Grover Park George :
The best in MS Access Database Development

Grover Park George On Access:
The Best in MS Access Books

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GPC Data
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George is a 2007-2010 MS Access MVP Awardee

"There is some good in the world, and it's worth fighting for. "

Sam Gamgee to Frodo Baggins
Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers

My Blog: GPG on Access

Writing a blog, GPG On Access, has been a lot of fun.

I'm currently working on a series of posts describing my attempts to use Dynamic SQL in saved queries. Check it out.

George "Grover Park George" Hepworth

GPC: Builds Smart Tools for Smart Business ^©

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Been There, Done That, Sent it to Production

Recent happenings at GPC.

My New Favorite Cartoon: xkcd.com

More Downloads

  New Demos Available from GPC Data

Random Values, Variable Number Demo

Random Selection of "N" members in each Category

This little demo grew out of a question regarding a recordset from which the user needed to RANDOMLY select three records from each category. Normally that's possible with a subquery to select the Top 3 records to match. However, in this table, there was no primary key, and therefore, no way to order the subquery records so as to get the correct results. My solution was to generate a temp table with a randomly generated unique key for each record, from which the Top 3 subquery could select the right records. For the demo, I added support for selecting ANY number "N" of records per category.

However, in order to support the constant addition and deletion of records in a temp table without bloating the main accdb, I added support for creating an on-the-fly scratch accdb into which the temp table could be placed.

Random Values, Variable Number Demo

Artists and Recordings Demo

Many-to-Many in a main form/subform design.

This little demo is shows ONE way to enter records in all three tables in a many-to-many relationship. It was created in response to a thread at Utter Access. The content is recordings and artists. One artist can record many songs, one song can be recorded by many artists. The use of two main form/sub form pairs allows the user to enter either songs or artists or both and slip back and forth easily between them.

Singing Cowboys Demo

Travel "Pack" Demo

One-to-Many in a main form/subform design.

This little demo is based on a travel scenario, where groups of people travel together, "in a pack". I did it for a poster at Utter Access. I am also including it here because it is a good illustration of the main form/sub form design required to manage one-to-many relationships in a transaction scenario. The transaction itself (the journey, or travel) is tracked in the one-side table, and the details of the transaction (the "pack members" traveling together) are tracked in the many-side table.

Travel "Pack" Demo

Simple Tenant Billing Demo

Here's a demo I created for a question at Utter Access. The question had to do with billing tenants for charges pertaining to their leased properties. This simple demo shows how to track charges and payments in two different workflows, and how to calculate balance due. Of course, in my typical fashion I couldn't leave well enough alone and ended up with a fairly complex Union query for one  report. However, the basic queries are there and should be useful as guides.

Oh, this one only has an Access 2007 version. I decided to see how much of it I could build with just embedded macros. Worked out pretty well, I think.   Simple Tenant Billing Demo

Tenant Billing Demo

Multi-Field Filter Demo.

A recent question at Utter Access was the motivation for this one. The poster needed a way to filter records on a form, but the standard methods he'd found in MS templates didn't cover the range he needed. After a while, it became a challenge for me to make it work for a variety of situations and the result is Multi-Field Filter Demo.

I also included a second form to model the method I use to search for a record using a selecting combo box. This one if very common and there isn't anything too unique in my approach. I only included it because it IS so common and a good example seems worthwhile. Enjoy.

Multi-Field Filter Demo

Previous Weekday Demo.

I uploaded a new demo database, available in both Access 2003 (mdb) and Access 2007 (accdb) formats.  The demo itself is fairly simple; it takes two arguments--a start date and a weekday--and returns the date in the prior 7 days on which that weekday falls. To me, the larger significance of the demo is that:

1) it's my first demo using Access 2007, and

2) it has some simple language swapping in it to change captions on controls on the forms from one language to another (English and Español only so far).

I think we're going to be doing far more of that in the future. This is my first, very small step in that direction. 

George "Grover Park George" Hepworth

01/07/2010.

Previous Weekday Demo

Comments From Happy Readers

What readers have said about Grover Park George on Access:

I'm pounding my way through your "On Access" and it is by far the best book about Access for my purposes. I've been working on and off as a programmer for many years (wrote my first Fortran code in 1970) with a lot of different database languages in all that time. Now that I'm working in a Window environment, the time finally came to get a good grip on Access, and of several books I've accumulated, yours turns out to be *the* choice.
       Received 8/31/2007

This is a quick note of thanks for your book “Grover Park George On Access” and your wonderful presence on UtterAccess. You have helped more than I can say...
       Received 3/19/2007

GPG, I just wanted to thank you for an awesome book. I refer to it all the time.
       Received 5/9/2006

I've finished your book. Again, it was most entertaining and educational. I look forward to seeing future books.
       Received 3/16/2006

Thanks for taking time out of your work to write a book. I really like the sense of your "voice' that jumps off the page. I just picked up your book at B&N here in Bend, OR tonight and I feel like I know you already.
       Received 10/16/2005

I had the good fortune to find your book yesterday. Yours is approximately the 5th Access book I have read ... and it is by far the most readable. The approach you have taken is outstanding. I have found your book excellent in helping me to understand what features of Access to use and which to avoid.
       Received 7/14/2005

Ask George  what books he has read and liked.

