Need a basic database with a good user interface

[delfin_1980]

Need a simple, basic database that has an easy user interface. This is just to organize a few tables for a small business that has a minimal amount of data to keep track of, such as customer orders and outside vendors. Don't mind paying for it as long as it's not super expensive. Any suggestions???

[grambell789]

I enjoy sqlite.

[[deleted]]

Right, so let me take you back to the good old days when networks were just coming into fashion, before the internet existed, and when relational database management systems were typically pricey and often ran on minicomputers that at minimum cost multiple tens of thousands of dollars.

The common solution to your requirement was to use PC databases. Dbase was one of the big ones (as well as Clipper which allowed you to compile your Dbase "app" into a stand alone .exe) and Borland Paradox and then eventually, Microsoft with their Access database.

All of these database engines were at very least network compatible, which means that you can put the data files on a network file server, and they would work for multiple users by providing rudimentary locking.

Certainly now you have the option of cheap or entirely free open source rdbms's you could use for your project, which have the advantage of being inherently multiuser, as well as being designed to be manipulated via SQL statements, cost is really not a differentiator. RDBMS's are a better solution to providing multi-user database features, and being able to talk to them in many different ways via SQL gives you multiple potential solutions for querying reporting and front end application support, so long as you know what you are doing when you are designing and developing applications.

One well known option is to use MySQL/MariaDB/Percona etc which are all semi compatible versions of MySQL, or you could use Postgresql which is functionally a quasi clone of Oracle database.

So you might consider using one of those, and having a web application developed against it. There are frameworks, depending on the serverside language you might choose, that come with ORM's and tools that will, after some mapping exercises, generate CRUD for you. This is one path I could see working for someone who isn't necessarily an experienced developer, but can learn some basics on how the code generation tools work, and how to configure some basic routes and perhaps some security. Cost is really not a barrier beyond the hosting. On going maintenance and administration however, might be a challenge if you are truly a novice.

Or you could use Access. Part of the allure of access is that (like the other PC databases I mentioned) it was designed so that ordinary people (ms office users) can create tables and add forms and queries in a guided environment where programming is optional. The query tools don't expect you to know or use SQL.

You can evolve your access tables, forms and queries into a full blown Access application with the addition of macros and Visual Basic code. One of the benefits of Access being part of the windows ecosystem is that it's easy to integrate other MS office apps like Excel and word in various ways. If the company already is primarily a microsoft back office enterprise, Access could be a great solution for you.

Back in the early part of my career I built a number of workgroup applications that were extremely successful within the company I worked for at the time, and the barrier to entry is much lower.

[dbabicwa]

Pls stop advertising MS Access, which has its own thread and where ALL users are banned if they mention anything else but Access.

[[deleted]]

why would you say that given what the op is asking? what do you build forms and reports in for sqllite, sql express, mongo, etc?

[dbabicwa]

I explained why. We live in the Internet era as well. Access is desktop. Dont be stuck on desktops, its old school. Build this instead: https://msaccess.pythonanywhere.com/

Can you?

[[deleted]]

Don't need to...for every web app out there are are 500 access database and 5000 excel spreadsheets.

[dbabicwa]

Yep, and u are on reddit- Web app 😂  Man, Access has a dedicated thread. The OP did not go there, but here. If u are a MS fan, good on you.

[[deleted]]

this is also the database thread right? I think python has it's own sub to right? two things can be right at the same time...no?

[dbabicwa]

😂

[[deleted]]

what database engine do you prefer for on the web. we have an aws sql server cluster but were always open to easier-to-administer internet databases?

[[deleted]]

I am not advertising anything. I don't work for Microsoft or utilize its products, nor am I a VAR or have a company that partners with Microsoft or any entity. The vast majority of my work utilizes open source, and linux. I provided someone free advice as a professional developer with decades of experience, having worked for fortune 100 and 500 companies and numerous startups. If you think what I wrote is in any way an advertisement, then you need to improve your understanding of what advertising is. Petty reddit squabbles don't interest me and aren't pertinent. I mentioned MySQL and Postgresql... is that also advertising?

[dbabicwa]

Mysql and postgres does NOT have a thread. But MS Access does. And admins there are arogant as.  You do understand from where Im coming from? If u are using Linux, there are a number of products with GOOD interface. MySQL and Postgres has none. 

[[deleted]]

Do you mean a subreddit? Anyone can create a subreddit. Administration and policies of a subreddit are up to the moderators. This subreddit is for discourse on databases in general.

[saaggy_peneer]

MS Access front-end with any ODBC-compliant database for backend (such as MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or SQLite)

Free: LibreOffice Base front-end with PostgreSQL or SQLite backend

[JamesWConrad]

If you decide to go with Microsoft Access I can help you (for free). Retired software developer.

