Andy, Did you ever have experience of Q&A which was a relational database with a natural query front end where you could just ask simple questions similar to those you have outline?. I used that system back in the late 80's and early 90's allied to DBASE II to produce some amazing business solutions.
Having just noticed the thread I can't believe that the technology has not come on leaps and bounds over the years and still seems to be fairly basic. Either that or Q&A was years ahead of its time. Dave Crozier The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and to lie about your age -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Andy Davies Sent: 20 September 2006 13:05 To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Creating VFP reports by end-users >> "well normalised dbs's that max. the use of PK / FK's to relate the tables" >Yeah, but shouldn't that be a part of every design? My point was that end-user reporting is often an add-on for (or uses data from) existing systems that don't have the RI. Even with new systems there seems to be an increasing tendency not to put any logic - not even relational logic - on the database. >Dave's done a great job creating a impressive system for his client I don't doubt that, but it appears to be very much a niche application with clearly delineated data structures. I have yet to see a succesful implementation of any software that can really allow non-tech users to answer *un-anticipated* questions like "what were our profit margins for legacy products in the last 8 quarters" (let alone the questions that people really want answers to - like "what products will be big sellers in two years time"). Andrew Davies MBCS CITP - AndyD 8-)# PC Development Officer Housing IT Housing Services Manchester City Council @Hawthorn Cottage ( Office +44 161 234 5330 ( Internal [814] 5330 ( Mobile 0775 938 5155 (when all else fails) * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * home [EMAIL PROTECTED] ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. Please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] with any queries. ********************************************************************** [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
