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Best Free Database Software

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  • 07-05-2013 8:03pm
    #1
    Siobh73
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭


    I have just started work for a small start-up company selling products online. At the moment all customer info is being kept on an excel spreadsheet but I would like to try a more sophisticated database to keep track of numbers of items sold, unique customer information, dates of dispatch etc. Any recommendations?


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    #2
    jmcc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭jmcc


    Can you use databases or have you or the people in the company any experience of maintaining such a database?
    Does the company use Windows or Macs or Linux?

    Regards...jmcc


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    #3
    Siobh73
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭Siobh73


    No experience whatsoever jmcc, so looking for something simple. I'm the only employee and just learning as I go! We use windows.


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    #4
    jmcc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭jmcc


    Siobh73 wrote: »
    No experience whatsoever jmcc, so looking for something simple. I'm the only employee and just learning as I go! We use windows.
    Access might be an option but it is not free. It is a very good frontend for small databases and there may be template style databases that could be used to do exactly what you want with little modification. There might be options that others could suggest but you may already have Access as part of the Microsoft Office suite.

    Regards...jmcc


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    #5
    Phoebas
    Registered Users Posts: 9,371 ✭✭✭Phoebas


    Have a look at MySQL

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySQL


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    #6
    blatantrereg
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭blatantrereg


    MySQL or MS SQL Server Express if it won't grow beyond 10GB.
    MySQL if it might grow beyond 10GB.

    In either case you would probably want to develop a UI. This might be straightforward enough or difficult for you depending on your aptitude for programming. You could use Visual Studio Express or Java. You can use either database with each.

    MS Access is not free, but you might already have it if you have certain versions of MS Office. It would be quicker and easier to pick up from scratch for most people. It would also provide the means to make a UI itself. It's intended for single-user databases, but presumably that is not an immediate issue if you are migrating from Excel.


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    #7
    Siobh73
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭Siobh73


    Thanks for all the suggestions. Have been playing around with Microsoft Access and seems to be very simple and user friendly.


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