Help4Access, a San Francisco Bay Area based Microsoft Access consulting services firm delivers an advanced transportation database solution in conjunction with DOT and Caltrans.
One of the Bay Area’s largest regional transportation hubs had an aging Microsoft Access 97 system that was becoming slow, error prone and no longer supported by the vendor. According to a representative of the transportation division, “Our MS Access system is critical for establishing and maintaining route schedules, on-call transportation and driver scheduling and we needed to replace the system as quickly as possible to meet our growing demands for expanded routes and services.”
Since the internal staff was already familiar with Microsoft Access, one of the departments’ goals was to find a vendor capable of delivering a state-of-the-art Microsoft Access solution, including migrating the old system to the new platform while minimizing the impact on the production environment.
The department issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) and after a thorough vendor evaluation period, selected Help4Access based on their extensive Microsoft Access experience, solid Bay Area client references and their innovative solution to combine the features and functionality of both MS Access 2010 and SQL Server to provide a scalable solution for future growth.
Additionally, the division wanted to implement the new system shortly after the first of the year in order to deal with the upcoming peak demand periods of spring and summer. Help4Access Consultants immediately began their analysis to identify and document existing business processes and functional requirements.
According to Sasha Froyland, Help4Access Founder and CEO, “We were extremely exited about the opportunity to work with a leading Bay Area transportation division, and were determined to develop a solution that would support the division’s aggressive timelines and estimates of transportation growth and future demands.
Unlike many other vendor solutions based on modified templates, Help4Access built a custom Access solution from the ground up. In order to achieve the department’s goals of utilizing Microsoft Access, as well as the ability to scale for future growth, Help4Access developed a unique solution leveraging the user friendliness of Microsoft Access combined with SQL Server’s ability to efficiently process large volumes of transaction data.
The database solution is accessed through workstations running Windows 7, and integrates with the division’s Microsoft SharePoint system for collaboration and file sharing.
Help4Access’s use of the Agile development methodology enabled the delivery of rapid, incremental iterations throughout the project lifecycle to ensure conformance to specifications and to meet the division’s aggressive implementation timeline on schedule and within budget.
In addition to meeting the functional requirements of scheduling routes, on-call transportation and drivers, Help4Access developed a complete set of reports needed for both the regional transportation division as well as the State of California. Help4Access worked closely with the division to plan a seamless migration process, as well as provided training and support for the division staff to ensure a smooth transition without disrupting the daily scheduling process.
As Sasha sums it up, “We are VERY proud of out team’s ability to develop a state-of-the-art solution for a critical Bay Area transportation agency. After all, as a local IT service provider with employees working and commuting throughout the Bay Area, we are as much dependent on the quality of their services as they are on ours!”
About Help4Access
Founded by Sasha Froyland, Help4Access has over 20 years of experience delivering a comprehensive set of Microsoft Access and SQL Server solutions to small and medium sized companies in the Bay Area. As a Microsoft Certified Partner their focused dedication to Microsoft Access and SQL Server solutions makes them uniquely capable of offering exceptionally deep world-class database consulting services to their customers. Help4Access ‘s highly experienced staff specialize in analyzing business processes and applying technologies to automate these processes in order to reduce costs while improving performance and productivity. They provide a wide range of Access and SQL Server services including recovery, upgrade and customization including integrating internet database solutions for data intensive web sites. Help4Access continues to operate under the founding principals of growing their business one successful customer at a time.
For a free consultation, visit http://www.Help4Access.com or email: [email protected] – San Francisco, CA.
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