Design and test an Access database

Hi there,

I'm wondering if I could enlist your help please. The information on your page and your recommendations are impressive.

I recently obtained a law degree and am now seeking employment as a trainee lawyer. It is my intention to undertake speculative applications which would comprise of a covering letter and my curriculum vitae. Rather than email these documents, I would use the traditional method of the Post Office, since it allows me to print on quality paper. I also think many employers are desensitised to just receiving everything by email these days - so it needs to be a little bit different and stand out from the crowd.

I want my letters to be mail merged, since this is this the most efficient way of doing a mass mailing, however, I also want to make my letters look really professional and unique. Hence my requirement for a good quality and robust database. That could subsequently have additional features added to it, if and when required.

I have used Access databases in the past using a previous version of Office. However, the new Office 2010 seems to induce a number of complexities into the layperson's ability to make a competent database. I've attached to this information my efforts thus far, in making a new 2010 Access database. It just doesn't seem to be working properly particularly when it comes to the addresses and does not do the address 1 to 5 sequentially.

You will see from these attached databases what I'm trying to achieve. It is important that any application for a job looks as if it has been researched, namely that you have spent time making enquiries and that you have specific text for that specific legal practice. You'll notice this in one of these databases. It also important that part of the mail merge has narratives so that the prospective employer thinks that it's a unique application for them and them only.

My starting point for the dataset has been the law society for Scotland's website http://www.lawscot.org.uk/wcm/lssservices/Find_a_Solicitor/Core/directory.aspx

It's not a great website as you can see. I use the rather pathetic geographical search engine to find solicitors in that particular geographical area and then copy and paste into a Word document and then subsequently copy and paste into my database. I have also asked the Law Society if it was possible to either acquire free or for a charge. They have confirmed that other than copying and pasting from the law society's website is nothing further that they can offer. Do you have any thoughts of making this easier?

When I have put the raw data into the website I will then do a mail merge and send these letters out. I will follow these applications up with an individual telephone call to the law practices.
And therefore would require some fields or buttons that would allow me to confirm which ones I have phoned and what the outcome of the call was. Is it possible to perhaps have different colours to signify different actions?

Is it also possible to have word prediction facilities embedded in particular fields of the database.
For example as you start to key in G the work Glasgow would come up and so on.
There are literally many hundreds of solicitors that I require to contact so any time saving features in a database would be very much appreciated. I would also like some type of system that would allow me to see quickly ones that I may wish to contact in the future with perhaps an updated CV.

I need something that is going to make what will be very time-consuming less so. And would welcome any ideas that you would have. The attached databased "Companies" has the initial fields that I would like. However, as you know the data in the databases is somewhat skewed confused, as I am! Would also like the phone contact button type of thing incorporated within a specific field, and an area for notes, so for example if one solicitor saying please contact us in 2 months time, I would also like to be able to have a call forward alarm set on this field, so as to remind me to undertake this contact with them in say 2 months time.

I have attached to this job the databases as discussed.Will be happy to provide any further information once we are in direct contact with each other.

As you are an Access database expert I would welcome any thoughts or advice that you may have.

Since I'm going to be looking at this database on a regular basis do you have any suggestion about making it tickly pleasant and functional to the eye?

I put £125 as my initial budget - but would be happy to discuss further with you.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read this proposal and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for your help.

Yours sincerely,

Duncan