBH, if you're an analyst, you should be able to do this yourself.

Most basic thing is that you're going to have to tell us what your skill-set is, as there's no point advising you to do it using a technology you don't have a breeze about.

There are probably two approaches you can take with this. The first is to do it as an Access database, running on a local machine, which you can later use as a basis to redevelop into a Web based application and export the data to it.

The second is to start with a Web based application and expand it from there. What you use is up to whatever skills you have available, but unless you want your club to pay Oracle licensing fees, I suspect you'll probably want to look at less expensive options, like MySQL.

My feeling is you should go for the first option as you appear unsure of your club's long-term requirements. While you'll effectively be developing what will eventually become a redundant application, it can act as a prototype for whatever online one you eventually build, while trying to go directly to a Web based application (unless Web access is a requirement) will almost certainly also have to be rewritten eventually.

City boy turned country wrote: »

Thanks for all the reply. I'm not sure what you mean with you first sentence as I never said that I wasn't doing it myself. My question is what is the best software for me to use to do it..

I meant that as an analyst in the Web industry, you should pretty much know how to go about this, even if you won't be doing the coding yourself. TBH, suggesting an Oracle database for something like this, especially when there's no budget, is not something I'd expect to hear from an analyst in the Web industry.

Anyhow, according to your update specific development skills are not an issue, as they'll be third party, but budget is, as it's essentially non-existent. Functionality is essentially pinned down.

If you're looking to introduce the new system, with a view to later developing it into a fully featured one, yet minimize any deprecated code for the final version, then your best strategy is to try and keep the database unchanged, and only look at replacing the user interface to it. Off the top of my head there are two options:

Produce it as a LAMP application from the onset, but supply only a basic (no snazzy HTML5, AJAX and all those trimmings) user interface, with view to expanding it later. This means your database (MySQL) will remain unchanged and only the front-end (as the business logic should be reusable). Development skills required; MySQL and PHP.

Another option is producing the initial version as an offline Access database. When you decide to later put this online, you can do so again using PHP to access the database, although your server (AFAIR) will have to be Windows rather than Linux based. Again, this means your database (Access) will remain unchanged and only the front-end (as the business logic, in the access database, should also be reusable - TBC). Development skills required; Access and PHP.

If I were to choose, I'd go for the first option, but it comes down to the club. Professional looking interfaces for custom databases are easy to do in Access, while (unless you find an out of the box solution) they're harder to produce for the Web. If impressing them is important (because that's how you'll get the latter phase green lit) then you might look at the Access option.

Update: You may be able to reuse the Access forms online too, as apparently this is possible since Access 2010. Financially though, you're still better off with redoing the interfaces using PHP, as while doing the first version Access database would require only an intermediate level Access developer, this would probably require a far more experienced Access / dotNet developer. PHP devs are cheaper.