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Welcome to Grandy Zine Systems

Grandy Zine Systems is a small business specialising in the design and provision of small to medium-sized database solutions.  With over 9 years of experience in database design, our systems can be found anywhere from small, single-person businesses to multinational companies.

What can we do?

Our strengths are in reliability and user-interface design; we are committed to providing the best possible product that requires minimal maintenance, while being intuitive and logical to use.

Our expertise lies both in consulting and programming; communication skills play a vital part in the initial consulting process and throughout the design phase of a project.  In short, we endeavour to provide what the client actually needs, not just what they ask for.

The tools that we use to meet a client's needs will vary depending on the type of system required:

• Microsoft Access - for fast development
• Microsoft Visual Basic - for maximum flexibility and professional feel
• Microsoft SQL Server - for maximum reliability
• Microsoft Active Server Pages - for web-based interfaces

We are also happy to provide training in support of any of our systems.

Our philosophy

1. Don't re-invent the wheel

   If there is already a product out there that meets your needs, we will guide you in that direction.  For instance, we are often approached about designing contact management databases in Microsoft Access, but what's the point?  There are plenty of excellent CRM packages out there, such as Maximizer, Act!, and others - even Microsoft Outlook is no slouch as a contact manager.  Each are customisable, usually for a fraction of the cost of a system designed in Access.

2. If it ain't broke, don't fix it

   A common mistake made when designing user interfaces in Microsoft Access is to redesign features that are already there.  It makes things look flashy, but it usually just confuses the user.  We always try to stick with Access's own features, so that the user doesn't have to re-learn a new interface with each system.

3. Keep it simple

   Over the years, we have learned to give clients less than they ask for, rather than more.  Why?  Because often people don't really need everything they have in mind.  We've found it's better to design a simple system that works reliably, then add extra features only as they are needed.  Users often operate better without the expensive bells and whistles, and you shouldn't have to spend money on features they won't use anyway.

   
   

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