Combo Box Question

[Guest]

I have a DB that includes information for each employee. Part of the
information will hold uniform transactions and show their deduction from each
employee's uniform allowance. The problem is that I have 4 diffrent uniform
allowance amounts according to the employees job (150.00, 300.00, 450.00 and
750.00) I would like to have on the employee info form a combo box listing
the values, as I do not want someone just typing in their own uniform
allowance amount ;-). This information isn't set in stone. If and when
increases in the uniform allowances are made I would like to just change it
one place and have it reflect throughout the DB.

So I guess my question is this;
Is it better to break up little bits of information into small tables and
link them in a relationship or use the lookup wizard? My gut tells me to use
the table as my employee table is fairly big.

 

[John Vinson]

I have a DB that includes information for each employee. Part of the
information will hold uniform transactions and show their deduction from each
employee's uniform allowance. The problem is that I have 4 diffrent uniform
allowance amounts according to the employees job (150.00, 300.00, 450.00 and
750.00) I would like to have on the employee info form a combo box listing
the values, as I do not want someone just typing in their own uniform
allowance amount ;-). This information isn't set in stone. If and when
increases in the uniform allowances are made I would like to just change it
one place and have it reflect throughout the DB.

So you need a four-row table (currently) with uniform allowances; base
your combo on this table, and reference it on a Form with combo boxes.

Note that a table Lookup Field is not necessary, can be confusing, and
is of very limited utility. By all means use the lookup table but only
on Forms, not as a Lookup Field in the table.

So I guess my question is this;
Is it better to break up little bits of information into small tables and
link them in a relationship or use the lookup wizard? My gut tells me to use
the table as my employee table is fairly big.

You should have as many tables as you have valid relational Entities
in your data model. If you have a uniform allowance policy which
provides for multiple uniform allowances, that's an entity which
should be represented by a table. On the other hand, unless you have
some reason to care which employees live on which street (i.e. you
will do something different with employees who live on Third Avenue
than you do with employees on Fourth), the employee's street name
would not be an "entity" in your database; you'ld just use the full
street address in an Address entity.

John W. Vinson[MVP]

 

[Guest]

OK

I just wanted to make sure that it was OK to make as many tables as necessary.

 

[John Vinson]

OK

I just wanted to make sure that it was OK to make as many tables as necessary.

Quoting Einstein: "A theory should be as simple as possible - but *no
simpler*.

Similarly, a database should contain as few tables as logically
required - but no fewer!

John W. Vinson[MVP]

 

[Van T. Dinh]

Quoting J.V. quoting Einstein: "A theory should be as simple as possible -
but *no
simpler*."

Yeah ... and then he gave us Special Theory of Relativity and General Theory
of Relativity both of which use Gaussian Manifolds theory which is
imppossible to understand, Carl Gauss & Einstein excepted.

I thought I was fairly good at pure Mathematics until I studied Gaussian
Manifolds (a 4th year uni. higher math. subject). I admitted to the
professor conducting the course that I DEFINITELY didn't deserve the
distinction mark he gave me because I doubted I understood much even though
I tried. The professor explained that he scaled the marks for all students
proportionally and since he didn't want to fail too many students, my mark
was equivalent to distinction compared the marks of the students he graded
as passed.

I certainly didn't pick the follow-on subjects (and Relativity is one of the
follow-on subjects).

 

[John Vinson]

Quoting J.V. quoting Einstein: "A theory should be as simple as possible -
but *no
simpler*."

Yeah ... and then he gave us Special Theory of Relativity and General Theory
of Relativity both of which use Gaussian Manifolds theory which is
imppossible to understand, Carl Gauss & Einstein excepted.

<chuckle>

Well, I guess that remark was in response to a complaint that his
theories were too complex!

John W. Vinson[MVP]