Microsoft Access Small Business Solutions State-of-the-Art Database Models for Sales, Marketing, Customer Management, and More…

What it’s about

Written by an unparalleled team of 10 Microsoft Access MVPs, this book is the definitive guide for small business owners, employees, and consultants who need to create powerful, custom database solutions without being professional developers. It demystifies the process of relational database design by providing a structured learning path and 31 ready-to-use, state-of-the-art models for critical business functions including sales, marketing, CRM, inventory, and accounting. More than just a collection of templates, the book explains the 'why' behind the design, walking readers through requirement gathering, business rules, and the principles of normalization. This approach empowers readers to quickly build solid, scalable, and customizable solutions that avoid the common pitfalls of poor design, saving countless hours and unlocking the full potential of their business data.

The through-line

Who it’s for

The reader is a small business owner, department manager, employee, or consultant tasked with managing business data more effectively. They want to create a powerful, custom database to track vital information, improve operations, and grow their business, but they lack deep expertise in relational database design and are frustrated with the limitations of spreadsheets or the poor fit and high cost of off-the-shelf software.

The problem

The reader needs to create a functional, reliable database to manage key business activities (sales, customers, inventory, etc.), but doesn't know how to design the table structure correctly. The reader feels overwhelmed by the complexity of database design, frustrated by inefficient data management, and fears creating a database that will be flawed, difficult to modify, or quickly become obsolete.

The plan

1. Learn the Fundamentals: Read the introductory chapters to get a solid foundation in relational database concepts and normalization.
2. Select a Model: Choose from 31 ready-to-use database models on the companion CD that best matches your business need.
3. Implement and Customize: Follow the chapter explanations to understand the model's logic, implement it in Access, and customize it to your specific requirements.

The payoff

The reader will have a powerful, custom-designed database that perfectly fits their business processes. · They will manage their business data efficiently, gaining insights to improve performance, control costs, and enhance customer relations. · They will feel confident in their ability to maintain and expand their database as their business grows.

See our guide

• Measure And Grow Marketing With Data →

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Additional reading

• Access MVP (website) · Various Access MVPs

  Provides a curated collection of tips, code samples, and downloadable files from recognized Microsoft Access experts to solve common problems.

• Allen Browne's site (allenbrowne.com) · Allen Browne

  Serves as a deep technical resource for Access developers, covering bug workarounds, advanced techniques, and critical advice on preventing and recovering from database corruption.

• Utter Access Discussion Forums (utteraccess.com) · Community Forum

  A large, active community forum where developers can ask specific questions and receive help on a wide range of topics, from table design to VBA code.

• Database Design for Mere Mortals · Mike Hernandez

  Recommended as an excellent starting point for learning the fundamental concepts of relational database design in plain, understandable language.

• Access 2007 VBA Programmer's Reference · Teresa Hennig, Armen Stein, et al.

  A resource for intermediate to advanced developers looking to move beyond table design and learn how to use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to build a functional user interface.

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