Better way for Data Entry?

[AJordan]

For years, I've used a setup where data is imported into an Access table, and users could use forms to query the data any way they liked. After they select from a series of drop down boxes, they can run a report and print out the pages and begin collecting data from the field. Members of the data collection team knock on doors and ask them predefined questions and record the answers via check boxes on the printed report.

The data collection team brings back the completed pages and then people manually enter the information via Access (desktop) or through the Access web page using sharepoint (Accesshosters). This process is becoming slower and slower and more prone to mistakes fromi those entering the data.

Does anyone have any experience or alternative idea on a better way for data entry into Access? I wouldnt be opposed to something that could scan into another format (Excel maybe?) and I manually import that information back into Access which would be much faster than watching a stack of papers pile up.

 

[spikepl]

Excel/OpenOffice/LibreOffice/Lookalike spreadsheet created in access and ported onto some netbook/tablet, and imported after filling in?

With webaccess, direct filling through some portable connected device?

 

[gemma-the-husky]

just come up with a way that works for you.

enter into an access form
enter into a spreadsheet and inport from that
enter into anything else, generate a csv and import from that

if it is a matter of eliminating user error, then that is an issue whether you use access, excel or anything else. all you can do is design the interface in a way that helps eliminate errors

if it is multiple choice, one thing might be to (manually) count the answers in some way, to give you (hash) totals you could check against the completed final questionaire.

 

[AJordan]

Thanks for the responses. I guess what I'm trying to do is eliminate the human element altogether. So I guess I'm wondering if there is something I can use to just scan the reports into, that will just record the data for me in some useable format that I can manually add up the data or even import back into Access. My reports contain Check Boxes that gets checked (for example the report has a section that measures satisfaction 1-5, the respondent gives a number and the recorder checks the corresponding box).

But yes, data entry errors are becoming a big problem now

 

[spikepl]

You are not eliminating the human element altogether, as long as you rely on paper questionnaires.

Google

OCR Questionnaire

You can probably buy s/w or some service on the net to scan them for you.

I forgot: there is one other option. Livescribe (or some other smart pen). These things "know" what you write on special paper, and that can be downloaded

http://digital-pen-review.toptenreviews.com/