[AccessD] AC 2007/2010 - Help...this is turning into a researchproject

Unfortunately, we are all stuck having to explain things this way.....
As few understand the software dev business....
And it's gotten much worse since the whole Indianization movement.

Recently, I was in another situation where contractors were held to scrutiny
only by end-users....and of course, this could really suck...as you can
imagine.

To explain this I had to use the analogy of Detroit auto maker engineers
being only accountable for designing and building their cars by car dealers.
Can you imagine the chaos ?
SAMPLE PERFORMANCE REVIEW BY DEALER:
"This car you built stinks....Why doesn't this car get 50 mpg and cost $20k
?
"That's what we really need ! The car you built only gets 35 mpg and it
costs $30k !"
AND IF YOU RESPOND, YOU GET THIS:
"Why can't you do better ?"
"What's wrong with you ?"
"You suck...."

Sadly, a lot of IT temp/contract work has degraded into this condition of
"unreasonableness"....high pressure, low pay.

A warning to all venturing in that direction....

> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-
> bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Tina Norris Fields
> Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2011 6:35 PM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: Re: [AccessD] AC 2007/2010 - Help...this is turning into a
> researchproject
>
> I really got a kick out of your sandbox and diapers metaphor!!!
> T
>
> Tina Norris Fields
> tinanfields at torchlake.com
> 231-322-2787
>
>
> On 8/4/2011 11:36 AM, William Benson wrote:
> > I guess i would try to sell them on a complete new design and a split
> > database. Split it. Use automation to bring data into access where
> you can
> > manipulate it more cleanly. I think if you work in a sandbox someone
> else
> > has left their filled diapers all around you might come out with not
> just
> > sand on your feet.
> > On Aug 4, 2011 11:31 AM, "Mark Simms"<marksimms at verizon.net>  wrote:
> >> Long story short:
> >> Got a call from an agency....for a "short term" contract to "clean-
> up" an
> > AC
> >> 2007/2010 application.
> >>
> >> I've finally looked into the plumbing....
> >> All of the usual....some tables have no keys, some tables have
> client
> >> descriptions as keys, etc, etc.
> >> It was all designed by non-professionals.
> >>
> >> It gets better: Most of the work is done in Excel....it acts as a
> giant
> >> "dashboard"....investment/portfolio management application.
> >>
> >> They are using all of the new Table features with OLEDB connections
> from
> >> Excel to Access.
> >> A million calculations are being performed against this linkages in
> >> Excel.....25 worksheets total.
> >>
> >> My first task of creating some VBA to update the OLEDB connections
> took
> > over
> >> 8 hours.....and quite a bit of research. I kept on getting 1004
> errors for
> >> one of the connections. Here, it turns out that connection was to a
> Pivot
> >> Table that went directly to an Access table.
> >> Any attempts to update the DataSourceFile property failed via VBA.
> >> However, get this: it could be done thru the GUI.
> >> So once again, I tried researching this....to no avail.
> >> It appears this whole project might become a research
> project.....and
> >> the client wants a defined time-line.
> >>
> >> What do I do ?
> >>
> >>
> >>
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