Excellent database project
A couple suggestions ....
Rather than a blank for the Company field, consider building a drop-down menu with the company types. That would be more useful.
Also, if the object is not only to help businesses get in touch with others similarly situated, but to help promote the advantages of the Mac platform in business, consider creating a dedicated relational DB that would provide the following information for each company ...
(1) Uses -- This would be a list of basic business activities that would include (a) accounting, (b) word processing, (c) publications/publishing, (d) graphic arts, (e) video editing, (f) web design, etc. - each with a check box). At a glance, the viewer could see exactly what the business does with its PCs.
(2) Estimated annual TCO (total cost of ownership) -- This would list (a) user training (# of hrs), (b) Hardware, (c) Software, (d) systems upkeep/maintenance.
This is a biggie -- perhaps THE biggie in shifting evaluation from a strict up-front hardware acquisition cost comparison to a wholistic evaluation. There is a real need for data on TCO and per seat training and productivity information. If businesses are to consider PCs on any basis other than up front hardware costs, they need help!
Many small business owners don't have any idea how to calculate TCO for hardware, so it might help to have a data entry page for it that simply asked them to fill in these blanks, then made the calculation automatically:
(a) Cost of hardware
(b) Useful life (how long you expect to use the machine before replacing it)
(c) Upgrades and repairs (aggregate over useful life)
(d) Cost of systems upkeep (if paid to consultants, enter the figure, or if maintained by business owner, enter salary+benefits and number of hours monthly spent on systems upkeep/maintenance)
(e) Total number of seats
The database can crunch the numbers and spit out a TCO per seat.
