jwcolby
jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Tue Jun 30 14:58:31 CDT 2009
Verdad amigo. The bigger problem is that the work comes in spurts. Either no one needs anything or everyone needs something. It is a constant balancing act "who needs the time the most". The losers aren't happy. John W. Colby www.ColbyConsulting.com Max Wanadoo wrote: > Could you take any more work on though? > > That is the problem with a one-man band...nicht wahr? > > Max > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby > Sent: 30 June 2009 20:39 > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Access error > > LOL, it is always nice to increase the customer base. As a sole proprietor, > and definitely NOT a > salesman, I find it difficult to sell my services. > > John W. Colby > www.ColbyConsulting.com > > > Max Wanadoo wrote: >> That sounds really cool and it goes to show that you never, ever know > where >> things will pop up. >> Today, at the charity, we had an email referring to an application we sent >> in in 2007 and asking us to make a bid for money. >> >> Strange world. I am happy for you - genuinely. >> >> Max >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com >> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby >> Sent: 30 June 2009 20:12 >> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving >> Subject: Re: [AccessD] Access error >> >> Max, >> >> When I lived up in Connecticut I used to go to the local Access user's > group >> which was hosted at >> Microsoft's suite. One day I gave a short and sweet lecture about classes >> and frameworks. There >> was a gentleman there who heard the lecture and apparently wrote my name >> down because three years >> later I get a call from him. His business is booming and he no longer has >> time to do the database >> stuff. >> >> Not exactly sales, and yet kind of sales, yea. >> >> The client is doing pretty cool stuff. He gets Medicaid drug invoices, > uses >> Omnipage and OCR to rip >> the stuff out into CSV files, then he imports those csv files into an > access >> database and does >> analysis for his clients. As you might imagine the invoices are all over >> the map in terms of >> format. My job is to write code to extract this field from this line and >> another field from another >> line and these 8 fields from the next N lines, and then recognize page >> breaks etc. and write them >> into a table in a consistent format. >> >> So far we have identified 5 different formats that I have written > extraction >> code for, and there >> others that he has stumbled across as he works. I write a class for each >> format, each class has >> logic to find the right field(s) in the right line(s) to get the data out, >> and then write the data >> back to a standard table. Each class looks very similar to every other > such >> class except that that >> search logic is slightly different, and the "This source field goes in > this >> destination field" is >> slightly different. >> >> And then of course there is data correction to fix OCR errors. Ones get >> turned into L and I, zero >> gets turned into o and O etc. I find and fix these errors in the code as > I >> move the data. >> >> Fun stuff. >> >> John W. Colby >> www.ColbyConsulting.com >> >> >> Max Wanadoo wrote: >>> Aha! So you have been doing SALES. >>> >>> Well done - picking them up in this economic climate is pretty good. I >> hope >>> it means that things are getting back to normality. >>> >>> Max