RAILCAR, LTD.
Railcar Inventory Database (RID)
THE CHALLENGE
Railcar Ltd., a multi-million dollar railcar management company, needed a complete and total re-haul of their database. Their original system was a flat file database that was difficult to navigate and even more difficult to use. Only two of Railcar's employees had the ability to extract the necessary data from the system. The backlog of data requests as well as cumbersome navigation, were a tremendous burden to the company and its users.
INTERDEV'S SOLUTION
The priority was to get an easy to use yet scalable solution up as soon as possible. Microsoft Access fit the bill perfectly as it is user friendly, is highly programmable, and most importantly, can be migrated easily to the more powerful SQL Server.

Home Form
After extensive interviews with staff and management, Interdev was able to gain full understanding of Railcar's practices and objectives. Railcar's database was then reconstructed from the ground up. Structure is the cornerstone to an efficient database. All tables were re-created, formatted, and properly linked. Visual Basic code was written for over 14 GUI screens, which provided a wealth of functionality to the users. Queries and SQL statements were also used to extract required information and help automate the system.

 
In addition to the new functionalities, Interdev also built the application to include dynamic reports based on user criteria, automated data importing, easy navigation, multiple security levels, data validation, and a help document.

Cars data entry/lookup Form
Once the database was completed, Interdev provided training to the Railcar staff, which allowed them to take advantage of all the application had to offer.
THE RESULTS
Railcar's entire staff now has access to real time data in an easy to use, visually appealing application. Record entry and data querying times have been reduced to a fraction of the time previously spent, saving hundreds of man-hours. Railcar has since commissioned Interdev to expand the application to both a second and third phase.