inventory database

  • Thread starter Thread starter Will
  • Start date Start date
W

Will

I just created a simple database to track the contents of my backup tapes.
They go off site each day in plastic bins. Each bin could have anywhere
from 6 to 12 tapes that all have a unique serial number. There are subsets
of tapes that will contain the same media id, with a unique sequence id in
that set.

I say all this because I'm wondering how an experienced Access developer
would start out...i just created one table with fields for all the info i
wanted, then built a form around that to enter the data. It works. But
it's limited.

I'm probably not giving enough information, but how would you start out? I
have data that never changes, so I created drop down lists in the table to
choose, for instance, which bin the tapes go into for a specific
day....Would you instead put that information in it's own table so it can be
referenced easier?

Just trying to learn a little more about Access...Thanks for any insights!
 
You don't want to build just a single table and 'cram' all that data into a single spreadsheet so-to-speak--that's called a flat-file database. You want to build a table for each 'groups' of objects that share the same attributes. For example, you would build a table for tapes and perhaps another table for tape transport, the details about when your tapes are sent off-site. You could even have a table for bins too.

tblTapes
======
TapeID
TapeNumber
......

tblTransport
=========
TransportID
Date
TapeID
BinID
.....

tblBins
=====
BinID
BinNumber

Then you build relationships between your tables. This is how I would start. Given the description of your task, the tblTransport would be the table that stores the details about when and what tapes were sent off-site in which bin.

Best regards,

Todd



I just created a simple database to track the contents of my backup tapes.
They go off site each day in plastic bins. Each bin could have anywhere
from 6 to 12 tapes that all have a unique serial number. There are subsets
of tapes that will contain the same media id, with a unique sequence id in
that set.

I say all this because I'm wondering how an experienced Access developer
would start out...i just created one table with fields for all the info i
wanted, then built a form around that to enter the data. It works. But
it's limited.

I'm probably not giving enough information, but how would you start out? I
have data that never changes, so I created drop down lists in the table to
choose, for instance, which bin the tapes go into for a specific
day....Would you instead put that information in it's own table so it can be
referenced easier?

Just trying to learn a little more about Access...Thanks for any insights!
 
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