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Microsoft Access Database Index (MAD Index)

What it is?

The MAD Index is a Kalmar Software Development proprietary index that ranks a Microsoft Access Database in terms of how well was it formed (built) and how big or complex is it. These are calculated using two measures:

Both the values of the WFI and the DCI can range from 1 to 5. So, an MAD Index can be between 1 and 25.

Well Formed Index (WFI)

The WFI is a measure that indicates how well a MAD is made. It is an objectively determined, quantative value of the design and construction of the application. The index ranges from 1 to 5. A high value means the MAD is well designed and constructed. A low value means the MAD is not well designed and constructed.

The WFI is not dependant on the size of the application. You could have a small or large MAD poorly formed or well formed.

What are some of factors used to determine the WFI?

It is normalised?
Does it have a data model?
Does it have table and attribute naming standards?.
Does it have simple primary key values?
Does it have any Microsoft Access Object naming standards (table, queries, forms, etc.)?
Does use queries to act as a data wrangler between the data and its forms and reports?

Does it use VBA or macro code?

Does it have Visual Basic coding standards?

The above is just a short list of some of the indicators used. The actual assessment process is more detail.

Database Complexity Index (DCI)

The DCI is a measure that indicates how complexity of a MAD. It is an objectively determined, quantative value of the quality of the design and construction of a Microsoft Access Database (MAD). The values range from 1 to 5. A high value means the database is complex A low value means the database is not so complex. The DCI does not measure how well a MAD is designed and created.

What are some of factors used to determine the DCI?

The total number of tables.
How many simple forms are there (not containing any sub-forms).
How many complex forms are there (contains sub-forms).
How many simple reports are there (not containing any sub-reports).
How many complex reports are there (contains sub-reports).
Does the MAD use modules? How many?
Does the MAD use any external reports in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel?

The above is just a short list of some of the indicators used. The actual assessment process is more detail.

The MAD Index

The intersection of the WFI and DCI gives you the MAD Index. The MAD index tells how you how easy is it to work with the database.

A WFI score of 5 and a DCI of 1 would result in a MAD Index of 1. This would mean the database would be easy to work on.

A WFI score of 4 and a DCI of 2 would result in a MAD Index of 4. This would mean the database would 4 times more difficult to work on than one that had a MAD Index of 1.

The MAD Index can ranage from 1 to 25. This is saying that one Microsoft Access Database could be 25 times easier to work with than another.

				WFI
		1	2	3	4	5
	1	5	4	3	2	1
	2	10	8	6	4	2
DCI	3	15	12	9	6	3
	4	20	16	12	8	4
	5	25	20	15	10	5