More on Links to Access Resources

I found a number of additional Access sites with downloads, articles, and other resources. In the process, I began to venture outside the relatively familiar realm of English-Language sites and add some sites in German and Spanish. I think this is going to turn out to be a lot more fun this way.

This week I added some sites maintained by local Access User Groups and picked up a few more individual sites. Although there are many Asian language sites, my inability to read or understand them means I really should not try to include links to them so I've dropped that idea.

Links to Access Resources

I spent a good chunk of the day today updating the Resources and Partners page here at GPC Data.

I was embarrassed to realize it had become stale. Roger Carlson's recent efforts to refresh resources for his famous Library motivated me to fix up my own.

We're not trying to compete with Roger by any stretch of the imagination. We do need to hold up our end, though.

MS Access 2007 Template Downloads

UPDATE: It turns out Microsoft doesn't like my newest template. The reason given is that it contains inappropriate language. You can judge for yourself by downloading the full, working version here at GPCData. I'd REALLY love to hear What You Think.

If at first you do succeed, why not try again?

14,860 DOWNLOADS--and counting  

Seeing 10,000 downloads for the first template I submitted has encouraged me to try again.

"Simple Work Tracking for Project Managers"

 In June, 2009, I uploaded a new template to the MS template site. For this upload, I selected "Simple Work Tracking for Project Managers", which was an mdb I had created several years. I recently updated it to an Access 2007 version and added new features in the mdb.  MS usually takes a couple of days to process new submissions, so it might not show up yet. Please keep checking back until it does get published.

You can download the full, working version here.

14,860 DOWNLOADS and counting

A little over a year and a half ago I submitted a template for Access 2007 to the Access Templates site. Absolutely simple, it has nothing more than a table schema and a couple of forms with comments on the tables. MS is still trying to figure out how to accept databases with VBA in them, and most of us are still trying to figure out how to create useful databases without VBA (embedded macros are okay, but, well, they are still macros.)

But  14,860 downloads is still amazing to me. It makes me think there is a way to make use of this important tool offered by MS, if I can just figure out a viable way to do it.

Today (June 27th, 2009) I checked the template download site. MS reports that my contribution has been downloaded over 10,000 times. Wow, more than 10,000 people have looked at my work. And moreover, it's the number one community-submitted download. Not in the same league as the MS templates, to be sure, but still I'm thrilled to see it and to consider what it might mean for independent developers trying to gain attention for their products.

PAUG Presentation

On Wednesday, June 17th, I had the pleasure of presenting a small demo of my Previous Weekday Code at the monthly meeting of the Portland Access Users Group. It's available as a download here.

Access Stress Test Data

Has this ever happened to you? You deploy a new database and everything is fine for a few weeks, or months. Eventually, though, users start to complain about slow response times and other problems. And they want you to fix it, NOW.

Have you ever wished you could do some really heavy duty stress tests before you put your application out there and head off  that kind of result?

Here's a tool to help you do just that.

A colleague of mine has packaged up several million rows of  sample data that you can download and adapt for use in your pre-release testing.

If you decided to use this data, we'd love to hear about your experiences with it.

ghepworth@gpcdata.com

Grover Park George on Creating Dynamic, Highly Formatted Reports

The July, 2008 meeting of the Pacific NW Access Developers Group (Pacific NW Access Developers Group) featured George's Presentation on partnering Access and Excel to create highly formatted, dynamic Excel reports from an Access database.

Download the Access to Excel Report Partners file to see the techniques discussed in George's presentation.

Grover Park George on Designing Functional Tables

Only the Names are Changed...

Did you know every database ever built uses the same ten tables*?

The May, 2006 Meeting of the Seattle Access Users Group (www.seattleaccess.org) featured George's presentation entitled Normalization for Normal People. George presented his taxonomy of the ten basic types of relational tables. Everyone needs to know how to create and use them properly.

Download the PowerPoint Presentation and Sample database to see what the buzz is all about.

*Attribute fields in these tables do vary slightly.

Grover Park George on Access

George's book has drawn rave reviews from readers. It's featured on Amazon.com and at most major bookstores.

You can also order your copy of Grover Park George on Access, a book for new Access users written by George Hepworth, owner of GPC Data direct from the author, (check or credit card). I'll pay your shipping costs within the continental US.

FREE Downloads from GPG on Access and the "Old"  Smart Access

Download the Sample Personal Contacts or Dynamic Menu Database from the book.

Read a Sample Chapter from Grover Park George On Access: Data Modeling 101

Requires Acrobat Reader.

Download the Dynamic Menu Demo Database This one was published with George's article in the June, 2004 issue of Smart Access Magazine.

Grover Park George :
The best in MS Access Database Development

Grover Park George On Access:
The Best in MS Access Books

Home| About Us| Training Solutions| Data Management Solutions| Ask the Experts| Customer Service| Resources&Partners| Frequently Asked Questions| Free Downloads| Reader Comments| The REAL Grover Park| Access Test Bed| Privacy| Request Info| Solutions| Case Studies| Secure Shopping| Tip of the Day| Earn Money!| Chandler Photos| Venezuela Photos|