Rod,
I figure I can accomplish this quiet easily with a Filemaker/ Filemaker Server combo, but price is a consideration ($0 would make the boss very happy!). There are two solutions I am considering:
Unless you are already familiar with programming, SQL etc. you would be better off paying for Filemaker, rather than spend a lot of time learning all this stuff. However, you might find this a fun hobby, too! By the way, as other (also expensive) alternatives to Filemaker, you might consider 4th Dimension or Omnis.
a) Using Webobjects, so all I need on the client machines are a web browser
Learning WebObjects is not a trivial matter, either. As a general rule, unless you want to do this for a living, or have more time and money than you know what to do with, then steer away from such things.
b) Using REALBasic to create a front end for an SQL database. Being a multi platform language, REALBasic might be a good solution, as I can also tailor the interface to what we need
I have been doing this for a while. REALBasic makes a very good tool to create client software for databases, and there a lots of databases to choose from, including "free" ones. Download the REALBasic demo and have a play with it yourself. REAL Software also hosts a couple of very good mailing lists, with lots of helpful people.
Anybody here had experience with either solution? Are they difficult to implement? Can anybody point me to a good resource for SQL (especially on the Mac), as I'm a bit 'green' when it comes to SQL.
There's plenty on the web, but I always think that a nice book by your side is very helpful. In general, I'd prefer to buy a decent book published by some one such as O'Reilly (who also have a subscription service), than one of those cube-shaped, "Teach yourself everything in 24 hours" type of books that are available at places like Dymocks.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Feel free to pester! Cheers, Andrew
