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#1
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Thoughts on if this database would be too hard for me (newbie) to do?
I'm a newbie, and while I wouldn't mind learning access at some point,
for now I need it for one purpose, which takes precedence time-wise. I trade stocks (futures, actually), and would like to go back and track how (we'll use stock for this purpose) behaved each day at the open. I wouldn't mind spending some time on it; just not an inordinant amount. Let me explain my purpose: A stock may "gap up" or "gap down", meaning it's price opens at a price different from where it closed the day before. Often that gap will be filled, meaning the price will go back down (if it was a gap up) to the previous day's close. I want to track how often it did that, how often it went only 1/2 way, how much it went up before doing it, what day of the week it was, etc., with several different criteria I had started to compile it in excel, but quickly had an AHA moment and realized this was a database I needed. Here are the categories I have that I want to track, and then be able to search based on several criteria. I imagine I want to creat several different tables, but it seems to me the hardest part, and hardest to learn, is how I want it organized. Which categories in which/how many tables. Is this more daunting than I initially imagined (which was thinking it wouldn't take long). Here are the categories: DATE AMOUNT OF GAP UP DOWN % Filled Minutes it took to Fill How Much Up before Filling, etc., etc. I hope that's clear. TIA! |
#2
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Thoughts on if this database would be too hard for me (newbie) to do?
Jack
If you want to get the best use of a relational database like Access, you have to feed it well-normalized data. If you are not familiar with "normalization" or "relational database", you have a steep learning curve. If you already have experience working in Excel, remember that any list of information is a 'database'. If you don't have the time to learn Access right now, why not stick with something you know? Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP "Jack" wrote in message ... I'm a newbie, and while I wouldn't mind learning access at some point, for now I need it for one purpose, which takes precedence time-wise. I trade stocks (futures, actually), and would like to go back and track how (we'll use stock for this purpose) behaved each day at the open. I wouldn't mind spending some time on it; just not an inordinant amount. Let me explain my purpose: A stock may "gap up" or "gap down", meaning it's price opens at a price different from where it closed the day before. Often that gap will be filled, meaning the price will go back down (if it was a gap up) to the previous day's close. I want to track how often it did that, how often it went only 1/2 way, how much it went up before doing it, what day of the week it was, etc., with several different criteria I had started to compile it in excel, but quickly had an AHA moment and realized this was a database I needed. Here are the categories I have that I want to track, and then be able to search based on several criteria. I imagine I want to creat several different tables, but it seems to me the hardest part, and hardest to learn, is how I want it organized. Which categories in which/how many tables. Is this more daunting than I initially imagined (which was thinking it wouldn't take long). Here are the categories: DATE AMOUNT OF GAP UP DOWN % Filled Minutes it took to Fill How Much Up before Filling, etc., etc. I hope that's clear. TIA! |
#3
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Thoughts on if this database would be too hard for me (newbie) to do?
On Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:49:54 -0800, "Jeff Boyce"
wrote: Jack If you want to get the best use of a relational database like Access, you have to feed it well-normalized data. If you are not familiar with "normalization" or "relational database", you have a steep learning curve. If you already have experience working in Excel, remember that any list of information is a 'database'. If you don't have the time to learn Access right now, why not stick with something you know? Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP Thanks for the feedback. I didn't finish compiling the info in excel, as I realized that it wasn't going to provide me with all the info I'd like. And for the same reason why I don't just do it in excel; that it doesn't really give me the info I'd like, save for maybe an average of a column, and number of times it filled on a Monday, or Tuesday. But that's when I stopped with my compiling in excel, when I realized I'd like to know, "On Mondays, when the gap was 50 points, and the open was.... How much of the gap got filled?" Clearly, unless I create separate worksheets in excel for each scenario, this wouldn't be possible to find out. Hence, here I am! So, apparently it's a lot harder than I imagined. Thanks again. Any suggestion on a place/book, should I decide to take it on, for figuring out how I should have it organzied? I've found some "how-to's" of creating tables, and the basics of access, but I'm at a loss as to how I need to best organize the data: how many/which data sets, per table, etc. Thanks again. "Jack" wrote in message .. . I'm a newbie, and while I wouldn't mind learning access at some point, for now I need it for one purpose, which takes precedence time-wise. I trade stocks (futures, actually), and would like to go back and track how (we'll use stock for this purpose) behaved each day at the open. I wouldn't mind spending some time on it; just not an inordinant amount. Let me explain my purpose: A stock may "gap up" or "gap down", meaning it's price opens at a price different from where it closed the day before. Often that gap will be filled, meaning the price will go back down (if it was a gap up) to the previous day's close. I want to track how often it did that, how often it went only 1/2 way, how much it went up before doing it, what day of the week it was, etc., with several different criteria I had started to compile it in excel, but quickly had an AHA moment and realized this was a database I needed. Here are the categories I have that I want to track, and then be able to search based on several criteria. I imagine I want to creat several different tables, but it seems to me the hardest part, and hardest to learn, is how I want it organized. Which categories in which/how many tables. Is this more daunting than I initially imagined (which was thinking it wouldn't take long). Here are the categories: DATE AMOUNT OF GAP UP DOWN % Filled Minutes it took to Fill How Much Up before Filling, etc., etc. I hope that's clear. TIA! |
#4
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Thoughts on if this database would be too hard for me (newbie) to do?
Jack
There are a huge number of books written on how-to do Access databases. Your best bet is to visit your friendly local bookstore and start browsing to see which one(s) writing style matches your learning style. I remind folks that there's at least three learning curves to get past to build applications in Access: 1. normalization and relational database design 2. Access tips/tricks (i.e., how Access does it) 3. Graphical user interface design (what works for humans) and if you haven't created applications before, you have a fourth one: 4. Application development process Good luck! Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP "Jack" wrote in message ... On Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:49:54 -0800, "Jeff Boyce" wrote: Jack If you want to get the best use of a relational database like Access, you have to feed it well-normalized data. If you are not familiar with "normalization" or "relational database", you have a steep learning curve. If you already have experience working in Excel, remember that any list of information is a 'database'. If you don't have the time to learn Access right now, why not stick with something you know? Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP Thanks for the feedback. I didn't finish compiling the info in excel, as I realized that it wasn't going to provide me with all the info I'd like. And for the same reason why I don't just do it in excel; that it doesn't really give me the info I'd like, save for maybe an average of a column, and number of times it filled on a Monday, or Tuesday. But that's when I stopped with my compiling in excel, when I realized I'd like to know, "On Mondays, when the gap was 50 points, and the open was.... How much of the gap got filled?" Clearly, unless I create separate worksheets in excel for each scenario, this wouldn't be possible to find out. Hence, here I am! So, apparently it's a lot harder than I imagined. Thanks again. Any suggestion on a place/book, should I decide to take it on, for figuring out how I should have it organzied? I've found some "how-to's" of creating tables, and the basics of access, but I'm at a loss as to how I need to best organize the data: how many/which data sets, per table, etc. Thanks again. "Jack" wrote in message . .. I'm a newbie, and while I wouldn't mind learning access at some point, for now I need it for one purpose, which takes precedence time-wise. I trade stocks (futures, actually), and would like to go back and track how (we'll use stock for this purpose) behaved each day at the open. I wouldn't mind spending some time on it; just not an inordinant amount. Let me explain my purpose: A stock may "gap up" or "gap down", meaning it's price opens at a price different from where it closed the day before. Often that gap will be filled, meaning the price will go back down (if it was a gap up) to the previous day's close. I want to track how often it did that, how often it went only 1/2 way, how much it went up before doing it, what day of the week it was, etc., with several different criteria I had started to compile it in excel, but quickly had an AHA moment and realized this was a database I needed. Here are the categories I have that I want to track, and then be able to search based on several criteria. I imagine I want to creat several different tables, but it seems to me the hardest part, and hardest to learn, is how I want it organized. Which categories in which/how many tables. Is this more daunting than I initially imagined (which was thinking it wouldn't take long). Here are the categories: DATE AMOUNT OF GAP UP DOWN % Filled Minutes it took to Fill How Much Up before Filling, etc., etc. I hope that's clear. TIA! |
#5
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Thoughts on if this database would be too hard for me (newbie) to do?
