Accress tables 2

[bluebird4027]

Please could someone explain to me why I need to create many different tables in Access. Why can't you have one large table and then use the forms and the queries to generate the information you need? sorry about asking such a stuipid question!

 

[nealvenables]

Hi,

The short answer is "because Access is a database, not a spreadsheet".

The fundamental principal of database design is that data is broken down into a logical collection of related tables via the process of normalization. This MS article gives a good grounding in the hows and whys of this...

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d.../en-us/dnacc2k2/html/odc_FMSNormalization.asp

 

[bluebird4027]

Thanks for the link - I've read it and 'kind of' understood it....but if you could help a little further I'd be grateful.

I need to have a database which will store - client details, next of kin details, funding agencies, level of fees etc etc - should I design the tables with all the fields in them, and then design one form in which to input all this information, so that all the information will have the same unique identifyer, and then the information will be linked to the relevant tables.................

OR............

should I have different forms for each set of information, and if this is the case how do I fill in the different forms and still make sure the primary key is the same for all of them?

Hope this made sense and I hope you don't mind !

 

[nealvenables]

Wow! That is a huge question - the kind of question that really takes a training manual or course to answer.

To point you in the right direction though, you really don't want to base your database on one huge form (unless it is for a very small and specialised task).

The best general approach is to work out exactly what tasks your users perform (e.g. setting up a new customer, adjusting fee levels, etc.) and then construct a form for each of these tasks. Take a look around the Northwind sample database that is installed with Access and you'll get the general idea.

Good luck with Access!

 

[JeremyNYC]

Nealv--Good link and good advice.

Bluebird--You might also want to check out the Fundamentals article in the Developers' section of my website. It was written by Paul Litwin, a bit of an Access Guru. There really is a fundamental shift that must be made when moving from spreadsheets to databases. It's sort of like the difference between a calculator and a spreadsheet. A database is MUCH more powerful than a spreadsheet, but it also requires a lot more work to set up. If you can possibly spare $50, go get yourself a book, preferably one that comes with a CD of code. You will have to invest some time learning, but if you really need the functionality, it will be well worth it.

Jeremy ==
Jeremy Wallace
AlphaBet City Dataworks

http://www.ABCDataworks.com

Affordable Development, Professionally Done

Please post in the appropriate forum with a descriptive subject; code and SQL, if referenced; and expected results. See thread181-473997 for more pointers.

 

[bluebird4027]

Thanks to both of you for your fantastic advice!

I've obviously got a long way to go before my database is sorted, but I'm sure I'll get there one day.

JeremyNYC - that link is great, really helped me to sort out my ideas of what I REALLY want.

Thanks to both of you again.