Access database design

[Guest]

I have an existing main contacts database which I would like to link to 2 (or
possibly more) project databases.
Not all of the contact information is required for each project database so
I have set up a query to bring through the relevant information.
At the moment I have to close the project database and open the contacts
database if I want to update something - ie a telephone number or email
address.
Is there another way of linking the contacts and projects databases to allow
contact information to be added in the project database so it will
automatically update the contacts database.

 

[Larry Linson]

I have an existing main contacts database which I would like to link to 2 (or
possibly more) project databases.
Not all of the contact information is required for each project database so
I have set up a query to bring through the relevant information.

At the moment I have to close the project database and open the contacts
database if I want to update something - ie a telephone number or email
address. Is there another way of linking the contacts and projects databases to allow
contact information to be added in the project database so it will
automatically update the contacts database.

Is there some reason you cannot, or did not, LINK the contacts table? It
sounds as if you imported it, which of course, leads to "synchronization"
problems. And, have you split the "back end" tables, relationships, and data
from the "front end" queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules? That's a
good idea, even if the DBs are only single-user.

If you link the Contacts Table, you can update it from the Project DB.

Finally, is there some reason you need more than one Project DB? You should
be able to identify the project information by Project ID and handle more
than a single project in the DB. Believe me, in the long run, that will be
simpler... if there's no _compelling_ reason to keep them separate.

Do you know that there are tables appropriate for a Projects DB in the Table
Wizard for Access 2003? You can choose the Fields that are of interest to
you, change the name of any that don't match what you already have, after
you generate the Table structure.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Doug Munich]

If you open your project database, you can link to the table in the
contact database (File-Get External Data - Link...). Then any data added
into the Contacts db will be automatically available in the Project db? You
can then base your query on the linked table so the query gives you only the
fields and/or records you want.

Doug