The specification (or "spec" for short) is a document outlining what the database will do. It's important that we agree this up front, as otherwise we could end up producing something which didn't meet your expectations (which is no good for anyone).

A spec should include things like screen layouts, report layouts, descriptions of the data to be stored and the processes which will be applied to it. It's also our blueprint for producing the working system.

Some developers skip this stage, and we realize that it's very tempting to do so as it takes a bit of time. However, this really is a false economy.

What we can do is specify according to the complexity of the project. In other words, if the project is very simple, there may be no need to produce a 500-page specification document!

Some customers like to produce their own spec in order to save time and money. If you have good documenting skills, this may be a good idea.

Once we have a specification to describe the work, we can provide proper costings for the database development.