designing an engineering drawing db

[chynewalker]

I am designing an engineering drawing db

I need to have a drawing status feild that i can choose "not started" "in
process" "in checking" and when it is done "complete", but when it is
complete i want a date

How can i do this? right now we have an old clunky db that has 2 feilds, so
when you complete the job you have to change "in process" to "complete" and
then give it an approved date in another field.

 

[Keith Wilby]

I am designing an engineering drawing db

I need to have a drawing status feild that i can choose "not started" "in
process" "in checking" and when it is done "complete", but when it is
complete i want a date

How can i do this? right now we have an old clunky db that has 2 feilds,
so
when you complete the job you have to change "in process" to "complete"
and
then give it an approved date in another field.

Why not have a % progress complete field which, when 100 is entered, the
current date is auto-recorded? Failing that, trigger the date from
"complete" being chosen from a combo box.

Keith.
www.keithwilby.co.uk

 

[John W. Vinson]

I am designing an engineering drawing db

I need to have a drawing status feild that i can choose "not started" "in
process" "in checking" and when it is done "complete", but when it is
complete i want a date

How can i do this? right now we have an old clunky db that has 2 feilds, so
when you complete the job you have to change "in process" to "complete" and
then give it an approved date in another field.

Two fields is the correct design (I think we've discussed this in another
newsgroup).

If (as you should!) you use a Form to enter and edit the data, you can set the
date field in the AfterUpdate event of the status field. I'd use a Combo Box
to select the status; you could use a macro in its AfterUpdate event to set
the datestamp field. Use the SetValue action and set the field to =Date().

 

[Steve]

Hello,

I am an engineer. I have done several databases for managing drawings. For
Status, use an option group. You don't need "not started". If a drawing has
no status, it is not started. I recommend that you enter a date for each
status. This will tell you when a drawing was started, when it began to be
checked (preliminary completion) and when it was done. So an option group
and a date text box is what you need.

Steve
(e-mail address removed)

 

[chynewalker]

Yes, I am using a form... thanks for the input, I will try the suggestions out

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Would this approach require a total "remodel" every time a new status code
was introduced?

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP

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Disclaimer: This author may have received products and services mentioned
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does not constitute endorsement thereof.

Any code or pseudocode included in this post is offered "as is", with no
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You can thank the FTC of the USA for making this disclaimer
possible/necessary.

 

[Steve]

Engineering drawings are done in three stages:
1 In process
2 Check
3 Completed

Revisions go through the same three stages. There is no "revision" stage. In
my many years of engineering experience working with small and very large
engineering firms, I have never seen any other status code.

Structly speaking though, you are correct!

Steve

 

[KARL DEWEY]

I am not an engineer but I have had the privilege of reviewing their work for
so odd 25-30 years and have seen many other status like --
Propose
Proposed REV
As-Built
Final

The Floor Plan might have five revisions, three proposed revisions, and 2
as-built in the works at any one time. Kinda a nightmare for QA to verify
the configuration for audit or checking as-built to the plant.

 

[Steve]

These are not status! The first three are attributes of drawings and "Final"
is the same as "Completed". It's not a nightmare for QA at all!

Steve

 

[Keith Wilby]

Engineering drawings are done in three stages:
1 In process
2 Check
3 Completed

Revisions go through the same three stages. There is no "revision" stage.
In my many years of engineering experience working with small and very
large engineering firms, I have never seen any other status code.

Then you have very limited experience indeed. I work for a huge engineering
multi-national and the drawing production process varies between business
units. I have seen many variations but never the one you describe. That's
not to say it's invalid but it is also not a global standard.

 

[Fred]

I've been running engineering intensive high tech companies (including
hands-on organization of engineering departments and drawing systems) since
1982, and am an engineer.

Drawing and revision tracking and related control systems vary from the
simplest case (which Steve described and is claiming to be universal) to far
more complex systems.

And "not started" can indeed be a valid status. And indeed, in 95% of all
systems if new drawings have an identifying number (e.g. drawing number) when
they are started, then the number is taken out / allocated prior to starting
the drawing, and typically the tracking DB is the control point for drawing
numbers. In such systems (which are the norm) the record / drawing number
always exists prior to the drawing being started thus a "not started" phase
is not only valid, but a stage the EVERY drawing record goes through.

 

[chynewalker]

The reason for the "not started" status is to make things a little clearer
for the non engineering types who are wondering at what stage their project
is currently at.