Re: [school-discuss] Address List Database

[mikee <meschman@engima.com>]

hello,

here's some good reading on access to sql migration : 
http://www.nusphere.com/products/access2mysql.pdf

use access-to-mysql to load from access to : 
http://www.convert-in.com/acc2sql.htm

a more complete list of converters : 
http://www.mysql.com/portal/software/html/software-37-1.html

an sql query tool : http://freshmeat.net/projects/databrowser/?topic_id=68,66

another sql query tool : http://freshmeat.net/projects/dteq/?topic_id=68,253

an sql query generator : 
http://freshmeat.net/projects/sqlquerygen/?topic_id=66,259

dynamic word/excel file generator using mysql db for input : 
http://sourceforge.net/projects/php-doc-xls-gen/

hope this helps.
the access-to-sql makes sense, because you know your own code.
speaking of which, using vb ? how ? how much ? what for ?
these vb considerations could complicate your migration.

if some combination of these preexisting projects gets you 90 % ...
source code can always be modified :-) 

mike eschman, etc... 





On Wednesday 20 March 2002 03:34 am, you wrote:
> I have almost completed the first version of an address list database for
> my son's school. Unfortunately it is in MS Access (since that was the
> quickest thing for me to do it in), but I'm looking to move it into an open
> source cross platform form.  I am willing to either merge it into an
> existing project (if there is one that is reasonably compatible with what I
> want to achieve and the authors are interested) or to start it as a
> completely new project.
>
> Features of the current database include:
> * Address are kept on a household basis, not an individual basis.  So
> newsletters etc on only sent once to each household.
> * It keeps track of individuals (students, parents), households (people
> that live in the same house) and parental relationships independantly.  It
> can therefore deal with separated families and step family relationships in
> an sophisticted manner.
> * Where a parent has a different surname to their child, they appear with
> their child, but also with a cross-reference from their own surname.
>
> Perhaps an example will make it clearer.
>
> Bill and Mary Smith have two children Joe Smith and Fran Smith.  Bill and
> Mary separate, and Bill partners with Sue Wright who has a daughter Emily
> Thompson from a previous marriage.  Mary marries Frank Hill and have a son
> Robert.  Joe lives with his father Bill, and Fran with her mother Mary.
>
> We have two households but four surnames:
> * Bill Smith and Sue Wright, with children Emily Thompson (Sue's) and Joe
> Smith (Bill's).
> * Mary and Frank Hill, with children Robert Hill and Mary Smith (Mary's).
>
> The address list entries will look something like:
> Hill, Robert             Frank and Mary Hill
>  Smith, Mary             27 Mountain Place
>                          Creek Valley   Somewhere.
>
> Smith, Joe               Bill Smith and Sue Wright
>  Thompson, Emily         10 Pretty Crescent
>                          The Plains  Somewhere else.
>
> Smith, Mary -- See Hill
> Thompson, Emily -- See Smith
> Wright, Sue -- See Smith
>
> Other features I want in an open source version:
> * Cross platform client - Linux, Windows and Mac.  I have a very strong
> aversion to using a HTML based client, as the required forms are just too
> complex to do well in HTML.  I would consider Java Applets, but would
> probably prefer a pure Java Application or wxPython.  (wxPython is not on
> Mac yet, but as the key maintainer has recently been given a Mac G4,
> hopefully it will be soon.)
> * I would also prefer a cross platform database server (probably MySQL or
> PostgreSQL).
> * Sophisticted open source Report writing tool.  If one does not exist yet,
> then I was considering using a TeX and LaTeX combination to create pdf and
> HTML reports.
>
> So I'm after either:
> a) Suggestions for an existing project to look at and consider talking to,
> or; b) Good free (or low cost) IDE's for Java or Python (with wxPython).
>
> Also, does anyone know a tool for visually creating SQL statements under
> Linux?  I think you can do it to some extent with StarOffice, but is there
> anything else?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rasjid.