Looking for a developer

danswan

danswan

danswan

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Bit of an unusual request from me today, thought I'd draw on the knowledge of some of you clever folks

I've been tasked with making an advert for a developer to convert an excel based tool into a cloud-based application and I need to know what I should be looking for in an applicant.

Without divulging too much information, my company has a tool which accountants use to produce financial forecasts in excel. It's fantastic but very slow so we are looking to get the system moved into SQL, with a fancy web interface, and charging a monthly subscription to access it over the internet.

I don't really know what skills are required to do this, but I need to draft an advert today for a developer. What should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Here is how I would do it: Do you have a particular framework or server software in mind (PHP/ASP/etc)? If so, advertise for a developer specific to that - "Recruiting 1 x PHP developer..."

If you don't know what you can or should use, then you would want to look for some kind of consultant, essentially to tell you what you need to use. Possibly the consultant would also do the work, if not, you would then advertise for a developer on that basis.
 
OK - I guess I was hoping you guys would be the (unpaid) consultants ;) I can see why that wouldn't work though...

Any other advice?
 
Is there somewhere I can read up for a n00bs guide on such things? I really need to learn the basics, for example we're going to be using MS SQL server, would the system be best developed in ASP.net or will PHP be able to do the same job? What other options are there? It's basically inputting figures, formulas being applied by the system and reports being output, that kind of thing.

I know, I know, get a consultant :) That will probably happen but I want to be a little more knowledgable on the subject myself anyway :D
 
If it were me I'd be looking for someone experienced in ASP.NET (web interface), Office Automation using VBA/.NET (Excel side) and SQL Server (DB side). Shouldn't be too hard to find someone with these skills.
 
I don't know if you have drawn up your requirements for the web-based system yet but you should also consider allowing the accountants to upload an excel template to auto-populate the web form as I suspect many may find this easier.

I agree with EyePodi, look for someone with ASP.net, VBA (you may already have these skills in-house given you have an existing Excel version) and SQL skills.

You will also need a web hosting service provdining Windows servers
 
danswan said:
OK - I guess I was hoping you guys would be the (unpaid) consultants ;) I can see why that wouldn't work though...
Click to expand...

Ok, change my previous statement too, "thats what I would do if you are being judged on the output of this". A decent consultant would cover all the bases and make sure that the solution you go for is the best option for your requirements.

If its more a case of the boss saying "Danswan, go knock something together, doesn't need to be perfect as long as it works" then getting a rough idea off forums etc will be fine.
 
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