Is Access the best way to go about this project?

[Lightwave]

Think this might require money

As a long term project I would suggest

Learn about SQL Azure - a developer database monthly pay as you go is about £5 a month for a 2gb 5DTU basic SQL Server database. Its actually very easy to spin up a database now.

Getting information in and out of this is also easy after you have installed SQL Server Management Studio you can even hook it up to MS Access front end easily and this can be the back bone for you managing the data.

For a front end I would suggest you start investigating web code generators in particular

ASP NET runner
https://xlinesoft.com/asprunnernet/register.htm

ASP NET Maker
http://www.hkvstore.com/aspnetmaker/

Both of these will generate quite complicated basic web application structure and will allow some degree of editing. Again they cost money and it will probably take you a few months to start to feel comfortable with whichever you go for. They both have time limited trials which are better if you already have a database / sql server to hook them up to.

 

[Frothingslosh]

Oh, one thing, Doc - I have a long-standing interest in military history, which has the interesting side effect that I actually know many, many more military acronyms than most civilians. Not all of them by any stretch - I'm not sure anyone other than a few career sergeants can make THAT claim - but most or all of the common ones like BUMED and even some of the less common ones.

I've also bookmarked a site with well over a thousand military acronyms for the inevitable occasions when I run into another one I don't know.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

OK, Frothy... Here's one that is almost self-evident for you. The Navy, of course being military, can NEVER EVER let well enough alone. So for a while I use to work for the NAVRESINFOSYSOFF until they moved us to SPAWAR and later the NEDC NO.

 

[Frothingslosh]

I actually knew SPAWAR and was able to figure out NAVRESINFOSYSOFF by breaking it down, but I'm afraid NEDC NO is new to me and isn't in my bookmarked list. I'm guessing NO means New Orleans office, and while NEDC was originally the Northeast Defense Command, that hasn't been a thing for a long time now.