Additional Fields as needed

G

Gary Fuller

I would like to creat a DB for jobs that asks a user if they need to add more
tasks to a change order. The change order could involve just one task or an
indefinite number of tasks (not really indefinite, but the functionality
should be there for as many as is practical to allow for). If the user says
yes, a new set of fields is made available: Task and Time.

I need the same thing for a material lst on each change order. Is this doable?
 
A

akphidelt

I think the best way to go about this would be to just create a separate
table that allows for an indefinite number of tasks associated with a change
order. Then you can create a query to retrieve any information you want.

So I would create a form that has a recordsource to the tasks table, has a
combo box with the rowsource to the change orders... and then whatever else
you need.
 
J

John W. Vinson

I would like to creat a DB for jobs that asks a user if they need to add more
tasks to a change order. The change order could involve just one task or an
indefinite number of tasks (not really indefinite, but the functionality
should be there for as many as is practical to allow for). If the user says
yes, a new set of fields is made available: Task and Time.

I need the same thing for a material lst on each change order. Is this doable?
Click to expand...

"Fields are expensive. Records are cheap."

You certainly do NOT want to add new fields to a table. You have a many to
many relationship; this uses three tables:

ChangeOrders
CO_ID
<information about the change order, e.g. date, job ID, etc.>

Tasks
TaskID
TaskName
DefaultTime (Long Integer number of minutes that the task typically takes,
NOT a Date/Time field, which is not suitable for durations)
<other information about the task itself>

TasksNeeded
CO_ID <link to the change order table>
TaskID <link to Tasks>
(other information about this task as it pertains to this CO, e.g. time
actually taken)

You'ld use the same logic for materials.

John W. Vinson [MVP]
 
L

Lance

You could pretty much define "record" as a set of (related) fields. As such,
making another "set of records" available is as simple as adding a new record
to your table.
 
G

Gary Fuller

Thank you akphidelt, John, and Lance. I am going to take this thread to the
developer section. It seems as though John's post seems most appropriate, I
should l have started this in the Beginner's forum. I am now actually
soliciting DB builders to do the whole thing for me. II hope this is not
inapproprate to say here).
Gary
 
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