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When you team up with Software
Simplified, you'll get as much or as little as you want. Every aspect of
our service is tailored to meet the specific needs of your unique
business. One size does not fit all, and we recognize and
appreciate that. We'll work with you to determine what your
needs/expectations are, and help you mix and match from the following
deliverables to meet them.
-
MS Access Database
in the version of your choice or as a run-time application (Software
Simplified supports Access versions 2.0, Access 97, Access 2000, Access
2002) (click for more)
-
Related Tables
-
Queries
-
Forms
-
Reports
-
Pages
-
Macros
-
Modules
-
Visual Basic code
-
Security level of
your choice
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Online help
(internal)
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User documentation
(external)
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Technical
documentation (external)
-
Training in the
new database application for as many or as few staff members as desired
-
Phone and/or
on-site support
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- Streamline your business workflow
(more)
- Reduce or eliminate duplicate entries among multiple
applications
- Use information entered in one area for one purpose to
produce reports in another area (more)
- EXAMPLE: Information entered to create a proposal can
later be used to generate an invoice
- EXAMPLE: Information used to generate invoices can be
used to generate reports for your sales staff to help determine where to
concentrate marketing efforts
- Document your business workflow
(more)
- User documentation speeds the learning curve for new
hires
- Technical documentation allows your company or outside
contractors to readily interpret and understand the application in order to
make modifications or add modules
- Limit access to information
(more)
- Users can be given access to subsets of the data or
application based on criteria you specify, safeguarding confidential
information from prying eyes.
- Users can be limited in their ability to
view/modify/delete specific parts of the database
- Produce analysis reports for management
- Readily make changes to your application as business
needs change or as additional funds become available
- Accessible phone support
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While each project is different, there are similarities to all
database projects. A general outline of the steps involved in implementing
a new database (or revising an existing one) from start to finish and beyond, is
shown below.
Not every step is necessary for every project, but this
outline gives you an idea of database development process.
- Consulting session(s)
- Review needs, wants, constraints
- Gather existing data sources, forms, reports
- Produce specifications for review by client. Revise as necessary.
(These specifications define the scope of the project and break it down into
subprojects, if necessary.)
- Produce a development plan and obtain approval from decision makers to
proceed with execution.
- In general, approval is in the form of a signed contract.
- The development plan may implement one component at a time, adding
components as budget or other constraints allow.
- Create/modify database per specifications and test.
- Provide database to client users/testers for testing with real-world inputs
and obtain feedback (alpha test).
- Modify database as necessitated by any errors/modifications needed found in
alpha test.
- Repeat steps 4 to 6, as needed.
- Provide documentation and/or training, if desired.
- Load live data, have client users/testers use new database and old method
concurrently for a set period of time to make sure that database produces
expected results (beta test).
- Make final changes, if necessary, to database, documentation and training.
- "Go live."
- Maintain new application.
- Phone support.
- On-site support.
- Add subprojects/new projects as warranted.
This process may look challenging at first, but it is the
best way to guarantee a fully functional, reliable and highly useful
database application that will meet your current and future needs. Taking
the time to design well from the start ensures functionality and flexibility.
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Documentation and training aren't necessary in all instances.
Under circumstances where the application and/or user community is very small,
or when the end-users are also the people who assisted with design and testing,
oftentimes no additional documentation or training is needed.
At minimum, documentation is recommended to
facilitate bringing new users up to speed in the event of employee turnover.
It is also recommended when the application is of a type that is
used irregularly rather than day to day. For instance, an application that
provides annual reporting or monthly inventory records.
In general, help systems are provided within the application
itself and external documentation may not be absolutely necessary for
applications that are used on a daily basis.
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This is a new area of our site. Software Simplified would NEVER breach the
confidentiality of our customers. Therefore, this section is under
construction until we obtain express permission from some of them to use
their names and link to their sites. (-Barbara
Meyer, September 9, 2001)
As an incentive, we will also provide links to their websites
here to (hopefully!) generate some additional traffic, and therefore revenue,
for them, too!
In the meantime, some overviews of prior projects are listed
below.
Roofing company co-located
in Ohio and Florida
Created an invoicing and A/R module for their existing
customer database which they were using to generate sales proposals. Cleaned
up pre-existing data structures and relationships in order to maximize
future flexibility. Their database is now capable of tracking sales
and prospects, creating gorgeous proposals and invoices, tracking accounts
receivable and aging, and monitoring work flow and follow-up activities. In
addition to being able to get more information out of their database, they
can also perform their day-to-day activities more quickly and with less
effort, freeing them to build sales revenue.
Insurance agency located in Solon, Ohio
Created and modified
reports and forms for an existing Access database which manages claims. The
client already has a person who is very technically adept who designed their
database and most of its functions. These days they contact Software Simplified
for quick modifications and when they occasionally need some pointers.
International corporate headquarters of a building
materials company in Beachwood,
Ohio
Created, documented and currently
maintain a database used for tracking, archiving, locating and maintaining legal
documents.
Bankruptcy law practice in downtown
Cleveland, Ohio
Modified their existing customer contact
and A/R database so that it would work properly. It had crashed and they
didn't have a recent backup or access to the database's creator. Later,
updated the structure of the tables and forms, incorporating referential
integrity and additional features.
Corporate holding
company headquartered Mayfield Heights, Ohio
Created and currently maintain two
databases for Legal and Human Resources departments. 1) A database which
is used to track and report on employee contact and benefit data. 2) A
database which generates non-standard form letters for their Board of Directors
to provide them with information pertinent to upcoming board meetings.
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