Newbie - Please be gentle - Basic Question - I may be stupid i kno

[Guest]

Hi there all
Please do not smite me if this is an easy thing to do i am new to access
databases. I have worked on this for 2 days with no result but it must be
simple.

What i am trying to do is create a simple stock control database

The fields i need are

ID - a unique id number for each part - i use an autonumber field
Invoice number - the invoice number the part arrives under
Serial number - the serial number of the part
Date in - the date of arrival
Date out - the date it was used / sold
Invoice out - the invoice number it was sold under
Client - a list of clients we sell to - i also need to be able to add new ones
Taken by - a static list of staff member who used / sold the part
Total on hand - amount of stock on hand
Make - The make and model of the part
Brand - the brand
Supplier - a static list of suppliers that i can very rarely add to if needed

We have a bar code scanner so all i wanted was a form to add goods in, a
form to check out goods, and a printable report when an order goes out of
what went and the serial numbers for insurance purposes.

Nothing hard i wouldnt think

So what i did was create tables called main with all the data users would
input
and tables for make, brand, supplier, client etc - stuff that users should
pick from a drop down

First i created a form and tried to pick the data from the respective tables
- it gives me a relationship error

so i then created in the main section a column for example called client and
then from the client table i linked the client field which is the primary key
with the client column in the main table. For some reason it didnt auto
populate will all the data from the client table. I tried all different types
of relationships but no go

I just want a few simple drop downs that auto populate and save for each
record, surely that isnt so hard is it?.

What am i doing wrong - does anyone know any good tutorials or books to go
through to get a grasp on this.

Phenonm

 

[tina]

see http://home.att.net/~california.db/tips.html for a set of tips and other
information specifically geared to newbies, to help you get started off in
the right direction. all the tips are useful, especially the first 2, and
take a look at the Instructions and Links pages also (though not all of the
instruction files are complete, at this time).

hth

 

[Guest]

ID - a unique id number for each part - i use an autonumber field

Invoice number - the invoice number the part arrives under
Serial number - the serial number of the part
Date in - the date of arrival
Date out - the date it was used / sold
Invoice out - the invoice number it was sold under
Client - a list of clients we sell to - i also need to be able to add new ones
Taken by - a static list of staff member who used / sold the part
Total on hand - amount of stock on hand
Make - The make and model of the part
Brand - the brand
Supplier - a static list of suppliers that i can very rarely add to if needed

This was good, making a list of the data.

We have a bar code scanner so all i wanted was a form to add goods in, a
form to check out goods, and a printable report when an order goes out of
what went and the serial numbers for insurance purposes.

Information that you need to pull out.

So what i did was create tables called main with all the data users would
input
and tables for make, brand, supplier, client etc - stuff that users should
pick from a drop down

Here you get really really fuzzy. Making generic statements will not help
us understand what you are doing. Need specifics, but don't need all of the
fields. Need table names and the primary and foreign keys in them. Without
knowing the specifics of your tables and relationships, it is very hard to
figure out what you are doing wrong.

First i created a form and tried to "pick" the data from the respective tables
- it gives me a relationship error

so i then created in the main section a "column" for example called client and
then from the client table i "linked" the client field which is the primary key
with the client column in the main table. For some reason it didnt "auto
populate" will all the data from the client table. I tried all "different types
of relationships" but no go

I'm not sure what you mean by pick, auto populate, column, linked, and
different types of relationships. However, your forms will make no sense to
us without knowing what the table relationships actually are.

I just want a few simple drop downs that auto populate and save for each
record, surely that isnt so hard is it?.

Well, yes, it can be hard. Using a database should not be hard, but setting
it up so that it is easy to use can be hard. Getting the tables right can
make all of the difference for how easy it is to set up the queries and forms.

What am i doing wrong - does anyone know any good tutorials or books to go
through to get a grasp on this.

A good book for how to design a database is Database Design for Mere Mortals
by Michael J. Hernandez.

 

[Guest]

Thankyou all for your help so far
I will try that website and grab that book so that i am better versed in
what i am trying to achieve. Learning is fun ! (thats my mantra anyway)

Phenonm