dont@tekig1.UUCP (Don Taylor) (04/20/84)
X
I'm looking for advice, both for and against, using a database manager for
for handling an application. It will be used by relatively naive operators, to
deal with day to day paperwork involved in managing rental property. I was
hoping to have some sort of 'event driven' system, X just walked in and wants
to pay his rent, the trash bill just arrived and needs to be paid, etc. The
operator needs only to describe the event, in some very simple way, sees an
entire screen showing the status of that account, and enters an amount. Inside,
the system is again described in some very simple way, simple enough that only
slightly less naive operators are able to create new accounts and change the
current ones, without knowing how to 'program'. This description needs to be
powerful enough to be able to use the amount of the 'event' to update a variety
of general ledger accounts automatically, money from a morguage is divided into
interest, which is credited to income, and the balance goes somewhere else.
Shared utilities get divided up and added to each persons bill, rent is auto-
matically added on each account, the first of the month, etc.
It has GOT to be bullet-proof, no 'delete_data_base' commands that they
can get their hands on. It has GOT to be less intimidating than the packaged
software Ive seen to do this, the users are scared of the machine already.
It has got to result in a BIG reduction in the work load on a day to day basis.
I can configure it the first time, but they have to be able to do minor main-
taince on their own. It ought to run on CPM80, the pc clones cost an extra
$1000 for things this probably doesnt need. It ought to cost no more than $1000
and less if there is a HUGE amount of tool building involved.
Has anyone got any suggestions? D-BASE II? Q-Pro-4? An existing package?
Many thanks in advance.
Don Taylor
tektronix!tekig1!dont