How to automatically fill in fields from another table

[Guest]

This may be a stupid question, or it may have been answered a million times...
I've got two tables... one that has my equipment inventory, with the asset
tag as the key, and the other is an equipment repair table, keyed to the
repair record number. I want to be able to update the fields of EQUIP_MFG,
EQUIP_DESC and the like that are in the inventory table in the repair table
without having to retype everything each time. I was hoping to be able to
just type the asset tag in the field on the repair table and the rest of the
fields fill in from the inventory table, so all i have to add is the extra
fields on the inventory table that don't match. Is this even possible?
Thanks for whatever help you can provide!!! I really appreciate it!

 

[Rick B]

That is redundant and defeats the point of a relational database. You store
data once and only once, then create a link to it. You can DISPLAY the
related data in your forms, queries, and reports, but you don't store it in
two different tables.

For more details, do a search and read the previous posts on the topic.
You're right, this is asked pretty often and has been answered. Read those
posts and you will have your solution.

Good luck,

--
Rick B



"Toffer King - Middle Tenn State Univ" <Toffer King - Middle Tenn State
(e-mail address removed)> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

 

[Guest]

You do not want to duplicate this information in both tables. Just add a
column to the repair table where you store the asset tag and the make a
relationship between the 2 tables. You then only need to maintain the data
in one place.

 

[John Vinson]

This may be a stupid question, or it may have been answered a million times...
I've got two tables... one that has my equipment inventory, with the asset
tag as the key, and the other is an equipment repair table, keyed to the
repair record number. I want to be able to update the fields of EQUIP_MFG,
EQUIP_DESC and the like that are in the inventory table in the repair table
without having to retype everything each time. I was hoping to be able to
just type the asset tag in the field on the repair table and the rest of the
fields fill in from the inventory table, so all i have to add is the extra
fields on the inventory table that don't match. Is this even possible?
Thanks for whatever help you can provide!!! I really appreciate it!

You're missing the whole point of how relational databases work.

They use the "Grandmother's Pantry Principle": "A place - ONE place! -
for everything, everything in its place".

Your Inventory table should contain the description field, and other
fields pertaining to the item itself. That is the ONLY place in your
database where this information should be stored.

Your Repair table only needs *one* field, as a link to the Equipment
table (the AssetTag in your case); you can use Queries to link the two
tables together, or (probably more useful right now) a Form for the
Asset with a Subform for the repair information.

John W. Vinson[MVP]

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the help... I'm still a little new to doing all this. Our stuff
is just now getting to be a little too much for an excel spreadsheet, and it
was time to advance in how we track stuff.