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Historical data software

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by mullet4244

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Hi,

I'm working my way through a variety of avenues to see if someone could help us or direct me to a source which can help us.

My father is involved in a historical society here in Australia and has, over the years, compiled a HUGE data base of names, dates, locations and photos, all using Works DB IV. Now he wants to do two things before he is gone:

1. Find a software program that can be used as a self-contained program on a CD, along with a copy of his database, so that other people can use that program to view and print out his compilations but not alter them and of course, it needs to be able to transfer the data from Works DB IV without requiring massive editing or adjustmnents to the database.

2. Find a way of transfering the database to a more commonly used database program such as Excel or Access or similar without mangling the conversion from Works DB IV to that other program. For example, when we tried to do the transfer from IV to Access or Excel, the conversion had problems dealing with the 1700's and 1800's - it either treated it as a numerical calculation or converted the figures to 1900 or 2030 or similar. With 1,000's of lines of data input over the last 15 years we really don't want to have to pkough through it all again to fix these bugs in the new program.

Any ideas, pointers in direction, possible software would be greatly appreciated and I do apologise if I have posted this in the wrong forum!

Thanks!

Pete

3 replies

by computercookie

if you put it on a CD you don't need a program to run it as such, a simple way to do it would be to create a web interface.

Second question, search for a program, find one that is accredited by state authorities, i.e. one that will attract funding.

Not sure what's available at the moment I'd need to do some research, I did get funding from the NSW Gov. in 1999 for a WA product that cost about $700 at the time.

I'll have a look and post back if I can find some details, not been in the historical society since 2001, although I know that they still use that same DB, it was an MS Access with a VB4 or 5 front end!

by oh smeg

Then use the Existing Data as the source material for the different Web Sub-pages. This would allow you to have software free display and retain the ability to prevent modifications.

Of course it would not stop the Data being extracted and used by others.

Col

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