Need some pointers - Excel/VB.net

[bolony21]

Hi All,

I am looking for some friendly advice to get me going in the right direction.

I have created various bolt-on modules for an excel project management system which all inter-link including gantt/planning tool, resource management, risk management etc.

A collation tool, again built in excel uses macros to combine all of the separate project information into one space for various analysis.

What I would like to do is re-create these tools so that instead of pulling all the data into an excel sheet they are stored in a SQL database, and in turn transform the excel input sheets into online webforms.

I have been looking at the likes of ASP and VB.net but I honestly do not know where to start even if these are viable options.

So, in brief, how can I go about recreating my excel tools in an online capacity?

Thanks.

Bol

 

[Rijnsent]

Hi Bol,
an interesting question, I've been playing with several systems over time but personally find they all have quite a steep learning curve. Having said that, I would go for the following:
-separate front-end from back end: the easiest way to start would be to put the data of your Excel sheet into an MS Access database to get used to the structure of tables and import/export routines
-next, upgrading that Access DB to an SQL server, still using the Excel as the front-end for your tool. You could skip the Access step, but I find Access an easy playground into the world of databases
-finally, once you have the info in your SQL server, you could use whatever language you fancy to build a front end online: HTML, javascript, VB.net, ASP etc. You will most probably have to recreate it from scratch. I'm not aware of any tools that can easily transform Excel into any web front-end.
Hope that helps a bit,
Koen

 

[bolony21]

Rijnsent - thank you for taking the time to reply.

That actually helps a lot and exactly the sort of response I was looking for.

I jumped straight into learning MVC perhaps taking on too much all at once. Using excel as the front end and learning SQL first would be a good way to break the learning curve down into more bite-size format.

Thanks again.