application Development

[the_idiot]

Hi all
need a little help with i currently only program in access but i need to move the application that i am designing to a full client \ server application due to a new shop onening and the application needs to be in 2 locations at the moment but that can increase i will be using VPN connections to transport the data about. The problem i have go is that i know nothing about client \ server applications.
The question at the moment would be how would i go about creating this application

The application is going to be a tilling system
the application will include the following:
timesheet logging system (employee hours)
stock logging (products in stock)
inventory logging (objects on the propety e.g. computers)
and the till front end (selling products)
probely more after i learn a bit more

thanks for any help you can give Gavin

[Comatose]

It's my personal opinion that, that much information should be done in seperate databases.... even seperate apps, but I'm not here to judge, I'm here to help... so I suggest using sockets. I would personally build a server program to handle the database, the database would sit on 1 computer, along with the server. You make the server program handle any and all work with the database. This helps to avoid problems with synchronizing later on.... since only 1 user (the server application) ever makes changes or updates to the database. You make the server program work in such a way that if client A is writing to the database, that client B has to wait until client A is done, and vice versa. If you have the proper amount of bandwidth, you can leave the client programs connected to the server all the time, and if you are in need to conserve bandwith, you could have the clients connect when they make an update.

Another solution, which I'm not so fond of, is to have each client app work directly with the database, and have the database on a network drive. You'll find serious issues with bottlenecks and speed, and may even lose your mind because of it, but it's a solution people have been toying with for some time..... like beating your head on a brick wall, in hopes you'll tear it down... I guess maybe someday it could happen.

[Lord Soth]

Hi,

Here is my two cents :

Don't use file based DBs (Access,Paradox) use client server DB (MSSQL, MySQL). Don't let the clients execute insert or updates directly on DB but make them use Stored Procedures on DB. You might even not need a server code but clients connecting to DB and transactions and business rules enforced by DB. To get more responsability of your shoulder, you can get rid of the client and go with a web application (zero deployment cost/unlimited connections) over SSL for security. For web app you can go either ASP.Net or PHP on PHP you can consider LAMP (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP) to keep the costs down.

Loren Soth

[snengos]

i think if u opt to have yo main app based on one central location and user will maybe remotely access yo app i don't reall undersatandt the setup that u r workin on but i feel if u have maybe just shortcuts that point to the systewm that will be sitting at one point for starters that should work

good luck and best regards