Thanks. I'm on #1! And I think I have the mindset for it; just hope
that it's not more than I want to chew. I checked my local library, and was going to go tomorrow to check them out, but for my limited purpose, I was thinking a "for dummies" would be applicable, and the traditional tomes would be overkill. Got some good tips in another thread, including a pointer to a good video that explaned normalizing data. And hopefully #3 won't be much of an issue, since it's just for my own use. Thanks again. On Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:44:18 -0800, "Jeff Boyce" wrote: Jack There are a huge number of books written on how-to do Access databases. Your best bet is to visit your friendly local bookstore and start browsing to see which one(s) writing style matches your learning style. I remind folks that there's at least three learning curves to get past to build applications in Access: 1. normalization and relational database design 2. Access tips/tricks (i.e., how Access does it) 3. Graphical user interface design (what works for humans) and if you haven't created applications before, you have a fourth one: 4. Application development process Good luck! Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP "Jack" wrote in message .. . On Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:49:54 -0800, "Jeff Boyce" wrote: Jack If you want to get the best use of a relational database like Access, you have to feed it well-normalized data. If you are not familiar with "normalization" or "relational database", you have a steep learning curve. If you already have experience working in Excel, remember that any list of information is a 'database'. If you don't have the time to learn Access right now, why not stick with something you know? Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP Thanks for the feedback. I didn't finish compiling the info in excel, as I realized that it wasn't going to provide me with all the info I'd like. And for the same reason why I don't just do it in excel; that it doesn't really give me the info I'd like, save for maybe an average of a column, and number of times it filled on a Monday, or Tuesday. But that's when I stopped with my compiling in excel, when I realized I'd like to know, "On Mondays, when the gap was 50 points, and the open was.... How much of the gap got filled?" Clearly, unless I create separate worksheets in excel for each scenario, this wouldn't be possible to find out. Hence, here I am! So, apparently it's a lot harder than I imagined. Thanks again. Any suggestion on a place/book, should I decide to take it on, for figuring out how I should have it organzied? I've found some "how-to's" of creating tables, and the basics of access, but I'm at a loss as to how I need to best organize the data: how many/which data sets, per table, etc. Thanks again. "Jack" wrote in message ... I'm a newbie, and while I wouldn't mind learning access at some point, for now I need it for one purpose, which takes precedence time-wise. I trade stocks (futures, actually), and would like to go back and track how (we'll use stock for this purpose) behaved each day at the open. I wouldn't mind spending some time on it; just not an inordinant amount. Let me explain my purpose: A stock may "gap up" or "gap down", meaning it's price opens at a price different from where it closed the day before. Often that gap will be filled, meaning the price will go back down (if it was a gap up) to the previous day's close. I want to track how often it did that, how often it went only 1/2 way, how much it went up before doing it, what day of the week it was, etc., with several different criteria I had started to compile it in excel, but quickly had an AHA moment and realized this was a database I needed. Here are the categories I have that I want to track, and then be able to search based on several criteria. I imagine I want to creat several different tables, but it seems to me the hardest part, and hardest to learn, is how I want it organized. Which categories in which/how many tables. Is this more daunting than I initially imagined (which was thinking it wouldn't take long). Here are the categories: DATE AMOUNT OF GAP UP DOWN % Filled Minutes it took to Fill How Much Up before Filling, etc., etc. I hope that's clear. TIA! |
#6
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Thoughts on if this database would be too hard for me (newbie) to do?
