Bis 220 - Efficiency and Collaboration Proposal

Efficiency and Collaboration Proposal

BIS/220

July 18, 2011

Dr. Kathryn Moland, PhD

Efficiency and Collaboration Proposal

The purpose of this proposal is to address the efficiencies Party Plates may realize by migrating to a relational database system such as Microsoft Access. The current system we are using is Microsoft Excel, which has served the company well. The following will outline the benefits Access has to offer and how they apply to Party Plates business.

Benefits of Access

Microsoft Access has evolved into very user friendly tool and has become simple to learn. It provides for the easier adding, subtracting, and altering of data once the database. Access offers the ability to construct queries to extract reports from the database to analyze all aspects of the data captured in the database (Grauer, 2011). Whereas this is possible in Excel, it is much more cumbersome. Access also offers the ability for more than one user to update tables at the same time but will not allow for the updating of one record by two individuals at the same time.

Access offers the ability to apply rules while entering data so the product will contain the data needed to make calculated business decisions. Access offers the ability to create many reports from the same data set to learn different things about the business (Debasis, 2009).

Benefits of Converting Current Data to Microsoft Access

By converting the data we currently hold in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to Microsoft Access, we will be able to track different aspects of our business more effectively. We will also be able to use the reports we will be able to run to drive positive business results.

Building a database to capture the data surrounding our business we will be better able to employee records. Once all of the data has been entered in Access, we will be able to track sales trends by associate. We will also be able to track the buying patterns of our customers allowing us to stock the appropriate items by sales surges. Our sales force will be able to use the database to more effectively streamline their work and understand how to be more productive with our customers.

While many of the items listed above are possible in Microsoft Excel, the data must be inputted to the spreadsheets and work books and can be more difficult to find the information the user is looking for.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we believe that converting our data currently held in Microsoft Excel to Microsoft Access holds many benefits for the company. The added ability to analyze