1. download all the software I want to use
2. play with all the software I want to use
3. create a prototype database
So, I have downloaded and installed MySQL 5.6.2 successfully! And I have played with the workbench a little while reading the MySQL 5.6 manual. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before beginning to build a prototype. So now I've begun creating a Historic Properties Database! I've gotten such a rush being able to work on it! My personal deadline for having a very simple prototype ready is sometime in December. The problems I anticipate conquering in that period are:
1. Data entry/Data import from MS Access
2. Mapping the DB to Collective Access
These are my two most daunting tasks at the moment. Data entry seems like a challenge to me because the Access DBs with survey data in them are not always consistent in either vocabulary or style. Moreover, not everything in the Access DBs are going into the DB I'm creating. However, I certainly want to solve the problem, because there is a LOT of data in these Access DBs, and I don't want to do manual data entry for many reasons.
Mapping seems daunting (even though I've been preparing) because I haven't used Collective Access before this. So it could be simple...or difficult. I guess I'll find out by December!