Jack
A decent user interface can help save YOU from making mistakes, and will prove invaluable six months from now when you don't remember what/how g! Good luck! Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP "Jack" wrote in message ... Thanks. I'm on #1! And I think I have the mindset for it; just hope that it's not more than I want to chew. I checked my local library, and was going to go tomorrow to check them out, but for my limited purpose, I was thinking a "for dummies" would be applicable, and the traditional tomes would be overkill. Got some good tips in another thread, including a pointer to a good video that explaned normalizing data. And hopefully #3 won't be much of an issue, since it's just for my own use. Thanks again. On Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:44:18 -0800, "Jeff Boyce" wrote: Jack There are a huge number of books written on how-to do Access databases. Your best bet is to visit your friendly local bookstore and start browsing to see which one(s) writing style matches your learning style. I remind folks that there's at least three learning curves to get past to build applications in Access: 1. normalization and relational database design 2. Access tips/tricks (i.e., how Access does it) 3. Graphical user interface design (what works for humans) and if you haven't created applications before, you have a fourth one: 4. Application development process Good luck! Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP "Jack" wrote in message . .. On Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:49:54 -0800, "Jeff Boyce" wrote: Jack If you want to get the best use of a relational database like Access, you have to feed it well-normalized data. If you are not familiar with "normalization" or "relational database", you have a steep learning curve. If you already have experience working in Excel, remember that any list of information is a 'database'. If you don't have the time to learn Access right now, why not stick with something you know? Regards Jeff Boyce Microsoft Office/Access MVP Thanks for the feedback. I didn't finish compiling the info in excel, as I realized that it wasn't going to provide me with all the info I'd like. And for the same reason why I don't just do it in excel; that it doesn't really give me the info I'd like, save for maybe an average of a column, and number of times it filled on a Monday, or Tuesday. But that's when I stopped with my compiling in excel, when I realized I'd like to know, "On Mondays, when the gap was 50 points, and the open was.... How much of the gap got filled?" Clearly, unless I create separate worksheets in excel for each scenario, this wouldn't be possible to find out. Hence, here I am! So, apparently it's a lot harder than I imagined. Thanks again. Any suggestion on a place/book, should I decide to take it on, for figuring out how I should have it organzied? I've found some "how-to's" of creating tables, and the basics of access, but I'm at a loss as to how I need to best organize the data: how many/which data sets, per table, etc. Thanks again. "Jack" wrote in message m... I'm a newbie, and while I wouldn't mind learning access at some point, for now I need it for one purpose, which takes precedence time-wise. I trade stocks (futures, actually), and would like to go back and track how (we'll use stock for this purpose) behaved each day at the open. I wouldn't mind spending some time on it; just not an inordinant amount. Let me explain my purpose: A stock may "gap up" or "gap down", meaning it's price opens at a price different from where it closed the day before. Often that gap will be filled, meaning the price will go back down (if it was a gap up) to the previous day's close. I want to track how often it did that, how often it went only 1/2 way, how much it went up before doing it, what day of the week it was, etc., with several different criteria I had started to compile it in excel, but quickly had an AHA moment and realized this was a database I needed. Here are the categories I have that I want to track, and then be able to search based on several criteria. I imagine I want to creat several different tables, but it seems to me the hardest part, and hardest to learn, is how I want it organized. Which categories in which/how many tables. Is this more daunting than I initially imagined (which was thinking it wouldn't take long). Here are the categories: DATE AMOUNT OF GAP UP DOWN % Filled Minutes it took to Fill How Much Up before Filling, etc., etc. I hope that's clear. TIA! |
#7
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Thoughts on if this database would be too hard for me (newbie)
Jack,
A couple of note son top of the excellent advice already given. Access will take some time to learn; you have to decided whether or not you want to make that investment. For me the answer is yes....it is very power and versatile software for handling information. But you have to decide for your self. Your first post sounded like "no" and yuoru later posts sounded like "yes". In parallel with your learning Access, you might also want to be thinkiing on what the entities are in your application and how they are related. Think of "lists" and lists that can be linked together. Almost certainly individual stocks will be such entities / lists. Beyond that is not clear. It might be instances of "moves" of stocks, it might be instances of recording the value of a stock at a time. Preferably you might be importing tablular data from an external source (so that you aren't spending all day entering minute by minute data. |
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