Autonumbering field/ Upgrade to new database

[Guest]

We're programming a major upgrade for our 3-year old Access system. But we
have many autonumbered fields in the old system. We'd like to copy the data
from the old system (including the autonumbered fields) and retain the
original numbers. We'd also like the autonumber to continue numbering from
the highest number in the autonumber field.

Example from old database (including autonumbered Student ID):
Student ID---Name--phone---
14378--Ali Al-Bali--
14379--

New database contains autonumbered student ID field, but we want to retain
the old StudentID numbers in the StudentID field.

How can this be done?

 

[Guest]

Should be able to use an append query to append the old data to the new table.

--Steve Huff

 

[Lynn Trapp]

What kind of upgrade is this? Are you redoing the table structure? If not,
you should simply be able to import the tables from the old system into the
new one.

 

[Joseph Meehan]

We're programming a major upgrade for our 3-year old Access system.
But we have many autonumbered fields in the old system. We'd like to
copy the data from the old system (including the autonumbered fields)
and retain the original numbers. We'd also like the autonumber to
continue numbering from the highest number in the autonumber field.

Example from old database (including autonumbered Student ID):
Student ID---Name--phone---
14378--Ali Al-Bali--
14379--

New database contains autonumbered student ID field, but we want to
retain the old StudentID numbers in the StudentID field.

How can this be done?

You will likely to be able to move the data as it is, but you you are
not going to be able to tell Access how you want autonumber to number.

I suggest you may not want to use Autonumber for that use. Autonumbers
are designed to provide unique numbers. It in not designed to provide
numbers in order and for a number of reasons may not do so. As a result
using them in any application where the user sees the numbers is likely to
end up with confusion.

There are other ways of providing the numbers you want depending on the
particual application.

 

[Steve Schapel]

Rochelle,

I think you will find this will not be a problem. Either import your
entire table from the old database file to the new, or use an Append
Query to add the existing data to the new table. In either case, your
AutoNumber field values will be preserved.