Microsoft Access Applications
Microsoft Access®, like much other software, can be used on a very straightforward basis, by people who only need defaults and standard functionality. But it can also be used on a much more sophisticated level, one that takes advantage of behind-the-scenes Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programmability to address unique and complex requirements. I specialize in this latter area, building custom applications where plain vanilla ones just won't do. Following are some of the applications I have built and maintained.
Perdue AgriBusiness Incorporated - Railcar Management
Perdue AgriBusiness Incorporated is one of the 10 largest grain producers and traders in the U.S. In 2000 I created a small Access database application for them to replace a labor-intensive, Excel-based system for tracking their railcar fleet. Over the past 9 years the application has progressed from being a small, stand-alone Access system to one that uses SQL Server databases and interacts with the ordering and inventory system. It has grown to encompass a broad spectrum of related functions including:
- Railcar leases and subleases
- Railcar repairs and out-of-service incidents
- Rate quotes
- Bills of Lading
- Train inspection records
- Claims
- Freight and other bills.
The application includes pre-defined reports as well as free-form query builders with which the user can easily create custom reports without any knowledge of Access itself. Various parts of the system exchange data with Excel, Word and Outlook. It creates a variety of formatted and unformatted Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, snapshots, pdf files and Outlook messages.
Here is a screen shot of a form used to generate a formatted Outlook email message, a task that used to require an hour or more per day of manual effort. (Note: Blank boxes represent automatically calculated numbers that have been removed to preserve confidentiality.)
Perdue AgriBusiness Incorporated - Truck Dispatching
I started building this application in 2000 to replace a patchwork of computer programs, Excel spreadsheets and handwritten notes on scraps of paper. As with Perdue's rail system, the purpose of this application has changed over time. It has shifted from primarily dispatching trucks to providing management with analytical reports for tracking activity and performance, and also to centralizing information dispatchers use in making decisions. In time we expect all or most of the remaining functions to move to be added to a new, comprehensive ordering system. While some developers would see this as a threat to their livelihood, I am absolutely comfortable in recognizing the need for businesses to change and in helping Perdue make this transition. When making updates to this system I constantly look for opportunities to prepare the database for eventual migration to another platform.
International Visitor Corps of Jacksonville - Membership and Contacts Reports
The International Visitor Corps of Jacksonville (IVCJ) is a volunteer organization that coordinates and hosts the visits of people from around the world under the auspices of the NCIV (National Council for International Visitors) and the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program. Although these umbrella organizations provide a robust application for scheduling and managing visits, that system is not geared to managing the local organizations themselves. The necessary data is stored in the database but it is not easily extracted, filtered and formatted. As a long-time member of IVCJ, I donated my time to build an Access interface that uses the existing data to produce reports customized to IVCJ's particular needs.