Skills: PHP, MySQL, MyODBC, HTML, MS Access, MS Word
American Forests, a D.C.-based conservation group, hosts the biennial National Urban Forest conference. Fiscally, the success of the conference is crucial to the organization.
To help streamline the logistics of the 2003 event, I was tasked with designing a web-accessible conference database, but given no budget. The purpose was two told: allow attendees to register, pay and modify their registrations, and allow American Forest’s staff to easily update conference speakers, events and registrants from the office and the conference.
I chose PHP/MySQL for the Web site and dynamic data storage, and Access/MyODBC as a front-end interface for the staff to interact with the MySQL database.
The Web site allowed attendees to select a variety of registration types, conference events and payment types. The application also allowed for discount codes, scholarship payments and provided real-time credit card processing.
Using Access with the MyODBC Connector allowed us to rapidly build a front-end application for employees that had a familiar Microsoft Office interface but still connected to the conference data on the Web server. Access also allowed staff to easily perform standard mail merges, print custom name badges and send email to select attendees, all basic necessities for a large, multi-day event.
My role in the project was overall application design, all PHP and MySQL development, and Access application proof of concept.
The application, both the Web and Access pieces, were used again after I left in 2005.
