In my latest video, I demonstrate how to use Microsoft Access as a front-end for MySQL without having to create a DSN entry on the client machine. Access easily connects to MySQL through an ODBC connection but the standard practice is to create a dedicated data source under the ODBC Data Sources Administration panel in…
Category: Databases
New Video – Learning SQL with SQLite
An essential skill … If there is one programming language that I would recommend for everyone, it’s Structured Query Language (SQL). SQL (often pronounced “sequel”) is the main language used to communicate with databases including Oracle, SQL Server and Microsoft Access. It’s the set of commands used to write and retrieve data. If you work…
Splitting a Database in Microsoft Access
My latest video shows how to split a database in Microsoft Access to separate the data from the user interface and programming elements. Access can link to data from different file formats including Excel, text files and other Access databases. For multi-user applications, you can have an Access file with just the forms, reports, queries…
How to Shut Down Remote Instances of Microsoft Access
When you’re managing a multi-user Microsoft Access application, there are times when you need all users out of the database so that you can make changes to table structures and other items. Asking everyone to shut down is unreliable and using the Windows Task Manager to forcibly shut down instances of Microsoft Access is risky…
Managing Your Organization’s Contacts with CiviCRM
Whether you’re selling products, managing a non-profit or running a political campaign, one of the most important things you do is to manage relationships with other people. Your ability to maintain your organization’s contact database, whether it contains potential customers or donors, is essential to your operations. Many organizations use various types of Contact Relationship…
Things I Learned About CiviCRM This Week
I was introduced to CiviCRM a few years ago when a new customer needed a replacement for an old poorly designed database solution and needed it quickly. After getting quotes starting at $10,000 for systems supposedly designed for non-profits, I stumbled on CiviCRM which was free, open source and seemed to have a good community…