What is the name of the Language we are using & recommend book to

[TravelingHT]

Dear All:

I need help figuring out what the hell I am trying to learn. Are we using
QSL or Microsoft SQL Server Data Engine or what.

I obviously need to get a book to learn this stuff can you recommend me a
book on the language?

I have gone through Access 2003 Inside Out to the point I can make and
connect Simple Database and Crate forms, sub forms and Queries.

I have a form, with check boxes for each region and in addition I have a
check box for each state. I want for the related states in a region to be
checked automatically if the region check box is checked.

Thanks for all your help in advance.


--
Anthony Williams
Histotech Exchange LLC
19 Whitmore St.
Lexington, VA 24450
(e-mail address removed)

 

[John W. Vinson]

Dear All:

I need help figuring out what the hell I am trying to learn. Are we using
QSL or Microsoft SQL Server Data Engine or what.

I presume that QSL is a typo for SQL....

Access will let you connect to the JET database engine, its default; to
SQL/Server databases, if you have a SQL/Server database installed (and you can
install SQL Express if you wish); or to other DBMS's such as MySQL or Oracle.

A native Access .mdb file without links to some external database supports two
languages: SQL - the Microsoft JET dialect of Structured Query Language, which
is a bit different from SQL/Server's or Oracle's or MySQL's dialect; and quite
separately, VBA, also known as Visual Basic for Applications. SQL is the
language of queries, and the query design grid is just a tool to construct
SQL; VBA is the language of Modules.

I obviously need to get a book to learn this stuff can you recommend me a
book on the language?

Jeff Conrad's resources page:
http://www.accessmvp.com/JConrad/accessjunkie/resources.html

The Access Web resources page:
http://www.mvps.org/access/resources/index.html

A free tutorial written by Crystal (MS Access MVP):
http://allenbrowne.com/casu-22.html

MVP Allen Browne's tutorials:
http://allenbrowne.com/links.html#Tutorials

I have gone through Access 2003 Inside Out to the point I can make and
connect Simple Database and Crate forms, sub forms and Queries.

I have a form, with check boxes for each region and in addition I have a
check box for each state. I want for the related states in a region to be
checked automatically if the region check box is checked.

Well... STOP.

It sounds like you started the design with the form, and are working backwards
to designing the tables. Tables are FUNDAMENTAL. If your table has 50 yes/no
fields named Alabama, Alaska, etc. you are very much *on the wrong track*.
What is the structure of your table, or tables? How are you storing the region
and state information? --

John W. Vinson [MVP]

 

[TravelingHT]

Dear Mr. Vinson:

Thank you for your answers.

As for organization I have used the forms in the book to structure my
databases. I have used the 4 rules, (although I can only recall 3 off the top
of my head) to create my databases. I have worked through the examples and
seen the problems and there solving.

I am on the other hand very new at this.

What I want to do and why, is this;

I have a DB(Database) for the work preferences of my contacts, region skill
levels, management experience, all the variables that can affect suitability
for a job.

I have a DB for a persons personal information, contact etc.

I have the work preferences form in a sub form of the personal information
form for collecting info on the phone.

When I am asking people where they are interested in working in the USA I
usually get a response by region, but sometimes by state.

When I am going to be searching I am searching by state. So I need to know
who is interested in going to which state.

I do not want to manually fill out the state buttons (State and Region
buttons are tick boxes) if I do not have to. I want the state tick boxes to
automatically fill if the corresponding region is selected.

Light bulb, so what I want is an unbound control for the regions that
affects the states as I describe above. I need not record the region
information.
Unless I need it for something? And if I do it should be in a different DB.

As for my process I am trying to create my Access Database in shells like
Atlantis, I can not hope to try to create it all at once. I know I need to
learn more and as I go and hit problems like this, and I learn. I have
planned 15 DB but this is a long term project for me. I want to get up and
running some things that will be useful for me from day one and this is one
of them.

Thank you again for your help.
--
Anthony Williams
Histotech Exchange LLC
19 Whitmore St.
Lexington, VA 24450
(e-mail address removed)

 

[TravelingHT]

Dear Vinson:

Ok so I was looking over your answer again and I saw what I had missed.

So I am doing this wrong. I am not sure how to create a DB that will provide
the option of storing a variable number responses (i.e. saving 5 states or 10
states or all states). I only know how to store one value from a range of
values in each field.

The only way I know how to do this is to use a separate DB with a 1 to many
link to the "Work Preference" DB. I can create a new entry for each
additional state the person is prepared to work in. Have this appear as a sub
form in the form for "Work Preference†Form.
Can I have 2 sub forms in a form that are not sub forms of the other sub
forms or to put it another way, the two sub forms within the form will not be
related.

