It is better using Access when creating a key that would connect the drivers records with their availability which could make it easier and clearer for the user.
Records of cars including their service history:
I think that the best way of creating the cars records is by using Microsoft Access for producing a database that could suit these types of records as they require a report and a relationship between the cars and their service history. Actually there is one bad point using Microsoft Access which’s if a mistake has been made then it would take some time to correct it, but in Microsoft Excel it’s easier to correct any mistake. In the other hand there is a good point using Microsoft Access which’s that records can be updated as you command them which could save you a huge amount of time.
Create invoices for customers:
For creating invoices for customers I would prefer using Microsoft Excel for producing a spreadsheet. I think that a spreadsheet will be more suitable for creating invoices than a database and this is because a spreadsheet is designed for numbers mostly and you can also use many formulae which will allow you to do variable things. You can also produce a graph in Microsoft Excel to compare the customers which the company may need. The layout appearance will look more appropriate on a spreadsheet for these particular invoices which would suit the house style with its formatting and how everything is structured.
Accounts:
For this part I can use three different types of software which are Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access and Microsoft excel. These three software could suit the layout and be the best when producing the account records. The reason I chose Microsoft Excel, Microsoft word and Microsoft Access for my account is because it’s an option for people. Some people find it easier to use on Microsoft word then Access in order to make a database that would look professional.
Create letters, price lists and other documents:
Creating letters, price lists and other documents can by produced in both Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel as they can make a good house style when creating the documents because the price list can be created in a spreadsheet with a suitable headings and a list box as the user can pick the records needed from the list. Other documents can be created using a database when making a good quality reports. I chose Microsoft Word for making letters because it’s an appropriate software and it is also very popular. It’s popular because more people know how to use it and it is also easy to use as I want to make it as simple as possible for the user of Care Hire.
Ensuring security and safety:
For ensuring security and safety for Car Hire Company I chose security software because it’s an appropriate software. I chose this software because it’s the most suitable software for this specific part as it contains everything required like creating a password and also a security system in order to get Car Hire Company the best security system that is provided. It’s also checks whether all details entered are correct.
Letterhead:
I think that the best software when creating a letterhead is Microsoft Word because it provides many features like a graph, picture and table can be inserted. A background and foreground colour can be chosen and applied which could improve the house style and its appearance. Features like adding a logo and a graphic could improve it as well which will make the appearance look interesting, attractive and eye catching.
Operating System:
Operating systems provide a on top of which other programs, called programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run. For , the most popular operating systems are DOS, , and , but others are available, such as .
For Car Hire Company I would recommend them to use a quick and easy operating system to install in order to run all the applications required. Mac OS for example which is a trademarked name for a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc or Windows XP which is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, which’s would suit Car Hire requirements.
The difference between database and spreadsheet:
Spreadsheets and databases although originally two very separate application programs that are for different purposes. Excel is better at a lot of things—displaying charts, showing PivotTables, displaying different types of data on the same worksheet which is what Car Hire require when creating letters. It's pretty simple in the current versions of Office to pull the data you need from any database into a spreadsheet, though. Store data in a database, work on it in a worksheet. You may hold out in Excel for a while, but several things may be conspiring against you, forcing you to create your first database. In the other hand, for keeping the data safe the reasons to create a database are data integrity and data validation. The worst nightmares ever seen in Excel have been caused by the Sort function. Someone sorted on last name, but not any of the other columns.
Some of the reasons of why a database is still a better tool for business:
- Easier to share: More than one person can edit a database at the same time. But spreadsheet users can only use a file at a time.
- Better security: in database you can protect private information from wandering mice better than spreadsheet. This can also protect the user of Car Hire Company from his own mistakes, like adding up the wrong column or forgetting to include a record in the correct place.
- Better reporting: With a database, you can format the same data many ways in reports which means you can look and compare between any records or data by using the reporting features to compile the data in many formats with a click of the button.
- Greater capacity: database has a great capacity that would be more than enough for Car Hire as they don’t need a huge amount of capacity as they only have a limited amount of records.
A spreadsheet and a database could suit the needs of Car Hire Company as they both have some advantages and disadvantages. As I mentioned above which software is the best for each requirement.
The table below shows the differences between a spreadsheet and a database for some items:
The type of computer that I would recommend for Car Hire Company must run an off-the shelf software like Microsoft Office (Access, Excel) because it will suit the company’s requirements. The hardware RAM must be at least 1136 Mb, the hard disk should be at least 3.1 GB and the CPU must be 2000 MHz. I think that these numbers and sizes will make Car Hire Company user able to run all the applications needed easily and quickly which could save him a huge amount of time as it’s not very complicated to use.
