RE: Re: COMP: Access database vs spreadsheet

The benefit of such a program especially used by a community as a whole will
allow you to obtain irises with the accompanying information.  So lets say
you buy "alabaster unicorn" from Professional Grower A - that person could
send you via email all the information regarding that specific iris.  Once
imported you only need enter your information in.  It reduces a significant
amount of data entry so you can go on with growing irises and enjoying them
and life without sitting in front of a computer for hours.

I **MAY** end up in a year or so having a webpage where the database is
online and when you seek an iris and find it you can email the file to
yourself so you will not have to enter in all the info.  Instead of taking
10 - 15 minutes to go through and enter all the information of the specific
iris you can send it to yourself and import it all within a couple minutes.
That is ultimately what I'd like to do with it.  This way trading irises and
buying irises will be easier to track and precious time is saved.

I chose Filemaker Pro because the find capability is outstanding and it is a
database that I know well.  I rarely work in access because it is a
contractors dream - for every search you have to build specific code around
it.  With this you put in the information that you want and then it comes up
without thousands and thousands of lines of text for finds alone.

I realize not everyone will use the database and that is okay.  It's just an
option that people have if they choose.

The reason I don't put it on-line now is I have a very solid internet
connection on an old network with the ISP that I work for and once they
dismantle the old network and put me on the new one I will upgrade to a
server package wherein I can host and control the data from my server.   But
hopefully by then I will also be developing many more websites - while
hosting and maintaining them for a nominal cost.  The iris one if successful
I will offer for free because the maintenance will be very low.  Not much
work compared to many of the sites out there.

It will not compete with anything out there because it will be on an
extremely small scale.  The only offering will be to view, upload and
download to the database.  There are so many others doing a fabulous job in
the sites that they have designed for irises etc., that I don't see the need
to have a full interactive site that includes mail, chats, etc. etc. etc.

My end goal is essentially to have a database with a centralized point where
one can extract the information and use it in their own copy of the
application.  Therefore a person can have track their cultivars that they
raise in a format where they can exchange information.



Janet T
Edmonton, AB
CDN Zone 3A



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-iris@hort.net [o*@hort.net]On Behalf Of Linda
Mann
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 3:59 PM
To: iris- talk
Subject: [iris] Re: COMP: Access database vs spreadsheet

.....I use Excel and Quattro Pro spreadsheets for my garden files. Those two
bits of software seem so simple to use compared to Access or other
database software, I don't understand the benefits of Access type
applications.....

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index