Hi Experts
Firstly let me say I am totally green in this area.
I need to set up the following:
Various sets of company accounts initially from a flat file database exported into a "common" database (some flavour of SQL?).
The ability to have this/these database/s online and to be able to be queried by selected users.
To have logon restrictions - e.g. users with full permission, part permissions, permissions to selected company info within databse/s etc.
From a front end GUI, have various standard reports from the DB.
Have a free text area for each set of company data, for users to enter notes (rather like a blog?).
There are more requirements but these are the main points.
All I am looking for at this stage is advice on which way to progress with regard to web server software and database software that will accomplish the above.
Or rather, what type of web hosting should I be asking for.
If I have not explained this very well I will apologise in advance.
Many thanks
Nick
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Thanks for the comments posted so far.
The site needs to be hosted on the internet as we would want want authorised clients to be able to log in from anywhere.
We want a DB to hold multiple company information. e.g. we may have many companies financial information (mainly for debt cashflow - so the type of info would be list of company debtors, payments received, that type of thing).
We would then want the ability for each authorised person to be able to add notes to each particular debtor.
Only site admin would be able to add payments received for any/all companies.
On some kind of front end, I would hope to have a list of standard reports - like total company debt, with the option of a drill down to list each debtor, with a further drill down to then list all payments received and any notes attached therein.
I suppose the type of site would really be just a "reporting" site.
At this moment, I have no idea where to start or who to ask hence this post.
Many thanks
Nick
So you will be hosting it on the internet. OK - I will try to explain the most i can
First thing you need to understand that
Database - is used to keep all the company information - it can also be extended to unable security on the website.
Website - is the place where the user will come and see the information, modify, update, etc.
This two are independent of each other but when it come to business intelligence then they both rely on each other without them neither will work.
before you proceed you need to answer on more question?
Are you thinnking of outsourcing your website development? - If yes, then you dont have to worry, the developer should cater for your requirement. You dont have to worry about any of the question you have asked above.
But if your answer is NO - then the preferred database would be sql, mysql, or which ever you are familiar with but not access database. then you have to decide platform are you going to develop your website - will it be .net, asp, php, jsp website. i will again say choose the one that you are most comfortable with, but if you want to go with the technology then go with asp.net - easy to develop as well.
Hope the above infor will give you a bit of more insight into your problem
I am not familiar with any SQL databases but have just downloaded and instralled the free SQL2005 express for playing around with.
In terms of web development, I am not too familiar with any of the platforms you have mentioned.
This being the case am I expecting too much to learn pretty quickly?
Should I be contracting out?
Many thanks for input so far.
Cheers
Nick
Business Accounts
Answer for Membership
by: jimpenPosted on 2009-08-01 at 15:59:08ID: 24997012
I'm the DB side, not the web side. But I can throw some things at you to contemplate.
>> Various sets of company accounts initially from a flat file database exported in...
You have a choice of various flavors of MS SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL and some others. They all have associated costs with them. In addition some work better on different OS's. So are you more comfortable with Windows, Linux, or IBM?
>> The ability to have this/these database/s online ..........
Is that an Intranet or Internet exposure you're looking for?
>> To have logon restrictions - e.g. users with full permission, ......
That is part of the design concept. You have a choice, you can build it in the front-end, or go the slightly more complicated route of building it into the database. At the DB level is generally more secure, but has more overhead for administration.
>> From a front end GUI, have various standard reports from the DB.
You should decide early on whether you want to have just a web page or also want to have a "hard" client-server interface. The reason to figure it out, is that you would have to create a web interface, and essentially recreate the code a second time to do the client-server solution. Or copy the web Java/JS code to make the client app and have the normal speed problems of Java apps.
You can deploy reports easily enough with Crystal Reports through a web interface.
Just giving you a few ideas to chew on.