Updating Database by E-mail

[Dougalsworld]

Hi Guys,

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with the following, I'm not sure if it is even possible...

I'm creating a databaase to log training requests and courses. The principal is as follows
1) Manager requests their employee is put forward for training
2) Trainer adds employee to waiting list
3) Course becomes available and trainer adds employee
4) Email automatically sent to the employee with voting buttons to confirm attendance
5) Employee sends reply by selecting one of the voting options
6) Database automatically updates on receipt of this email

My query is over steps 4-6, is it possible to send an email from access with a voting option on it...and if so is there a way Access can log the reply without the trainer having to plough through all the replies manually?

Any help would be greatly apreciated

Paul

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

Access 2007 has the ability to send and receive data by e-mail I believe. Is that the sort of thing you want?

I think you should check out "one note" as well.

I have seen an MS Access database which could extract information from specially designed emails.

 

[georgedwilkinson]

You realize a geek is gonna say anything is possible. Anything is possible.

If I were tasked with this (which thankfully I'm not), I would look into Outlook automation objects keeping in mind that later versions of Outlook (I'm using XP) have a voting option when you send an e-mail.

 

[KernelK]

Sending out the email is easy, you just need to add a reference to Outlook in your code (and may I recommend using Redemption as well to get rid of annoying Outlook popups).

It is processing the email that is the difficult (though not impossible) task. Outlook VBA is exactly like Access VBA. You could code your Outlook to process emails that are received in a certain format and then transfer whatever data you want to your Access database. You will need to reference the Access library from your Outlook vba to do this.

The only problem is going to be that Outlook has to be running for it to process the message. This means you have to leave the "receiving" PC up and running with Outlook at all times you expect to process messages. I have yet to find a reliable way to automate MS Office tasks like this without already having one of the products open and running.

But it is all certainly possible with a little VBA....

 

[georgedwilkinson]

I have yet to find a reliable way to automate MS Office tasks like this without already having one of the products open and running.

Easy as pie. Create a new Access or Excel file, create an Autoexec macro in Access or a Sub Autpen() in Excel, and have a Windoze task run the file at the desired time(s). Last line in the "macro" closes the file.