I'm not a SQL programmer but I need help please in sqlserver

Hello
Yes, I certainly am not a programmer. Access gives me enough of a headache.
What I'm after is some advice.
Me and my brother run a small business and we have decided to have a
database developed specifically for our business. The question is what do we
need? We have approached several companies offering to build a bespoke system
for us based on SQL Server 2003 (as I understand, correct me if I'm wrong).
Another company that seems quite useful uses Visual Fox Pro. Now I've looked
at both these websites. I realise they are both Microsoft programmes. Would
someone tell me what the difference is between the two?
Our business is in the building services industry on the mechanical side;
that is we install heating systems, air conditioning, ventilation and
building controls and we operate around 25 operatives and have around 5
office staff and the business is getting very stretched. The only thing that
is semi automated are our accounts which are done on Sage Line 50 v10.
We do not have even a simple employee table, mobile phone table, etc. An
important area for our business is job costing, adding material costs +
labour costs, and this is something we would be very interested in.
The companies we have spoken to that offer bespoke services whether be by
SQL or Visual Fox Pro say that once a core module is built e.g. An employee
module, other modules could be bolted on at a later stage so that they would
interact.
I would very much appreciate someone who would just spend some time
clarifying some of the points I have made. If I haven't been specific enough,
I would be happy to give you further details.
Thank you in advance
Tim"Tim" <Tim@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:173DEC0A-2ADE-4FA0-AC70-C7C4C4A100DE@.microsoft.com...
> Hello
> Yes, I certainly am not a programmer. Access gives me enough of a
> headache.
> What I'm after is some advice.
> Me and my brother run a small business and we have decided to have a
> database developed specifically for our business. The question is what do
> we
> need? We have approached several companies offering to build a bespoke
> system
> for us based on SQL Server 2003 (as I understand, correct me if I'm
> wrong).
> Another company that seems quite useful uses Visual Fox Pro. Now I've
> looked
> at both these websites. I realise they are both Microsoft programmes.
> Would
> someone tell me what the difference is between the two?
> Our business is in the building services industry on the mechanical side;
> that is we install heating systems, air conditioning, ventilation and
> building controls and we operate around 25 operatives and have around 5
> office staff and the business is getting very stretched. The only thing
> that
> is semi automated are our accounts which are done on Sage Line 50 v10.
> We do not have even a simple employee table, mobile phone table, etc. An
> important area for our business is job costing, adding material costs +
> labour costs, and this is something we would be very interested in.
> The companies we have spoken to that offer bespoke services whether be by
> SQL or Visual Fox Pro say that once a core module is built e.g. An
> employee
> module, other modules could be bolted on at a later stage so that they
> would
> interact.
> I would very much appreciate someone who would just spend some time
> clarifying some of the points I have made. If I haven't been specific
> enough,
> I would be happy to give you further details.
> Thank you in advance
>
> Tim
SQL Server is Microsoft's flagship database engine providing maximum
scalability, high availability and security in the database. FoxPro is not
just a database engine, it's a complete development environment. In
functional terms FoxPro is more like Access than SQL Server. In fact FoxPro
is often used to develop front end applications that run on top of SQL
Server.
Pure FoxPro apps are usually file-server based rather than using the
tiered architecture that SQL Server uses. That means that potentially a
FoxPro database may not be as secure as a SQL Server database because all
the data is exposed to all users over the network. On the availability side,
SQL Server will allow you to backup your data without taking the system
offline and it supports transaction log backups so as to minimise the risk
of data loss in the event of failure.
For a company of your size you probably don't need to worry too much about
the database platform. Bespoke software development (actually building an
application rather than just configuring one that you purchase) can be a big
investment so focus on the ability of the developer to deliver and support
the solution you need.
Ask to see evidence of their past work. Get references from previous
customers. Make sure you get written specifications from the developer
detailing the data, functionality, screens, reports, etc that you need. Get
a task-level project plan and make sure they update you on progress against
that plan at least once or twice a week. Be sure you understand what
commitment is required from your own staff (for data entry and user
acceptance testing for example).
Agree terms and costs for the long-term support of the software BEFORE the
developer starts work. Make sure the contract covers intellectual property
rights and who has access to the source code. You should either have
possession and licence to the source code or you should have some
entitlement to that code in the event that the developer ceases to trade or
can no longer support you.
Consider appointing your own project manager or someone with experience of
software development to oversee the work.
I don't mean this to sound too ominous. There are plenty of good developers
and systems integrators out there, but there are also a lot of failed
development projects and it takes experience to spot problems before they
happen. You can't always rely on the developers to be candid about the
issues and risks.
