HELP --- structure for project management db

[CharmCityRob]

I am trying to wrap my head around an idea we are throwing around at work. Our team is responsible for the project management of multiple types of IT projects. Historically, we have restarted each project with the same list of our sites and contacts (which remain relatively constant for all projects) and we track the the hardware we are deploying separately and will keep a master excel sheet of all the information.

We would like to create a single database where we can view the core information ---sites data contacts but also track each project in there. We just finished a desktop computer upgrade of 11,000 PCs, and are wrapping up a 400 server upgrade. The next project will be a network switch upgrade. We track the old equipment and the new equipment but as you see with the different types of devices, the information changes with each project.

Not all sites are involved with every project. Here is where we are at.

We know we will have these tables:
tblSiteInformation
tblContacts
tblSiteContacts (to pick contacts from the tblContacts table to associate to each site -- many cover a region and will be associated with multiple sites)

Here is where it gets tricky... from there, do we add a tblProjects, where we define the project name and other info and from there branch off different tables such as tblComputers, tblSwitches and add SiteID and ProjectID relationships so records can be associated to each project?

I know its a lot of info and very general but I'd appreciate any help you can provide. A starting point is all we really need to get us going.

 

[MazeWorX]

Take a look at normalized data. A simple explanation can be found here

http://www.fabalou.com/Access/General/Normalization.asp

or do a search in this forum for Normalization

HTH << MaZeWorX >> "I have not failed I have only found ten thousand ways that don't work