Making Selections Available for Choices

[hfamilym]

I am making my first database - wish me luck. I have organized my list of
information needed into logical groups that will become my tables.

There are some fields that will need data entered. I think I am ok with
that, but don't quote me.

There are some fields that need to be questions that I want to have specific
answers for them to choose from. Please help me figure out how to do this?

Thanks

 

[Wayne-I-M]

Hi

This is one method

Create 2 tables called tblQuestions and tblAnswers

tblQuestions
QuestionID Autonumber
Question Text

tblAnswers
AnswerID Autonumber
QuestionID number
Answer Text

This is a good idea as you may (now or in the future) have a question with
more than one answer and it is "always" a good idea (if pos) to create a
database that will easily expand

So - What colour is the house - Red, Dark Red, Crimson

Use the relationshsips window to link the tables on the QuestionID

This way you will only need 2 tables and can have as many questions and
answers to each each question as you like.

To make it easier when you start off you could create the tables then open
the tblQuestions and insert a subdatasheet (link them on QuestionID) Or
create a form based on tblQuestions and insert a sub form based on tblAnswers

Good luck with you project

 

[Evi]

Are you making a sort of multichoice questionnaire? Will *all* the
questions by of the 'Choose one of these answers' variety? If yes, then you
may be able to get away with the much simpler structure of

TblQuestions
QuestID (primary key)
QuestNum (ie question Number)
Question( eg which of these is a red fruit 1.tomato, 2 orange 3. banana)
CorrectAnswer (eg 1) (this will be hidden from the user)


TblPerson
PersID (PK)
PFirstName
PSurname


TblReply
ResID (PK)
PersID - linked from TblPerson
QuestID - linked from TblQuestion
Reply (where user fills in his answer to the question)


Evi

 

[hfamilym]

I am wondering if I need a table of answers at all. I plan to use forms for
data entry. I want to make the answers to the ?'s a combo box.

Can't I just do that and link the combo box to the correct fiend in the
table of ?'s ?

Seems a lot easier. I will be making a copy of the database for each new
year. So it have more than 250 students.

Looking forward to hearing your opinions.

 

[Evi]

By answers, are you refering to the answers to the questions that you would
get in a quiz? The multichoice options in a survey (which of these words
best describes your relationship?) or the answers which your student gives
to the question?
You will always need the last.

You say you 'want to make the answers to the questions, a combo box. Do you
mean that you are planning to type the answers into the combo rather than
storing them in a table?
If yes, then that would be a wrong decision. It might involve slightly less
effort for you but would result in very little meaningful data. You can
still use a combo box, but it would be based on a table. Of course you will
use forms for data entry. That is the correct way to enter data into a
database - or are you implying something else.

Depending on the contents of your questionnaire and how it is being used,
you may want to reconsider not keeping some kind of record of past answers
inside the db. Duane Hookom in his At Your Survey database, stored the
'scores' for the answers (without the details of those who were being asked)
in a non-normalized table kept just for this purpose. (12 people answered no
to that question - if its a survey, 3 people gave the wrong answer to that
question - if it's a quiz.

If you are designing a quiz to test knowledge, a yearly comparison of
answers could show you which questions are persistently answered wrongly.

In the case of a survey, a comparison of answers can show improvement of
services or decreased satisfaction.

Previous quizes can easily be filtered out using the Done yes/no field
below, but will be available for statistical comparison

If you want to keep the previous year's answers in a more normalized form,
just add a top level to your db

TblQuiz
QuizID (this PK would be the foreign key field in TblReply and could be the
Default Value in that table which would be changed each year to the QuizID
of the next quiz)
QuizSubject
QuizDate
Done (yes/no field to tick when the quiz has be completed by everyone)

This structure would be suitable if you are going to ask the same questions
next year.


You still haven't answered any of the questions I asked.

Evi

 

[hfamilym]

Except for names and such there only specific answers that must be chosen.

I am not a technical user. I bought a book. I am reading tutorials and
discussion groups online.

If I understand you correctly, you are saying that I need a table of answers
so that it can store the number of times each answer was selected so I can
get more and varied reports? It makes since but I haven't got to the chapter
on reports yet. I am working on desiging tables and forms and understanding
how I need to relate them.

The db is for an after school program. I need to track the kids by name and
get reports with stats without names. Two times a year teacher's fill out a
survey for each student. They choose from a selection of answers. Currently
it's all done on paper.

I have a table for school, student, leader, and volunteer information names,
phone, etc. I have a table with the questions x 2. I made seperate forms
for everything. Then, added the 2 question forms to the student information
form by drag and drop.

Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what I am trying to do and answers
your questions better.

Thanks so much for your help.

Angela