Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!sequent!upba!tssi!nolan
From: nolan@tssi.UUCP (Michael Nolan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ncr
Subject: Re: SMALL BUSINESS CONSULTING NEEDED!
Summary: Is consulting what you *really* want?
Message-ID: <1735@tssi.UUCP>
Date: 20 Jul 90 14:51:52 GMT
References: <379@texsun.Central.Sun.COM>
Organization: Tailored Software Svcs, Lincoln Neb
Lines: 34

[this was originally tried as E-mail, but bounced for a bad path]

Speaking as a consultant from a small business only one time zone away:

It sounds like you don't want somebody else to do your software, you want
to do it yourself.  Fine.  Unless you are an expert in dBase or Lotus (and
if you don't know whether or not they're appropriate, you're *NOT*), expect
to spend 100 or more hours figuring out how to use the software system you
choose in a way that makes sense for the application you have in mind.

Then expect to spend another 200 or 300 hours writing (and rewriting) software
to do what you want.  During this time, you will probably have the whole thing
collapse on you several times.  You will also probably redefine the file
or database structure several times, either reloading information by hand
or writing some kind of transfer program each time.

This, of course, all assumes that you made an appropriate choice for the
software system in the first place.  If not, then after investing 400+
hours, expect to choose *another* system and more or less start all over
again!

You can probably do what you want in dBase, although Clipper is more powerful
and faster.  (and more expensive :-( )  Probably not in Lotus.

My suggestion is to look in the yellow pages of the Detroit phone book for
software consultants, and pay somebody $500 to $1000 to tell you what to do
and help you do it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Nolan                                       "I don't know what apathy is,
Tailored Software Services, Inc.                  and I don't want to find out!"
Lincoln, Nebraska (402) 423-1490                
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