PCFormat Forum Archive

Morning All,

So I want to setup a SQL database for our supplies. What I need it to do is when we receive our supplies we scan a barcode (different amounts barcodes) for that supply eg: A5 paper and it updates the amount on the database, it must also have a Insert date&time stamp. When we take the supplies out we scan another barcode to update that stock has left our side again with a time&date stamp. When that stock reaches a minimum level the database must also send out an email alert for us to order more.

So... How do I go about doing this? In Excel I have made a visual of how the database should look I just need help in getting it off the paper and into actual.

Ouch.... not ganna happen that easily. You probably won't be able to do all that in SQL itself but you have a couple of options. Either create your tables and store the data in SQL server and make like Tribble and do an Access front en to handle the input of data or make like Tribble and get yourself a developer to do it for you.

Sorry forgot to specify a few more things. My time is getting a tad fragmented. I will be creating the HTML front end for scanner input and with that I will need a little help in getting it connected to the SQL database.

So SQL will store the data.
A HTML front end will input the data into the SQL database.

/I am also using the forum as an idea sounding board. To try get my thoughts about this project in order...

Was going to say you needed a front end - but you beat me to it. RRF should be able to tell you how to connect the two.

You know WonWon has a link in his signature about how to ask an question... some very good advice there.

What web server will you be using?

Like I said I am still trying to understand myself what I need to make this work. Sorry...

Web server will probably be something that will be setup on one of our spare machines, so WinXP/7 using XAMPP?

OK so XAMPP means you are running Apache and PHP.. SWEEET and EASY.

Do you know PHP? if not you might want to have a read....
http://www.php.net/
http://devzone.zend.com/article/627

The second link will cover all you need to know including how to connect to the database and run queries. For MS SQL Server I know you will need to download a driver which is easy to google for. That is unless you are using the MySQL which is already included in XAMPP for which there is also a tutorial in the second link.

It will be MS_SQL .

Thanks for the links, will do the required reading next week in my night shift week .

Creating databases in MS SQL is considerably easier as SSMS is probably the best DBMS tool there ever was. Not even the tools you get with Oracle can compare in terms of usability.

Okay you just went way over my head...

SSMS?
DBMS?

RuadRauFlessa wrote: SSMS is probably the best DBMS tool there ever was. Not even the tools you get with Oracle can compare in terms of usability.

True.

Over the last few releases of both Oracle and MSSQL, Oracle have been refining their admin and dev tools to be more like MSSQL, while Microsoft have been tweaking their SQL engine to run more like Oracle...
Pretty soon the two offerings will be practically homogeneous!

SQL Server Management Studio

@ jamin_za

Which would be something to look forward to... best of both worlds.

@ Anakha56

SSMS = SQL Server Management Studio
DBMS = Database Management System

SSMS is a tool through which you manage a DBMS.
A DBMS is an engine in which you create and manage various databases.
If you talk about Oracle or MySQL or MSSQL (Microsoft SQL Server) you talk about a DBMS not an actual DB (DataBase)
MySQL is probably the best example to use as it employs various types of databases within the DBMS of which a few to mention is MyISAM and InnoDB. So the idea is simple. Yo run a DBMS with multiple instances of various DB's.

Ah thank you . Busy installing SQL Server 2008 r2 (full not express) now. Takes forever and a day...

It is a long install - but it is easy. Just all the other things it needs can be a bit of a pain if the client has not done regular updates to their machine.

mmm. have you tried looking forr an open source system? you get things like zen_cart for online stores surely there are systems that have this already and then you could just customise it.

DeathStrike... from experience I know that Open Source looks like a nice and quick solution but generally the peoples' code is so badly written that it takes longer to change what they did than to simply do your own thing.

Also it will be "bloated" with things I dont need. Good suggestion and I will keep it in mind however I would like to create my first database type project all by little self with help from the forums .

And helpful the forums you will find