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Using Microsoft Access Saves Time, Money and Creates a Better User Experience
Matt Daniel :: mdaniel@sagesol.com
Peter von Elling :: pvonelling@sagesol.com
When Collier Shannon Scott LLP needed a console to administer their redesigned web site, they turned to SAGE to data-enable it and create a custom web content management system (CMS). In doing so, we and the client took a unique approach. Building a custom CMS system from scratch based on web technologies (HTML, ASP.NET, Coldfusion, PHP, etc), is an expensive proposition. David Carns, IT Director at Collier Shannon Scott, thought there might be some way to take advantage of the spare licenses for Microsoft Access the law firm had available. SAGE has extensive experience using MS Access to administer a variety of applications. Using Access, we provided Collier Shannon Scott with a user-friendly CMS system tailored to their specific needs—allowing them to easily manage their web site—at a significant cost savings and dramatically shortened development time.
For Collier Shannon Scott, this approach had many advantages. The CMS we developed is tailored not only to their particular web content, but also to the many relationships among the content. For instance, an article links to the author, related firm attorneys, and the associated practice area. Managing such relationships using an out-of-the-box CMS is extremely difficult. By using MS Access, however, we could develop a custom CMS cheaper and quicker than using web-based technologies. We designed an intuitive and engaging interface to the CMS specifically for the firm’s web site, which allowed the firm to distribute administrative duties such as updating web content to many different staff members with the bare minimum of training. "SAGE's technical expertise in web programming was a huge relief,” said David Carns, IT Director for Collier Shannon Scott. “They understood our particular needs and had us up and running quickly."
In creating the interface, we used Access Forms rather than web-based forms because they provide greater flexibility and less development time, but we borrowed many design conventions from the web. Because there are less restrictions on formatting and layout compared to web forms, our designer was able to create a richer interface. He discarded the dull grey background and block text of Access forms, opting instead for graphic text, hyperlinks, and a clean white background to make the interface inviting and engaging. Form elements bear a direct relation to the content displayed on the web site, making it readily apparent to staff the tasks and steps to perform in updating and managing the site content easily and accurately.
