Individual software for carrying out inventories

Programming of a software application based on Microsoft Office

eWorks was commissioned by a company operating throughout Europe to program a software solution based on Microsoft Office in order to optimize stocktaking. From the initial idea for the software, through implementation to the actual execution of the inventory, eWorks was able to accompany the company and provide technical support. Since then, the software has been continuously expanded with new functions and optimized for international use.

The software solution was implemented as a Microsoft Access database application on the one hand and as a Microsoft Excel workbook on the other, so that it can be used by several users simultaneously without installation and a database server. In addition, company employees experienced in MS Access can make independent extensions.

For stocktaking, the database application programmed in Microsoft Access first imports a current target item stock using a convenient work form. In the next step, stock lists are generated in the form of Microsoft Excel workbooks based on this target item stock to record the actual item stocks and sent automatically via e-mail from Microsoft Outlook (concept of satellite files).

Plausibility and validation checks are carried out with the help of VBA macros in the Microsoft Excel workbook during and at the end of the inventory recording of the item stocks on site in the stores, so that the quality of the records is ensured at an early stage. The result of the Excel workbook is also initially sent back to the Microsoft Access database application as a compressed ZIP file via an e-mail in Microsoft Outlook using VBA macros.

Extensive evaluations and exports in the form of Access reports and exports to Microsoft Excel can be carried out via the MS Access database application for the determined article inventories. This also includes exporting the results, which can then be imported into SAP via an interface.

The technologies used in this project were Microsoft Access for programming the database application, Microsoft Excel as the recording medium and checking mechanism for the article inventories and Microsoft Outlook for sending emails. For the ZIP compression used, the COM functionality provided by Microsoft Windows was used, thus avoiding the use of third-party components.