Can I associate multiple subjects in a list to an Access record?

[Guest]

I am trying to put each record in an Access database into multiple subject
categories. I have created a separate table with the subjects, and created a
pulldown menu for adding subjects to each record. But I can only do one
subject at a time. How can I do a multiple selection of more than one
subject for each record???

 

[Douglas J Steele]

First of all, combo boxes (the proper name for pulldown lists) do not
support multiselect.

Secondly, you cannot (or should not) store multiple values in a single
field. What you've got is a many-to-many relationship: one record can be
associated with many subjects, and one subject can be associated with many
records. The proper way to handle this is to introduce a third
"intersection" table that contains the Primary Key of both of the other
tables.

In other words, to associate Record 1 with Subjects A and B, you'd insert 2
rows in the intersection table, one saying Record 1, Subject A, and one
saying Record 1, Subject B.

The usual way to create a user interface to accomodate this is to use a form
and subform. Take a look, for instance, at the Orders form in the Northwinds
database that came with Access. There's a many-to-many relationship between
Orders and Products, resolved by the Order Details table.