VB and Databases

[New Zealand]

I am attempting to create a program for a business but i have no idea how to create a database to hold the information and allow me to access it when needed, Is someone able to help me?

[James Rose]

Your question is much too vague. You haven't provided any valuable information for us.

* We need to know how much data you will have, so we can know if you should use XML, Access, SQL Server, Oracle, etc.

* We would also need to know how many users will access this data. (few users could mean Access, many could mean Oracle. Just examples, there are other options)

* You need to provide some idea of what data you are holding. How can we help you design table structure without any knowledge of the data.

* Are you using VB6 or VB.NET

* Is this going to be a Windows or Web based application

[New Zealand]

I have attached the program i am creating and need a database for.

Also i think using Access would be the best option.

VB.net will be used also. It will be a windows application.

Thanks alot for answering and thanks for helping me out!

[jakem1]

This really isn't the right place to be asking this sort of question. As jameswjrose said your question is too vague and you haven't even answered his questions to help us point you in the right direction. I'd recommend a course if you really want to get into database design and development but to start with you should probably search Google for some tutorials.

One thing's for sure, you're not qualified to be developing an application for a business that would rely upon it to make money. If I were you I'd be up front about that and tell them that they should find someone who knows what they're doing. Even if you could cobble something together, how will you support the application with no understanding of how databases work?

[New Zealand]

In your opinions, What is the easiest and quickest method of creating + attaching databases? e.g Microsoft Access etc.

[Rival Chief]

Recommend you start watching some How Do I videos at microsoft 'Visual Basic Developer Center'

In your case I suggest you follow the link and watch the section titled "Forms over Data Video Series"

[Joddie]

The easiest way to make a database would probably be Access. It's perfectly fine for it's uses, but for anything else you should choose a real SQL sever, like Microsofts more or less built in MS SQL Server Compact. For starters this is fairly easy to do and Visual Studio has tools to help you set up your database and connection in one go. Have a look at this tutorial for in-depth information: (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/bb219484.aspx). The advantage of MS SQL Server Compact over Access is that the SQL server can later be converted to connect to a remote Server in a larger environment.

Unfortunately I have to agree with what jakem1 has said before. Instead of repeating him I'll light up a few potential problems I spot in your program design:

What happens if 1 owner has several cats?

Where do you click when you want to look up an owner?

What happens if you suddenly get 2 owners with the same name? (Case in point: My local veterinary had to add a "2" behind my name cause someone with that name was already registered, and as a consequence they always asked me if I was #1 or #2, as if I should know).

Where does the close button take me? If it closes the application what advantage does it give me beyond the red X in the top right corner?

What purpose does the next and previous record serve? I doubt anyone would find it useful to browse an 100 odd customers when looking for someone specific.

[James Rose]

Joddie is right, you are going to have instances with multiple cats (My mother raised cats in the 70's and even had the #1 cat in 79. See Cheers at: http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/articles/persian-bicolor78yb.html)

So, in short you are going to want three tables:

1) Person's info (PersonID, FirstName, LastName, etc)

2) Cat info (CatID, CatName, etc)

3) Relation table (PersonID, CatID)

I strongly feel that you should look into some "Dummies" books. (No disrespect) They are good primers and will give you a base understanding of these technologies.

While I agree that MS Access is a good starting point, and that much of what you learn there is similar in larger databases (SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL) be aware that there are real limitations to Access and one of my five rules of development is; "Temporary solutions become permanent" If this application is going to be sold, or used in a professional situation then BE AWARE!!!!

EDIT: the ID is a unique number or GUID so that there is always a unique value as opposed to using the person's name. For example: My last name was originally "Johnson", do you know how many Jim/James Johnsons there are in this country?!