Office & productivity software forum: How to build a simple access database??

"Similar to Quicken"

Is it was possible to do, wouldn't folk be doing this instead of buying Quicken. My thought is that this is not going to be simple. You may spend a year on this and still not have anything as complete as Quicken.
Bob

Perhaps you missed the part about "can't load quicken at work"? I also don't need all the features quicken has, just the basics.

I've used a basic excel spreadsheet for years - but it doesn't lend itself to categorizing expenses and it's a b***h to sort come tax time.

And maybe a spreadsheet is the fast exit. It's also a tad safer as you can pop it into an email to send it home.

Assuming the "template" suggestion isn't to your liking...

When you say your "db synapses just won't work" are you referring to something specific that is failing, or is that just a figure of speech indicating that you're having a hard time wrapping your brain around how to get started?

Assuming the latter,
In general I would suggest the following...
You said you have an Excel spreadsheet that you've been using.
Assuming it's set up in the normal way, with each column being a different field, and each row being a line item (like a check or an expense)...
The easiest way to get this started would be to "Import" the excel file into Access. Make sure the columns are labeled first, then jsut import the whole excel file. This will create an access table that you can then use as the basis for your database.

Depending how much you know about Access, you can get very complicated with this.

Once you have the basic table, there are Database analysis tools in the menus that will break it up into several smaller tables, but unless you are conversant with programming for database structures I would recommend NOT using those tools.
Instead, just create "Querys" to sort data matching certain criteria - you could have one for all checks, or for any negative entries, etc.
And you can enter new items directly into the bottom of the table, or if you wantto get fancy, you can create a "Form" to enter new items (and to view old ones), which could automatically calculate certain fields. But that's starting to get complicated, so it depends how much time you've got to spend on it.

Didn't know one existed. just started using a basic spreadsheet years ago and never progressed. I'll do some digging to see if it will fit my needs - thanks for the suggestion!