Data Solutions for the Green Industry Manual (sample)

The Data Solutions manual was written to help those in the green industry take advantage of available technology and develop their own database tools. With new or unfamiliar technology, the most difficult challenge is often knowing where and how to start, and although databases are nothing new, the idea of building one for yourself or your company may be. Hopefully, this manual can help clear these initial hurdles.

The manual explains the reasons for building a custom database, the advantages and disadvantages, the planning process, and the components of a database. After covering the essentials, the manual walks through a step-by-step scenario for creating a database using Microsoft Access. The resulting database will allow a user to record plant data and store images. From there, the manual guides the reader through the process of creating a more complete nursery database. There are examples of specific solutions for farms, nurseries, and greenhouses. The manual concludes with ideas and alternatives for going beyond Microsoft Access.

The lessons in this manual are the result of 25 years of using Microsoft Access in the nursery industry. This download is a free .pdf of the first five chapters. The full version of the manual is also available as a .pdf file. There are two companion databases available for use with the manual. They are not necessary to have, because as you work through the manual, you will end up creating the exact same databases yourself, but they are there if you need or want them.