Thanks in advance.

Anthony Williams
Histotech Exchange LLC
19 Whitmore St.
Lexington, VA 24450
(e-mail address removed)

 

[John W. Vinson]

Dear Vinson:

Ok so I was looking over your answer again and I saw what I had missed.

So I am doing this wrong. I am not sure how to create a DB that will provide
the option of storing a variable number responses (i.e. saving 5 states or 10
states or all states). I only know how to store one value from a range of
values in each field.

You need ANOTHER TABLE. You don't store multiple values in a field - you store
multiple *records* in a table.

The only way I know how to do this is to use a separate DB with a 1 to many
link to the "Work Preference" DB. I can create a new entry for each
additional state the person is prepared to work in. Have this appear as a sub
form in the form for "Work Preference” Form.
Can I have 2 sub forms in a form that are not sub forms of the other sub
forms or to put it another way, the two sub forms within the form will not be
related.

You can have DOZENS of subforms.

Any time you have a many to many relationship - e.g. each Applicant will
accept one or more States, and each State may attract zero, one or more
Applicants - you need three tables (not additional databases, but just another
table in your database):

Applicants
ApplicantID <primary key>
<biographical info>

States
StateCode <text 2, primary key, e.g. TX or CA>
StateName

PreferredStates
ApplicantID
StateCode

Your subform would be based on PreferredStates and you could add as many
records as needed.

 

[TravelingHT]

Dear John:

Thanks for sticking in with this newbie.

OK so it is going to take some time to create the Tables, but I will.

I am not sure how to make my original problem go away, but we can leave that
for another day.

I went through the list of resources you gave me, thanks, I found a book
"Access 2002 Desktop Developer's Handbook"
Do you think this book will work to teach me the code to get going in Access
2003?
In addition I am working through the free tutorials.

Thanks for all the help.

Yours truly,

Anthony Williams.
--
Anthony Williams
Histotech Exchange LLC
19 Whitmore St.
Lexington, VA 24450
(e-mail address removed)

 

[John W. Vinson]

Dear John:

Thanks for sticking in with this newbie.

OK so it is going to take some time to create the Tables, but I will.

I am not sure how to make my original problem go away, but we can leave that
for another day.

If your original problem is "how do I fill out the checkboxes in the table for
Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington when I check the Pacific Northwest
checkbox" - you need to "unask" the question, because a properly structured
table won't HAVE those fields! Instead it will store the data in normalized
tables.

I went through the list of resources you gave me, thanks, I found a book
"Access 2002 Desktop Developer's Handbook"
Do you think this book will work to teach me the code to get going in Access
2003?

Well... I learned a lot by reading that book, if you mean the Sybex book by
Getz, Litwin and Gilbert. But I had several decades of computer programming
and database design experience, and I often found that I needed to concentrate
and study hard. It's a superb book, and a great reference - but I cannot in
conscience call it a tutorial for learning to program!

It's a terrific book, and if you're serious about developing Access databases,
I'd get it - just don't mistake its intention.

In addition I am working through the free tutorials.

I'd be interested in your opinions of them - as I'm sure the authors would
also.

 

[Larry Linson]

I went through the list of resources you gave me, thanks,
I found a book "Access 2002 Desktop Developer's Handbook"
Do you think this book will work to teach me the code to get
going in Access 2003?

That is really a book for the intermediate to advanced developer level.
Grab a copy, though, while you can, because the publisher Sybex lost
interest and decided not to do a 2003 version. Last I heard, Sybex had not
contracted with Litwin, Getz, et al to do an Access 2007 edition, either. A
good thing: there are not all that many differences between Access 2002 and
Access 2003. A bad thing: there are numerous differences between Access 2003
and Access 2007, so we could use the help.

"Access 2003 - Inside Out" from Microsoft Press is a good book that starts
out at the beginning.

 

[TravelingHT]

Dear Mr. Vinson:

Yep, I seem to get more out when I print out the posts and go through them.
You have indeed fixed the problem. I am working on the tables today.

Thanks for the advice about the book, I understand the importance of
information and the massive volume modern business creates.

As for the book I am ordering a copy.

And to Larry Linson I already do have a copy of "Access 2003 Inside Out" but
chapter 13 was a @#$#. (Subforms, did it 3 times)

I know that if I am to be successful I need to be able to control and
manipulate information for my business. I see, as with constantly updating
websites, that the display and organization of information is an under
appreciatedly important part of modern business for businesses of my size.

Although all you techies need to watch out, this is the century of
Biotechnology you will have to learn some biological pathways soon (Pirate
smile)

--
Anthony Williams
Histotech Exchange LLC
19 Whitmore St.
Lexington, VA 24450
(e-mail address removed)