Below are the requirements that have to be met and I have to use Microsoft Access to meet these requirements.
The new database will involve different types of data, which will be needed to be stored on the system. The new system will be mainly used by the two workers, Jean & Martin, they will use the new system as a customer ordering system and a stock control system.
The customer ordering system will be used to
Customer Details;
* Customer Name
* Customer Surname
* Customer Address
* Customer Telephone
This can be done in Microsoft Access using forms, and the forms will allow all this information to be converted to tables and reports.
The users must be able to input the above data, and they should also be able to edit information as well, they should be able to;
-They will be able to ADD, EDIT & DELETE;
* Customer Details
* Customer Order
* Stock Details
There should also be about 3 search functions, one where customer details can be searched for, using their name or surname, the other search function can be used to search for orders and printing them, the orders should be searched for using an order number or customer surname, and the last search function should be where stock can be searched for using the stock code or description.
There should also be a report function, which shows all the orders for a period of time, e.g. a month, and the total value can be printed out.
Stock information should also be stored on the new system; it should be able to,
- Create Stock information –
Stock Details;
*New Stock details
*Existing Stock Details
* Stock Number
* Stock Description
* Price of Stock
* Colour
* Size
* Stock Status (in stock or out of stock)
* Total amount of stock in storage
* Items no longer stocked
In the stock information section, there should be a query to search for the stock details, and the query should contain the above information.
The users should have limited access to the stock information as well, e.g. the two workers, Jean & Martin should not be able to change stock information such as the price. The owner, Paul, should be the only one that should have access to change some of the information such as price.
The other 2 types of data that will be needed on the system are order and delivery information:
- Create order Descriptions –
Order Details;
* Order Number
* Order Description
* Other necessary information e.g. Size, Colour, etc.
- Create Delivery information –
Delivery information;
* Delivery Date
* Delivery Address
* Delivery Time
The HARDWARE TO BE USED
As the company I have chosen doesn’t have an existing computer based systems, the will not be any constraints on hardware because, a new computer system will have to be bought and Microsoft access will have to be compatible with the new computer system. In order for Microsoft Access to work on the new system, the new system must meet the minimum requirements for Microsoft Access to function properly.
With the new computer system, either Windows 2000 professional or Windows XP will be installed, and the minimum requirements for this are;
WINDOWS 2000 Professional
- 133 MHz or above Pentium/AMD processor
- 64mb of RAM, more RAM improves performance
- 2GB install with 650mb of free space
- CD-ROM or DVD Drives is needed as well as a Keyboard/Mouse
- VGA or higher resolution monitor
WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL
- 133 MHz or above Pentium/AMD processor
- 64mb of RAM, plus an additional 8mb for each program that is opened and running simultaneously
- 210 Mb of free space
- CD-ROM or DVD Drives is needed as well as a Keyboard/Mouse
- Super VGA(800 x 600) or higher resolution with 256 colours
Here are the minimum system requirements needed for Microsoft Access
So when deciding on a new system to buy, the specification of the new system must meet the minimum requirements needed for Microsoft Access, but the specification of the new pc should be higher than the minimum requirements, because otherwise information will be slow to load up
As the minimum requirements for Microsoft Access aren’t very high, the new system will be quite cheap to buy, so there possibly won’t be any constrains on cost as well.
PRINTER
Also along with the new system, a printer will also have to be purchased, and the printer doesn’t have be colour, It can be a mono inkjet printer, as all that will be printed will be things such as forms, reports, tables, etc, no images will be printed. The speed of the printer does not necessarily have to be very high, it should be a minimum of 5ppm, and the noise of the printer should be smooth and quiet, as if the printer is loud, then it may be unpleasant for customers.
Here are some of the systems that I have found on a low budget basis, and these systems meets all the requirements that are needed to run Microsoft access.
I have also looked at inkjet printers that could be purchased as well, here is one of the items looked at:
With the new system, there will only have to be one computer and all there will be three users, and one user will be the admin, and will have access to change all information such as prices and stock.
PERIPHERALS
As the company only deals with furniture it doesn’t really need extra peripherals such as barcode readers and touch screen systems, although it would be an advantage to have a touch screen system as it can make things more efficient, but having a touch screen system can be expensive, ranging from prices of around £400. Touch screens are also suitable for clicking buttons, but a lot of information will be typed out, so it is probably easier not to have a touch screen.
BACKUP
The minimum device that will be used for backup will be a floppy drive, and this will store information on a floppy disk, if ever the is a problem with the system and work needs to be saved. The floppy disk can only store 1.44mb of data, so in case data doesn’t fit on the floppy disk, it would be convenient to also have a CD rewriter drive, where this will store information on a compact disk, and this can store information up to 700mb, so this can store large amounts of data.
