Why I started this Blog

I had been working in more than 10 different types of organizations for close to thirty years. Over the past experience, going through various situation of organization (some very poor and getting into receivership whereas some others are very rich and having cash-free operation, even without the necessity to budget its expanses), the voice of setting up a database system to standardize its operation had never been stopped. Even until today, the same request is still there.

Again, it is not that an organization does not manage to invest in good database system, which may even cost up to millions of dollars.Nevertheless, majority of the organization finally ends up putting its comment that the database system is not performing up to their expectation.

Why?

With my experience, there are two major reasons as below:

1. A lot of organizations have specific way of running their operation, hence there is no set standard available and thus a lot of good ERP,MRP or the same category of database systems do not manage to provide a standard that suite everybody.
2. Beside those modules in a database system that had been standardize or partially standardize,the cost to develop a good user-friendly module for specify operation, especially for those specify to a certain manufacturing process is too costly due to limited market.

Hence I had started to develop a database system by using Microsoft Access, starting twenty over years ago. At that moment, a lot of staffs in the organization (in Malaysia) were still not computer literate. It was also during that time that a lot of manufacturing plant start to look into "Standardizing" their operation with proper documentation. Thus a lot of effort had been put in place to make use of spreadsheet program, with its limited ability to "automate" and high flexibility.

After using some "programs" written in spreadsheet programs, we finally "standardized" to a certain extent, and by then, I decided to put some attention to Microsoft Access database system, and start to write my own program.

The same program was developed some twenty years ago and continue to developed on-the-go when I move on from one organization to the other. It was a normal practice that when I join an organization, I will try to make myself familiar with their existing operation. It was also normal that after understanding and familiar with the existing system used, I came to know that there were a lot of grievances on the lack of user-friendliness and the required of double entry from their existing staffs, especially in those organization that has a few different standardize database packages.

For those who know me, I had left the manufacturing organization for more than 10 years and re-enter it around three years ago. To my surprise, the same condition is still exist. Hence I had dug into my long time archive and brought out the same database which I developed and continue its development again.

During development of the system, I have to again searching for some assistant and advice. Thanks to the new technologies of this new era, provided I continue to search, a lot of information is available in the cloud.Is is during the searching process that I found there is still a lot of people calling for advice too. Hence I decide to start this blog and explain my experience in step by step basis.