which to use excel or access

[Guest]

I'm using Access 2000 and have built a database for invoicing which is
working great. Now my company wants to build a work order system. One
salesman works at distant location and so emails new work orders in excel.
Both people at my site also create work orders in excel. From all the posts
it seems like it would be best to import the work orders from excel into
access.
Or, would it be just as easy to write a small database for everyone and let
each enter work orders in Access? Then how would our distant salesman email
his new work orders?
Thanks, JIM

 

[John Nurick]

You can do it either way. IMHO the disadvantage of Excel is that it's
hard to set up a workbook in such a way that salesmen can't modify it
and screw up the automatic importing. If you can trust them not to try
to be clever, this is probably the simplest way.

Where I work, we have a timesheet system written in Access for use by
remote as well as local users. When you click the "Email" button, VBA
code creates a new .mdb file, exports the week's data into it (in your
case, this would be the work orders created since the previous email was
generated), and uses the CDO library to create a new email message,
attach the "transfer" .mdb, and send it off.

 

[Guest]

Very good answer. That's what I needed to know. I used to program in Visual
Basic but need to take a course as it applies to Access. So I will go with
excel for now.
Thanks, JIM