We cannot respond to all letters or e-mail (but we read them all). Please send us questions, suggestions for improvements in the magazine, ideas for new software, or general comments. All responses, unless otherwise indicated, are from Rich Hall, Editor of Pocket PC magazine. You can reach Rich at rich@PocketPCmag.com.
Can I store and access info in a Pocket PC database?
I have a ViewSonic Pocket PC and want to be able to store a parts list on it, with the name of the part, the part number, etc. How can I do that? Is there a program like Access available for the Pocket PC?
Harry Matney
Harry, there are a number of excellent database programs available for the Pocket PC, including HanDBase (http://www.ddhsoftware.com), MobileDB (http://www.handmark.com), and Visual CE (http://www.syware.com). However, the product list you wish to create seems rather basic and the Pocket Excel program built into your Pocket PC is great for simple lists.
You could use Excel on your desktop PC to create a spreadsheet to store this information. The structure of the spreadsheet might be as follows: The first column would be for the part name, the second for the part number, the third for a brief product description, etc. When finished, copy the spreadsheet to your Pocket PC. From there you could use Pocket Excel to view it and make changes to it. You can do searches, sort on a particular column, and more.
I suggest creating the initial spreadsheet on your desktop PC because it’s easier to enter data that way. But you could skip the desktop PC entirely and create the spreadsheet using Pocket Excel.
Printer-friendly version