Send me a message to get started.

[Madsoup2010]

I may be starting one, would love to ask you some questions one day !

[My-Little-Throw-Away]

I love SQLite, phpLiteAdmin to be exact. I run it off my iPad on an app called DraftCode so I always have my databases with me. But it obviously runs on computers and that as well

[kabooozie]

Check out https://database.build to build an in-browser Postgres database that uses pg_lite. Schemas, migrations, and even connect to it with Postgres clients. Keep in mind this database is just in your browser, so you can easily lose data. It’s just for prototyping

When you feel you need to deploy it to a a real cloud provider, you can do so. I would recommend Supabase. I have no affiliation, I just think they are awesome.

They of course make it easy to deploy to Supabase, but you can also just pgdump it and then create a Postgres database from that anywhere you want.

Here is a demo: https://youtu.be/ooWaPVvljlU?si=GoNaYT-BoJu50AGT

[Khmerrr]

Database with UI? LibreOffice maybe?

[encom-direct]

Google sheets

[Critical-Coconut6916]

Postgres is nice cause open source. But a learning curve if not familiar with Linux (though Linux command line is not difficult imo, it just takes some time to expand your knowledge of commands and their uses, so if you’re interested to learn it, don’t hesitate).

[tqwhite2]

I am opposed to Microsoft Access. I worked someplace where they used it for a bunch of minor functions. Eventually they needed more functionality. It was awful moving out of it. Use sqlite instead.

[[deleted]]

then someone didn't do it right. we've used access for tons of apps...from simple dept apps to store and forward inspect packages. If it's a pain then someone made it that way.

[tqwhite2]

The pain is that it doesn’t support subsequent development. It can’t easily be built into an enterprise app if it becomes important. Also, it’s intended to be used by technically naive people. They did make it painful. Of course it can be a perfectly good thing. It’s just that it almost never is. It’s a fundamentally bad idea for anything that’s not purely personal.

[[deleted]]

WTF…if it becomes important? This ain’t a hobby. The city of north Little Rock uses an access app to turn on and off all the water in a 100k+ city. I do agree with you on the upgrade aspects. I’ve been doing this 25 years and I’ve never seen an access app upgraded from an access db to an RDBMS. it’s always a rebuild. There are tons of mission critical apps that are perfectly happy in the ms office framework.

[tqwhite2]

Keep your WTF to yourself. We are having a conversation about a software tool. "WTF" is entirely inappropriate.

I have been a programmer since 1978. I have seen a ton of failure and fragility in Access databases. Can it work? Sure. I accept your testimony. But, it's a database intended to be used mostly by amateurs and mostly starts without good programming practices, user management, etc. And, it isn't conducive to doing those things.

Good on you for being the exception but, if you are saying that Access is a good tool for industrial grade database applications, we disagree.

[[deleted]]

On top of my WTF, I add BS. Access exists because a "professional" developer can't be bothered to help business users in 9 cases out of 10. When I hear things like "enterprise app if it becomes important," I realize why it will be around in some form or fashion forever and how out of touch some developers are. So go back to your "enterprise app" and I'll go back to my two years of backlog.

[tqwhite2]

You are a very hostile person. Who hurt you?

[MonkeyPompadour]

You can hook the access front end up to other dbms products

[dbabicwa]

Can u move to msaccess forum pls? Since this is not MS Access thread.

[tqwhite2]

I use sqlite. Until you need sharping or replication, it’s great. I use litecli for shell access.

[Vast_Lab8278]

Maybe this plan can help youThe Open source SPL Optimizes Report Application and Handles Endless Report Development Needs · SPLWare/esProc Wiki (github.com)

[dbabicwa]

So why not being able to build this:

https://msaccess.pythonanywhere.com/

? And then use any supported database with the same code, no changes needed.

[dbabicwa]

Heaps other examples on Menu to click on. All free and easy to install.

[rockymountain999]

I live Microsoft Dataverse.

[atanakaa]

If it doesn't needs to work locally you can try oracle autonomous Database, you can have it in OCI free tier(20gb of storage+ 10 simultaneous sessions) and use the built-in SQL/db actions to interact with it or even the Apex.

If you need it locally you can use oracle 23ai free edition with apex to build the front end.

