In message <MCBBJNMOGOPKDPGLICFLGENHCDAA.cass.harley@...>,
Cassandra Harley <cass.harley@...> writes

>Questions:
>Given the same situation,
>1)What would you do to allow the client to transfer data to his accountant
>(for read-only report writing purposes only).

We have done this already, in the days of Interbase. I didn't mention
it before, as you kept talking about transferring the database, so I
assumed that the account wanted to update the data and pass it back.

Our systems were different systems, owned by different companies. We
used Interbase, they used MS SQL Server, and management did not want to
allow us to change each others data.

All we did was write a program which automatically, every night, created
a CSV file, and automatically sent it to the 'accountant' - in our case,
it was an insurance company. They saved the CSV from the email, into a
special directory, where another program was scheduled to run, collect
CSV files from various different sources, and update their own data.
Later in the day, the process ran in reverse, they sent us a CSV, and we
had software which used it to update our database. The two databases
were never copied, never moved, and never directly accessed by each
other.

>2)Would you use just one database and export/import functions, or would you
>use a database for each employer, such that the database (.gdb file) can be
>copied from Windows Explorer and transfered that way, and such that the
>application reconnects to a chosen database (or can create a new way) via an
>'open'/'new' function in the application?

In our case, the insurance company (your accountant) used one database,
with different codes for each company (your employer).

All of this was very simple, fully automatic, and covered the wishes of
management, who didn't want *all* their data to be passed to another
company - in either direction.

>Thanks again
>Cassandra

--
Pete Clark

NO TO WAR
No more terrorism - Arabic, American, or British