Combo box tablesjoins

[Peggy]

I seem to be having a real problem knowing how to join
tables that generate combo boxes with other tables in a
qwery. I create a table for the combo box, tblRate. I
store the contents in tblCustomers. If I later want to use
this value in a report, I create a query using some data
from tblCustomers (name, address etc), I was told to
include tblRate and use the field I want to display. I was
told this is how to get the text to appear instead of the
ID number. In this case it is field, Rate. Am I supposed
to create a relationship between the two tables or just
join the tables in the query window?
Half the problem with us Nwebies is we don't know how to
ask our questions. I doubt this makes any sense.
Thanks for any help.

 

[John Vinson]

I seem to be having a real problem knowing how to join
tables that generate combo boxes with other tables in a
qwery. I create a table for the combo box, tblRate. I
store the contents in tblCustomers. If I later want to use
this value in a report, I create a query using some data
from tblCustomers (name, address etc), I was told to
include tblRate and use the field I want to display. I was
told this is how to get the text to appear instead of the
ID number. In this case it is field, Rate. Am I supposed
to create a relationship between the two tables or just
join the tables in the query window?
Half the problem with us Nwebies is we don't know how to
ask our questions. I doubt this makes any sense.
Thanks for any help.

Another problem for people getting started with Access is that
Microsoft has some REALLY confusing misfeatures. The "Lookup Wizard"
which puts combo boxes into tables is one of the worst of these! See

http://www.mvps.org/access/lookupfields.htm

for a critique.

Your intuition is correct. Just join the tables in the query window.
The Lookup Wizard has already created (AND HIDDEN!) a relationship
between the tables; you could create a relationship again, but that
would actually create TWO identical relationships, with redundant
indexes - so don't. Or you could have created the table without using
the Lookup feature at all, and manually created the relationship in
the relationships window.

Once the relationship exists (whether created by you or by the lookup
wizard), it should automatically appear when you create a query using
the two tables. If it doesn't (or if you want the two tables related
in a different way, which happens occasionally) you can just drag the
joining field from one table icon to the joining field in the other
icon in the query design window.