Re: Comments/help on database design

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Jeff, those terms are unfamiliar to me, sorry! Creating and managing a
database is not my primary job, there was simply a need for one -- initially
mostly by me, for importing data into InDesign for our print pieces, but the
uses gradually expanded and the database is now showing its weak points.

Actually, the only redundant field I have between the two tables is the item
no. I set up the Packaging Tracking table with a field called "item #", so I
could run a comparison with the Products table ("item no.") and then append a
new record if one did not exist. Yes, I know this was a lame workaround that
I was eventually going to have to fix. As Bonnie suggested below, I think her
idea to add the Packaging Tracking form as a subform makes sense, as it needs
to display some fields (the ones you noted as possible repeaters) from the
Product table anyway.

Jeff Boyce wrote:
To start with, your 'packaging' table appears to have repeating fields. The
[dates for ...] field(s?) and the [problems...] field(s) sound like there
are multiple instances. If so, this is pretty much how you'd have to do
this using a spread***.

Are you familiar with "normalization" and "relational database design"? If
not, they present a bit of a steep learning curve, but are essential to
getting the best out of Access. Access' features/functions are optimized
for well-normalized data, so when you feed it '*** data, both you and
Access have to work overtime to overcome the inefficient data structure.
It's a bit of a "pay now or pay later" situation, as you are finding out!

Good luck!

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

I work in the art dept. of a wholesale company and have created an Access
database of our products which is used to create a catalog, price list and
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
Other related tables: Manufacturers, Country of Origin, Packaging Type,
Retail Category

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