Inventory Tracking - Excel or Access

Cross Post Reference: http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthr...xcel-or-Access

Hi,

I'm just currently trying to figure out whether I should be looking onto having y inventory managed/tracked using excel or access.

Background info:

We currently use google docs, simply because we do not have the know how to use excel to its full potential, and google docs has made it easy for multiple users. But as our business is becoming more complex, we feel the need to employ someone to either build a data base in access or excel.. so I just need to try and figure who to target.

What we do:

We are a small family runned, laptop refurbishing business. Our products go throgh the following proccess...

We receive skids of offlease laptops, and do an initial audit. At this point all laptops are entered into a sheet identified by serial number, other info includes (make/model/specs). We also have the original price.

We then run hardware tests and do a physical inspection.. and assign each laptop a grade (A,B,C,D) etc.

The laptops are then refurbished from grade B,C,D to Grade A Any parts used to refurbish is added to the original price on the sheet

We then move the laptops to a 'ready to sell' sheet

The laptops are then stored on a shelve. Until a customer order comes in. We then upgrade the product to the customers spec (if needed) Parts cost added, and anything salvaged is deducted in the sheet

Laptops are shipped out to the customer. We then move it to a sold workbook. Where each individual customer has their own sheet. So we can see how much product a customer purchases

.. all along the main identifier is the serial. We also keep an inventory of parts on a separate workbook, so everytime a part is used to refurbish a laptop we have to reduce quantity on hand, and add the cost of the part to the laptop.

so for a small business 'me and my brother run it'... this is a pretty complex system, and we want to reduce some of the redundancies, and mistakes that take place, because of moving hundreds of items physically from sheet to sheet.

But what I need to know, is will excel be able to handle this or should I start looking for someone to build us an access database?

If excel could to do it, where can I start learning.. I would love to learn and do it myself.

Thanks.

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cross posted@

http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthr...xcel-or-Access
mind you this is a general query so its not quite the same

but if you know access it is probably a better inventory system than excel