Staff resourcing in Access

**Not So Wise** · 9 August 2010, 15:22

Originally posted by TonyEnglish View Post

This will probably be pretty basic to most, but I'm struggling with this.

I have been asked to put together a database (access) to track the projects here. One of the things they want to do is to be able to specify resources and then assign them to the various projects.

I'm struggling the think of a way to struture and present this. There will be a %age utilisation by person per month.

Any ideas? Has anybody done anything like this in the past? I did ask why they wouldn't use Project but they were not interested.

Pretty simple, in simplified layman's terms
Projects table
Resources table
Intermediate table linking projects to resources

Present as linked subtable/form

**BoredBloke** · 9 August 2010, 15:32

Cheers I got that far - but thanks for pitching in. I can link the resources to the projects and show them and show the utilisation for each resource on a given month (they only want monthly - so I'm not offering more)

It's more about the presentation and the form design. How do I present a timeline with the facility to enter items into it. I can't think of a nice way of doing it - or even a horrible one!

**DaveB** · 9 August 2010, 15:35

Originally posted by TonyEnglish View Post

This will probably be pretty basic to most, but I'm struggling with this.

I have been asked to put together a database (access) to track the projects here. One of the things they want to do is to be able to specify resources and then assign them to the various projects.

I'm struggling the think of a way to struture and present this. There will be a %age utilisation by person per month.

Any ideas? Has anybody done anything like this in the past? I did ask why they wouldn't use Project but they were not interested.

Sounds like basic lack of understanding from management. This is exactly the sort of thing Project is supposed to do.

Tell them it will cost X and take Y time to do it in Access and that it would cost A and take B in Project.

**Not So Wise** · 9 August 2010, 15:42

Ahh issue with timeline not individual allocation, that basically means reports

Have a look at the Calendar Reports sample here

**thunderlizard** · 9 August 2010, 16:00

How do I present a timeline with the facility to enter items into it

not with Access you don't. You'd have to write that in something else, and back it onto Access. I think you need to meet with them and find out exactly what they think Access is, and why they should use it. If they aren't willing to use any dedicated project planning software, they are going to have to seriously compromise on bells and whistles like that. You've got a case of "We need a car that goes on canals instead of roads. It can't be a boat".

**d000hg** · 9 August 2010, 16:05

Agreed, this is all looking to go wrong fast.

**BoredBloke** · 9 August 2010, 16:23

Already told them about Project but they were having none of it - even though I've done a bit of VBA in project. But no, they want to utilise my half arsed programming skills to build project in Access!!!

I figured I could set up a table and write into it the year and month from defined start to a defined end date and then query that against the projects/people. it's all tulip and it's got big disaster written all over it.

**MarillionFan** · 9 August 2010, 17:11

Does Access not have a Project template you can use. It's not on this machine so I cant look, but you can normally use the wizard for a jump start for databases when you create a new one.

**d000hg** · 9 August 2010, 17:48

Originally posted by TonyEnglish View Post

Already told them about Project but they were having none of it - even though I've done a bit of VBA in project. But no, they want to utilise my half arsed programming skills to build project in Access!!!

I figured I could set up a table and write into it the year and month from defined start to a defined end date and then query that against the projects/people. it's all tulip and it's got big disaster written all over it.

Tell them it can be developer but Access is not the right tool. You can build a .Net/Web/etc front-end on the DB if they want to pay for it.

Staff resourcing in Access