looking fo jump start

[jono]

Hello,

I have been given the task to design a database for the ICT support team.
This should include an inventory of all computers\ hardware in each room;
when it was purchased; warranty; repair history and so on.
They also want me to keep track of printer stock levels as well.

I am eager to start this but simply have no idea what field should go in
what table for best results.

I was thinking that I should have one table as TblLOCATION and populate it
with all the rooms in our school.
Then I created another table called TblMain with the following headings:

model:make:description:location:warranty:datepurchased:history:colink:blckin
k:Toner:stock level:
I then created a one to many relationship between location and location.

I am not sure what the purpose of a primary key is so I set location in
TblLocation and Model in TblMain to PK.

Then I am wondering if it would be best to have separate tables for the
following:
blkink
colink
model

Sorry for such a long post. I would really appreciate any thoughts on how to
set my DB out.

Thanks in advance

jono

 

[Earl Lewis]

Bravo Jono! This is a very ambitious project for your first Access
database. Professional developers debate the minutia of table design for
databases like this for weeks on end.

That's not to say that you can't come up with something that works for you.
It's just that this is a complex problem and your first design will probably
fall short in some ways after you use it for a while.

Well, enough of the caveats. Here are some ideas. First ask yourself (and
answer) some questions. Such as:
how much detail do I need for each piece of equipment?
Is a computer just a computer or is it a monitor, keyboard, CPU, etc...?
What are the most important things we're gonna do with this?
- track warranty and repairs?
- make sure I know where stuff is?
- make sure I know who is assigned what?
etc...
etc...

Answers to these questions lead you to the data elements you need to put in
your tables. Then you have to decide how they relate to each other.

There was a good whitepaper on the MS knowledgebase a while ago. Go there
and do a search on table design or database design and you should find it.
If not let me know and I might be able to dig it out.

Also, there is another newsgroup that is specifically focused on these kinds
of questions. It's microsoft.public.access.tabledesign. Troll around there a
bit. I know similar projects have been discussed there.

Hope that helps some. Good luck and stick with it!

Earl Lewis

 

[Tom Wickerath]

Here are some links for you on database design. Brew a good pot of coffee and enjoy
reading!

http://www.datatexcg.com/Downloads/DatabaseDesignTips1997.pdf

http://www.eade.com/AccessSIG/downloads.htm
(See the last download titled "Understanding Normalization")

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=234208

Also recommended: Find the copy of Northwind.mdb that is probably already installed on
your hard drive. Study the relationships between the various tables (Tools >
Relationships...)

Tom

________________________________________


Bravo Jono! This is a very ambitious project for your first Access
database. Professional developers debate the minutia of table design for
databases like this for weeks on end.

That's not to say that you can't come up with something that works for you.
It's just that this is a complex problem and your first design will probably
fall short in some ways after you use it for a while.

Well, enough of the caveats. Here are some ideas. First ask yourself (and
answer) some questions. Such as:
how much detail do I need for each piece of equipment?
Is a computer just a computer or is it a monitor, keyboard, CPU, etc...?
What are the most important things we're gonna do with this?
- track warranty and repairs?
- make sure I know where stuff is?
- make sure I know who is assigned what?
etc...
etc...

Answers to these questions lead you to the data elements you need to put in
your tables. Then you have to decide how they relate to each other.

There was a good whitepaper on the MS knowledgebase a while ago. Go there
and do a search on table design or database design and you should find it.
If not let me know and I might be able to dig it out.

Also, there is another newsgroup that is specifically focused on these kinds
of questions. It's microsoft.public.access.tabledesign. Troll around there a
bit. I know similar projects have been discussed there.

Hope that helps some. Good luck and stick with it!

Earl Lewis