a custom inventory database created with MS Access fills a void and increases efficiency
My neighbor (Donna) has a home-based business where she makes custom T-shirts for individuals, companies, clubs, and schools. I once asked her how her business was going and she said, in a frustrated tone, that it would be a lot better if it weren't for all the paper work she has to do. She said tracking incoming inventory of shirts, in their many types, sizes, colors, as well as transfers in all manor of designs and textures, as well as taking orders and calculating prices took a huge amount of time. Putting the transfers on shirts was the easy part.
I asked her why she didn't computerize her business. I thought sure there must be some kind of inventory system out there for a business like hers. Well, she didn't have a computer at the time and didn't believe a system existed that would match the way she conducted her business.
I suggested that a custom system could be developed for her business using a database tool like Microsoft Access. I asked if she would buy and use a computer if a software tool was available that did what she wanted. She said she would gladly invest in a computer, not only to track orders and inventory, but to also place orders via the Internet.
That agreement sparked the birth of TASIS (Transfer and Shirt Inventory System). It became the largest, most complicated Access database application I ever created. Donna showed me the paper forms she used to record orders, enter inventory shipments, calculate prices, and report earnings. Using these as a base, I created input forms, queries, macros, and reports to emulate all that she did with as much automation thrown in as possible. For example, I included a liberal use of look-up tables and drop-down lists so as to reduce data entry time and input errors. I used the Switchboard Manager in Access to create a menu-driven interface to all of the forms and reports.
Once she began to see the system take shape, and the potential it showed, she started to think of other things she'd like to have: customer information, mailing lists, in-stock reports she could take to craft shows, and other things. Most of these were simple and easy to do. Her doubts about a useful software solution decreased and her eagerness to purchase a computer increased. In the few days it took her to shop around for the best deal, I wrote a user manual for TASIS. When the system arrived, I installed the application and she started entering information.
That was three years and over 1,000 orders ago. Today, Donna's business continues to grow, and she still relies heavily on TASIS.