Creating a similar database - help please.

[Les]

I created a database for recording product part numbers and descriptions specific to a customer. I now wish to create a new separate database for another customer. The form design can be the same but will obviously eventually contain different data.



I have tried 'Save as' and copying etc. but have not managed to create a new database. If I delete the data in the new database it also disappears from the original. What am I doing wrong??

By the way, this has nothing to do with web site design that I have seen referred to elsewhere.

[SteveH2508]

Create a new, blank database.

Import all of the objects from the other database into the new one.

When you imort the tables import the structure only - that will leave the data behind in the other database.

[TheShabz]

Why are you making a new database for each customer? Just create a table with all your customers in them and keep everything in one database.

google search "relational database" and "database normalization" before you continue making your dbs as I think you will find it very enlightening.

[Les]

Why are you making a new database for each customer? Just create a table with all your customers in them and keep everything in one database.

google search "relational database" and "database normalization" before you continue making your dbs as I think you will find it very enlightening.

I will look just to be sure but the reason I'm making a separate database is that my original customer has requested copies and clearly I don't want to provide him with irrelevant data. The other thing is that the part number structure is the same for each customer so I'd have the problem of having to avoid duplications i.e. part ref 1234.1234 defined for customer A is different to part 1234.1234 for customer B.

[TheShabz]

You still wont have an issue. a Many-to-Many relationship will solve your duplicates issue. you just query for "WHERE custID = whatever" and you only get results for THAT customer.

Your current idea works fine if you have 2-3 customers. But I hope you plan on having more. Who wants to maintain 500+ databases?