Do bear in mind that the areas you have mentioned: employee database, job
costing, BOM are already very well supported by off-the-shelf applications.
Chances are that some of those packages meet your needs so it is worth
considering purchasing something ready-to-wear rather than necessarily going
for the tailor-made solution.
--
David Portas
SQL Server MVP
--|||David Portas wrote:
> "Tim" <Tim@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:173DEC0A-2ADE-4FA0-AC70-C7C4C4A100DE@.microsoft.com...
> > Hello
> >
> > Yes, I certainly am not a programmer. Access gives me enough of a
> > headache.
> > What I'm after is some advice.
> > Me and my brother run a small business and we have decided to have a
> > database developed specifically for our business. The question is what do
> > we
> > need? We have approached several companies offering to build a bespoke
> > system
> > for us based on SQL Server 2003 (as I understand, correct me if I'm
> > wrong).
> > Another company that seems quite useful uses Visual Fox Pro. Now I've
> > looked
> > at both these websites. I realise they are both Microsoft programmes.
> > Would
> > someone tell me what the difference is between the two?
> > Our business is in the building services industry on the mechanical side;
> > that is we install heating systems, air conditioning, ventilation and
> > building controls and we operate around 25 operatives and have around 5
> > office staff and the business is getting very stretched. The only thing
> > that
> > is semi automated are our accounts which are done on Sage Line 50 v10.
> > We do not have even a simple employee table, mobile phone table, etc. An
> > important area for our business is job costing, adding material costs +
> > labour costs, and this is something we would be very interested in.
> > The companies we have spoken to that offer bespoke services whether be by
> > SQL or Visual Fox Pro say that once a core module is built e.g. An
> > employee
> > module, other modules could be bolted on at a later stage so that they
> > would
> > interact.
> >
> > I would very much appreciate someone who would just spend some time
> > clarifying some of the points I have made. If I haven't been specific
> > enough,
> > I would be happy to give you further details.
> >
> > Thank you in advance
> >
> >
> > Tim
> SQL Server is Microsoft's flagship database engine providing maximum
> scalability, high availability and security in the database. FoxPro is not
> just a database engine, it's a complete development environment. In
> functional terms FoxPro is more like Access than SQL Server. In fact FoxPro
> is often used to develop front end applications that run on top of SQL
> Server.
> Pure FoxPro apps are usually file-server based rather than using the
> tiered architecture that SQL Server uses. That means that potentially a
> FoxPro database may not be as secure as a SQL Server database because all
> the data is exposed to all users over the network. On the availability side,
> SQL Server will allow you to backup your data without taking the system
> offline and it supports transaction log backups so as to minimise the risk
> of data loss in the event of failure.
> For a company of your size you probably don't need to worry too much about
> the database platform. Bespoke software development (actually building an
> application rather than just configuring one that you purchase) can be a big
> investment so focus on the ability of the developer to deliver and support
> the solution you need.
> Ask to see evidence of their past work. Get references from previous
> customers. Make sure you get written specifications from the developer
> detailing the data, functionality, screens, reports, etc that you need. Get
> a task-level project plan and make sure they update you on progress against
> that plan at least once or twice a week. Be sure you understand what
> commitment is required from your own staff (for data entry and user
> acceptance testing for example).
> Agree terms and costs for the long-term support of the software BEFORE the
> developer starts work. Make sure the contract covers intellectual property
> rights and who has access to the source code. You should either have
> possession and licence to the source code or you should have some
> entitlement to that code in the event that the developer ceases to trade or
> can no longer support you.
> Consider appointing your own project manager or someone with experience of
> software development to oversee the work.
> I don't mean this to sound too ominous. There are plenty of good developers
> and systems integrators out there, but there are also a lot of failed
> development projects and it takes experience to spot problems before they
> happen. You can't always rely on the developers to be candid about the
> issues and risks.
> Do bear in mind that the areas you have mentioned: employee database, job
> costing, BOM are already very well supported by off-the-shelf applications.
> Chances are that some of those packages meet your needs so it is worth
> considering purchasing something ready-to-wear rather than necessarily going
> for the tailor-made solution.
> --
> David Portas
> SQL Server MVP
> --
Chances are excellent that SOME of those off-the-shelf packages will
meet SOME of your needs. However chances are not so good that ANY of
those packages will meet ALL of your needs. If you are really intent
on something tailored to your exact requirements then check out our
website at www.responsive.co.nz.
We have a very successful track record developing high-quality
customized business applications, we offer a money-back guarantee and
we provide full source code for all our solutions i.e. we eliminate the
risk of developing customized software for our business customers.
Matthew Jenkinson
www.responsive.co.nz