ICT Project Helpy : )

[[R4A]Bigman]

I'm doing a Sales and Invoicing system for my A2 ICT project in Access.

I thought about having a computer builder, where u can customise all the bits, from drop down combo boxes etc, and it obviously automically changes the price. I also am gonna have a system for producing receipts for customers, and its gonna store all customers and transactions.

Can anyone plz suggest anything else u think I should include, which would be pretty cool. ta

[th3 mol3]

Does it have to be made with a certain program, e.g. Excel, Access, etc. ?

[[R4A]Bigman]

Yeah, I have to make it primarily in Access, as otherwise my ICT teachers go up the wall : )

I won't get any marks for programming tho, such as the use of Visual Basic etc. I CAN use it, but wont gain any marks from using it.

[th3 mol3]

Cool, my database was really rushed cos I changed my mind about a week before it had to be completed. I just suggest not trying to be too ambitious, cos at the end of the day, the examiners are more interested in the write up and evaluation.

Your idea sounds good though, shouldn't be too hard to do. If you need any help, just ask I can even send you my crappy database, hehe.

[[R4A]Bigman]

Aye m8, if u would send ur 'crappy database' that would be a help tbh.

I'm really really struggling with access. I just plain can't use it to the extent i need to atm. This is the first time in my life I have used it as well : /

I was pr0 with Excel like, and I wish I could do another Excel project

My email address: r4a_bigman@talk21.com

[th3 mol3]

Damn, I'm having trouble finding it, atm When I do, I'll Email it

I didn't get along with Access too well, but it wasn't helped by the fact that our teacher did sod all to help us.

[Bunjiweb]

what the hell? and this is your A2 ICT project???? for mine i had to learn some ASP from scratch and how to link it with an Access Database, aswell as learning Visual Basic...

You've got it easy, i suggest you spend the time researching and learning it yourself!!!

Ben

[Slick]

yeah the reason I didn't do AS/A2 uni cos the teacher said it was 80% microsoft office

I'm gonna start uni on sat to do comp science and management which looks like it involves lots of work with java

[th3 mol3]

Originally posted by Slick
yeah the reason I didn't do AS/A2 uni cos the teacher said it was 80% microsoft office

I'm gonna start uni on sat to do comp science and management which looks like it involves lots of work with java

It's true, AS/A2 ICT was very boring. The only remotely interesting module was hardware, and even that was lame.

[Areku]

mol3y you can help me with my database then, my college teachers suck, and dont know too much about their own courses.

[petrefax]

my 2p - make sure u know what you want your end product to look like & do before getting started.

a bit of project planning at the outset goes a long way, otherwise you end up halfway through, thinking "hmm, i could do with adding x, y & z as well" & then it ends up getting bloated with the things you've added on as afterthoughts

pop a bit of UML in your project plan - that should impress them cos its the current industry standard for software design at project planning stage & its dead easy to pick up the basics of it - shows that you'e thought the whole process out & executed it in a thoroughly professional manner

just my 2p tho!

[Lead_Head]

Lo Bigman matey,

I've done ICT at A2 level. I found this book very useful

It's called "Database Projects in Access for Advanced Level". It's wrote by Julian Mott and Ian Rendall.

The ISBN is: 0-340-73805-7

It will set u back about £10-14. But it's well worth it!

As you are quite early into your course it will be VERY helpful later n.

It's kind of a big tutorial, it will cover everything you will need to know for A2. IT also has Appendixes and is smal enough to take to college.

I think one of the authors Ian Rendall has something to do with the exam papers....

Regards

Nick

[TomWilko]

Originally posted by Lead_Head
It's called "Database Projects in Access for Advanced Level". It's wrote by Julian Mott and Ian Rendall.

The ISBN is: 0-340-73805-7

It will set u back about £10-14. But it's well worth it!

As you are quite early into your course it will be VERY helpful later n.

I would go with that book to, i have it myself and it is very useful

[silentphoenix]

I loved my A level in IT (this was the yr before the A level was abolished and replaced with the lesser AS!). It was a breeze... most of the time we were online sorting out our yahoo fantasy football teams. Not only did I manage to top the class league table 2 years in a row, but i also got an A for it!

Thinking back, the project was the hardest thing (well it is if you try and clock it in 4 weeks). I can remember using Excel for the first and Access for the second. They were simple, but I couldnt think of anything that didnt uses a decent amount of VB.

For access you definately want to have a couple of reports and mailmerge - i think they were the 'advanced' features we had to use!

The book we used was by Pat Heathcote. Was fairly decent, and had a sample project in it so you had something to work from.

But from experience, all the IT teachers ive ever had were either rubbish at IT, or rubbish at teaching. Go for a book, and try to do the project before your teach blows his/her top!

[[R4A]Bigman]

Ive done everything in the Heathcote Access book. I still canne do it!

I dunno, it might just be me having a panic because I had never used Access before. Maybe I should read it all the way thru again. : /

And also, I'd MUCH prefer it if the course was based on programming. Its far simpler, and much less faffing about than in Microsoft Office. I'm a relitively competant C++ programmer as it is (will be damn rusty now tho : / ), and picking up different programming languages is no problem. Ah well...

[TomWilko]

I hated programming, thats why i traded from Computing to ICT after 2 months of the course