hey all,
I am developing application which has a huge data base.
From that application, I generate REPORTS in Excel and FORMS(MS ACCESS) and also some PIE and BAR graphs in MS ACCESS file itself by linking to MS ACCESS back end.
Now , I am wondering if i could make use of Visual Basic as front end (linking to already existing MS ACCESS back end) and generate all forms,reports and graphs, would it be more efficient?
Please give your suggestions.
I think there are advantages and disadvantages to moving your entire frontend to Visual Basic. The advantage is that you would have your entire frontend in one place: a VB application. Therefore, you don't need to maintain different files (Excel file, MS Access Forms, etc.). Another advantage is that it is easier to perform high level calculations on the data. What I mean by this is that all you do is pull the data from the database and your perform your calculations; with Excel, you would need to write a macro, program a way for the user to interact with the macro, etc; in VB, you have easy access to all the VB controls.
The disadvantage is that you would need to do a lot of programming to support the functions directly supported by Excel and Access (e.g. forms, charts, etc.).
Basically, if you are doing "basic" operations with your data and database, using Excel and Access will probably be easier and faster. If you need to do more advanced operations and need access to more controls, using VB may be the way to go.
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