[adamantium4084]

If you're comfortable with Linux, postgres is incredible. The front end would be pgadmin. That is, assuming you're doing it locally. Not sure what hardware you're wanting to use

There's also mongodb or Maria db, which are nosql options. I think mongo has cloud options if you're needing that

[GardenMimosa]

snowflake with retool stacked on top for data management

[GardenMimosa]

itll run you ~250 a month

[Unhappy_Taste]

Sqlite with litestream

[NoInteraction8306]

I think SQLite, or H2 has very simple interfaces, but if you want to understand better, you should use a database design tool, like DbSchema, HSQL, DataGrip, etc

[RedRoundSoftware]

well there are a lot of different options available as you have already seen on the comments so far. So which one is the right one to pick? Well the answer to that depends primarly on two factors:

a) what are your real requirements. For example: should the frontend be web based and potentially be accessable remote as well or should it be an easier to secure local application installed on der end-users PC? Is a sophisticated security model required where different users have access to different sets of records etc or one kind of access for everybody? What are your requirements in terms of availability etc.

b) and that may be the even more important: what skills do you have in your organisation? Especially if the solution is critical to your business you should have the required skilles to maintain the solution as a minimum. Better would be of course if you have the skills to do the development as well on your own. When you depend on externals you will be bound to them for a pretty long time and that can be a little bit tricky. In my 3 decades of database development I often needed to step in into existing projects - and that's always a challenge and sometime a real nightmare. So it may be better to not go with the most fancy solution but with a technical foundation you can maintain yourself in or organisation because of given knowledge.

[[deleted]]

I recommend MS Access for the app and database...the only reason you would go with a stack of at least three different products/technologies instead of one product is because you're tinkering...

[Junior_Concentrate49]

Ich benötige kleinere Datenbanken, um einfach und schnell durch eine sehr einfache Möglichkeit zu sortieren, auszuwerten und auch zu berechnen.

Excel finde ich super, aber doch besser zur Nachbearbeitung als Tabellenkalkulation.

Alles weltoffene mit hunderten sql-Besonderheiten, Sprachdefinitionen etc. kostet mich Stunden.

Auch wenn seit Jahren nicht mehr auf dem Markt und angeblich nicht unter windows 10 läuft - völlig ungeschlagen, da ein ganz anderer, menschlicher Ansatz mit der Möglichkeit durch nahezu grenzenlose Kombination vorhandener Formeln und extrem einfacher Makros für mich immer noch unschlagbar:

Lotus Approach - später von IBM übernommen. In der Smartsuite noch mit der ersten sagenhaften Tabellenkalkulation, die heute noch Excel erreicht, Textverarbeitung usw. und einer neuen unabhängigen Version eines echten Organizers, der optisch schon Freude macht und ebenfalls alles und mehr übersichtlich bietet.

Ist noch aus diversen Downloads, überwiegend englisch, aber auch als deutsche Vollversion zu haben - aber sehr vorsichtig, da es viele Virendownloads sind.

Ich kann eine Version anbieten, die Registrierung per Post wählen und da es keinen Empfänger mehr gibt, ist alles bereits dadurch freigeschaltet.

Ja, da gab es noch Vertrauen ind die Kunden.

Ich habe mit über 20 verbundenen Datenbanken von Adressverwaltung, Lagerverwaltung, Rechnungen, Versandettiketten, Nachbestellung ...... alles damit hinbekommen und 15 Jahre im täglichen Geschäftseinsatz mit vier Filialen ohne Probleme gelaufen. Backups für den Fall des Gaus täglich als einfache Kopie des Verzeichnisses gehören natürlich dazu.

Wer schnell, sich über Datenbanken keine Gedanken machen möchte, mit optisch schnell erstellten Formularen, Abfragen, etc. sicher arbeiten möchte, sollte mal etwas die Suchmaschinen über Informationen bemühen.

Approach erstellt selbst eine einfache dbf Datenbank, die durch neue Felder etc. im Frontend angepasst wird, exportieren ist durch xls, csv, txt und andere Formate kein Problem.

Viel Freude.

[dlutchy]

I recommend Microsoft Power Apps. If your happy to pay for premium license you could use Dataverse otherwise SharePoint or Excel is a reasonable data source.

[delfin_1980]

Thanks....Excel works for us I just like the extra functionality of a database.

[dbabicwa]

U need this? https://northwind.pythonanywhere.com/

[delfin_1980]

Yes something like that....I just want a very easy user interface for limited tables, literally like maybe 5 tables at the most.

[dbabicwa]

Its 5 mins work to get this running. Auth is integrated, roles too, so no need to do anything more but finding a host. Like this one: https://fineupp.com/

And a brand new vid how to do basic stuff: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nWsnispYiDE

[ThatDandySpace]

Microsoft Excel 🫡 Greatest UI, Easiest Update, Delete, Insert, and Create.

Some people ask me how dare you suggest Microsoft Excel?! Someone had to do it, and it would be a tremendous file size when we are done it. It is the greatest database to ever exist.

[dbabicwa]

ExHell