New Project - Invoices

Hi guys

I'm looking at creating a MSAccess database that allows me to create estimates, invoices, customers and materials etc.

The Access database will be designed similar to Sage Accounts but I want to link it to my website.

I want to use Access as my main front end for data entry and have a Customer Control Panel on my website which will allow customers to view & print their invoice / estimate and create notes which I can see.

Is this something a newbie will be able to handle?

In terms of Access, I'm ok, I have built the database already and all is working perfectly well, but I don't know MYSQL and I'm not sure how to implement this to the website.

HTML & PHP I'm not soo good at, I can create Forms etc and form emails but thats about mylimit to script this, so some help would be appreciated

Cheers guys

I don't understand how MySQL factors into this. So are you making an Access database or a MySQL database?

Hi

Thanks for your reply


As far as mySQL goes, I need my customers to be able to log into an account area and be able to view / print & pay estimates & invoices direct through my website, so mySQL would be the brains behind everything.

Front end on the office (entering estimates & Invoice) would be done through Access and sent to mySQL in a table to display on the website again so the customer can logon and view / print / pay etc

OK that makes sense. So what you'd actually be doing is creating a MySQL database and just using Access sort of as a management GUI for it by connecting to the MySQL database from Access.

From your time working with Access, are you familiar with writing SQL queries by hand? The language is not identical for MySQL, but it is similar in syntax and almost identical in concept, so if you already know that then you have a fairly solid start. However, a majority of what you're going to need for this is PHP/HTML rather than anything related to MySQL. If I were you I would start by finding a good PHP / MySQL tutorial; specifically one that uses PDO.

Cancel that idea then as just found out 1 and 1 won't allow access to the debase on their servers.

Now about if I was to install oils 7.5 on my own PCM, port forward through bt hub and use no-ip, I know thAt this works as I've used it before, and if I install pho and MySQL and host my own dbase, I should be able to do it that way?

Or is there a better way if hosting myself to use ms access?

If you're using this for a business then hosting it yourself doesn't sound like a very robust solution, but from a technical perspective it's possible. You would probably be better off switching to a host that does allow remote access (most do actually, but ask before you sign up) or finding a company that offers MySQL hosting specifically.

Thanks

Is there a reason you think I should'nt host myself?

So far I have everything up and running, server, dns etc running mysql and php.