Hello,
I am currently using a "homebrewed" MS Access application for certain core office tasks. I am considering rebuilding the app in AppSheet so that I can get the benefits of the app being available across the cloud, and, so that I can make it easier for staff to use it.
Below are the core features I need. I am curious if anyone would let me know whether I can accomplish these with AppSheet. If so, how much more difficult will it be to build/code than Access/VBA? I am not a coder by trade, I used GPT to guide me through building our Access/VBA application, so I would (very likely) be equally reliant on AI to assist me in building anything in AppSheet.
Core Features (note the most complex are toward the bottom):
Contact List Form/Details Form. Primary table is the Contacts table. Each contact can be one of many Types from the Contact Types table. Can have multiple addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses (e.g., Contact Addresses table that also relates to an Address Type table). Each Contact has a Contact Notes table that we use to journal/diary/update with certain Contact-critical notes. (This is NOT intended to replace a Kanban or other form of task management system).
Project List Form/Details Form. Primary table is the Projects table. Our customers pay us to work on a "project." Each project can be one of many Types from the Project Types table, and will be associated with at least one Contact with a Type = "Client." Each Project gets a unique, system generated Project Number. Each Project has a Project Notes table that we use to journal/diary/update with certain Project-critical notes. (This is NOT intended to replace a Kanban or other form of task management system).
Activity List Form/Details Form. Primary table is the Activities table. Our work is done in one of two ways, hourly or flat rate. For hourly projects, each user will input the hours worked on each project at the end of the day, this includes fields such as "Project Number"-"User"-"Type"-"Time"-"Rate"-"Date"-"Description" etc.
Invoice Creation & Invoice List Form/Details Form. At the end of the month, we create an invoice for each Project (that will be provided to the Client for payment). There is an Invoice table where "Invoice Number," related "Project Number," "Total Invoice Amount," and "Invoice Status" are stored. To create the Invoice, the user selects a Project Number, Starting Date, and Ending Date, then presses the "Create Invoice" button to trigger the Create Invoice VBA function. The function: (1) creates a sequentially new Invoice Number (which is in the format "Project Number-001"); (2) creates a new Invoice record with the new Invoice Number and correlating Project Number; (3) searches for all Activity Records matching the selected Project Number with a Date value within the Starting and Ending Dates; (4) stores the new Invoice Number into the "Invoice Number" field for each of these Activity records in the Activities table; and (5) calculates the total amount of the Invoice from the sum of (Time x Rate) for each corresponding activity ....I suppose this could just never be stored as a value and always be calculated.... but anyways... After the Invoice is created, we run a report that shows all the time entries, etc. and email the Invoice/Report to the client for payment.
Transaction Journal. Primary table is the Transactions table. We run on a simple cash accounting basis (outbound checks are booked like cash). Each time there is an expense paid or income deposited, we record this into the transaction journal. "Date"-"Amount"-"Type"-"Category"-"Subcategory"-etc.
Document Generation. Ideally, we will be able to select a MS Word template from a list of templates, and generate a new client contract or other form-like Word document (stored into Sharepoint if possible). The MS Word document will then populate data coming from the Contacts and Projects tables.
Any thoughts are appreciated!
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