"The right stuff" is -as usual- relative. Only you, being in the situation, can deal with the set of variables handed to you. I would not think to even attempt to use something like the autolookup feature on a 200K+ recordset, even if it was local. As to suggesting an alternative, the closest I could come would be to subnmit the entire name and do a stpred procedure / query perhaps based on the 'soundex' approach - returning the set which are close / match, and having the user select from the list (or deciding that this is a new entry). Even there, I would maintain the lookup field (soundex) and name in a seperate related table. Again, I certainly do not know enough about the specifics to assure you that this will be a good soloution, but it is my best guess or what might/probably be my first attempt.
I would additionally suggest that "whole name" is generally a poor choice for a field. There are too many variables in the data entry process to expect consistiency. You will surely have [Mr. | Mrs. | Ms. | Dr. | Esq. | Jr. | III | etc.] imcluded somewhere within the table, and that will hamper any search.
MichaelRed
m.red@att.net
Searching for employment in all the wrong places