Helping Small Businesses Work Smarter with Microsoft Access and Custom Applications
With over 25 years of experience designing and building custom business software, I’ve created a wide variety of systems tailored to unique business needs. From inherited Microsoft Access applications to fully integrated ERP systems, my focus has always been on delivering cost-effective, user-friendly solutions that save clients time and money.
Microsoft Access Desktop Applications
🔹Local Park System – Reservation System
Inherited a desktop MS Access application used for managing customer reservations, payments, A/R, and daily deposit slips. Added support for multiple tax rates to replace a rigid single-tax system. Performed extensive bug fixes and enhancements to improve day-to-day usability.
🔹 Local Park System – Camp System
Another inherited MS Access application tracking summer day campers. Allowed each camper to enroll in two daily activities. Managed camper payments, selected activities, and financial reporting, A/R and deposit slips.
🔹Jewish Temple Membership System
Built this system from the ground up in MS Access utilizing forms, reports and intense VBA code to convert from Gregorian calendar dates to Jewish calendar dates. Tracked multi-generational family memberships and key lifecycle dates in both the Gregorian and Jewish calendars. Wrote custom VBA modules to handle calendar conversions—a rare and powerful feature for this niche requirement.
🔹Invoice System Consolidation
Worked on this project off and on for over twenty years. Inherited dual order entry MS Access systems for two fundraising companies. Both companies originally had their own separate front and back ends, causing redundant development. Both systems used different sales and financial logic. I refactored the systems into a single unified front end and shared data backend, reducing maintenance overhead and saving the client significant development costs over the years.
🔹Warehouse System Integration
With the same company, designed and built from scratch using MS Access to work in tandem with the Invoice System. This fully integrated ERP solution queues invoices for picking by the shipping department, replacing a manual process which was based on pulling and shipping orders based on the actual printed orders hand delivered to the warehouse by the front office phone staff. Greatly improved warehouse efficiency and traceability.
🔹Manufacturing Inventory System
Part of the Warehouse System. Tracks raw materials and finished goods inventory in real time. Prevents production delays due to out-of-stock materials and improves forecasting. When an order is placed in the Order Entry system that contains Create-Your-Own (CYO) kits, the kits auto populate for production to build the CYOs complete with accurate inventory pulling sheets so staff knows how much raw material to pull and for which production run.
🔹 Marketing Data Warehouse
Built in MS Access for centralized tracking of marketing assets and campaigns
🔹 Legal Adverse Party Detection System
Community service project to prevent legal conflicts of interest using Soundex phonetic matching. Ensured a firm did not represent both sides of a dispute.
Business and Operational Tools
🔹Scheduling Application (Audio Visual Company)
Developed for a multimedia company to manage bookings across multiple audio and video rooms and mobile setups. Prevents overbooking of both staff and resources with a clean, easy-to-use scheduling interface.
🔹Employee Time System (Production Company)
Replaced a rented time clock system. Staff can punch in/out from their desktops, request time off, and view shared calendars. Management has access to detailed time reports and usage tracking, all built in MS Access and VBA.
🔹Project Asset Tracking System (Home Designers)
Tracks employee hours and equipment usage across projects. Data is directly linked to billing processes, both time and material, improving accuracy and streamlining invoicing for small business owners.
Specialty Applications
🔹Wetland Delineation Tracking and Reporting System
Custom tracking application designed for an environmental firm managing wetland boundary projects and required documentation. Multiple variations of this application were spun off over the years. Worked on this project for over fifteen years.
🔹Retail Inventory Tracking Systems
Multiple systems tailored for small retail operations, allowing users to manage products, inventory levels, and restocking.
Indiana Statewide Sheriff Systems
- Indiana Sheriff’s Automated Tax Warrant System (ATWS)
- Cash Book and Check Writing System
- Sheriff Sale System
Designed and coded multiple systems over a span of nine years for Sheriff Departments in Indiana designed and built using MS Access with intensive VBA code built to state-specific logic running in the background. ATWS: designed as a project to spec for a local sheriff’s office. System downloaded tax warrants via an automated FTP process which connected to the Indiana Department of Revenue from their secure site. System queued up new warrants for processing and reporting. System tracked all payments and all reports sent to each tax payer. Project began for single Indiana county and was eventually sold to over seventy counties statewide. Cash Book and Check Writing system was added on during year four and satisfied a need in the departments for disbursing all funds brought into the office via check written by the Check Writing add on. The Sheriff Sale System helped the departments with all the paperwork and reporting required by law for a sheriff’s department to conduct a Sheriff Sale for back taxes. Each sale required specific documentation be generated within a specific time period. This process was very time and manpower intensive. This system automated all processes and ease the manpower burden on the sheriff’s office.
Web-Based Applications
🔹 School Library System (PHP)
Converted a legacy static HTML site into a dynamic PHP web application for a school library system. Improved usability and backend management.
🔹 Charitable Donation Platform (ASP.NET)
Developed a multi-tenant web application for corporate fundraising campaigns. Custom branding and messaging per company, with secure login and pledge tracking.
🔹 Desktop Project Tracker (VB.NET)
Created a replacement for Outlook Journal. Tracks file activity (open/close) by date, parses file paths, and generates usage reports. Built in VB.NET for improved Windows integration.
💡 How I Can Help Your Small Business
- Enhancing or rebuilding legacy Access systems
- Building new tools to streamline business operations
- Integrating Access with other systems (warehouse, invoicing, etc.)
- Migrating multi-database systems into unified platforms
- Writing custom VBA code for advanced business logic and automation
- Helping small businesses reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and save money
If your business relies on Microsoft Access—or if you’re considering it—I can help modernize, maintain, or replace your system with something that just works.