>>Suzanne Quigley recommends going with a "smaller off the shelf" version.
>> Any specific recommendations on software that works?
> AlphaFive by Alpha Software, 617 229-2924 - tho' you might want to wait
>for Version 2 for Windows 95 - Version 1 is so-so. $50 for basic version.
> I currently use an older version (AlphaFour v4) with 13,000+ plus
>records. Works pretty well, except for printing reports - it is pretty
>bad at that.
OK, here is my 2 cents (but mostly because no one else has mentioned it yet).
I've been using FoxPro 2.6 for all my data needs. I have an artifact database
with over 15,000 items in it, other lists of names for mailing lists, several
hundred thousand points of survey data, etc. I picked it because of its speed,
flexibility and now its overall integration with other microsoft products. I
can access data in FoxPro directly from Word or Excel, making everything from
form letters and press releases to some financial statements a snap. I would
imagine using Access would have similar benefits. The only difference between
the two is Access's performance drops off significantly after 3 or 4 users,
while FoxPro will usually make it to 5 - 7 users. If you need more muscle than
that you can move your data to an SQL server, and go Client/Server. Of course
that is applicable to any situation. Lastly, it is actually pretty easy to
setup and operate. Most tasks are automated through the use of wizards (little
programs that pop up and ask you question and guide you through what you want to
do). If the wizard can't do what you want, the programing language is very
english like and not that hard to learn.
To sum it up; If you need it now, or the thought of any kind of programming
makes you dizzy, find a canned program to do what you want. If you've got some
time and you are interested in simple programming, Access will probably do you
just fine. If you have Microsoft Office (Word and Excel), you get even more
benefits. Have fun!!
Todd Robinson
"With one foot slightly out of four-space"
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