Here is what I would do
Have one table for you transport structures
Code:
tbl_Categories (a table to store the different types of structures)
CatID (autonumber)
CatDesc (text)
CatAllowMult (yes/no, a field to tell your database when to allow a pop up window to define the amount you're using on an order)
CatID CatDesc CatAllowMult
1 Box -1 (or yes depending on how you view the table)
2 Pallet 0
3 Pallet Jack 0
The next table would be a table to store weights and sizes of object:
Code:
tbl_Structures
StructID (autonumber)
CatID (number, foreign key to tbl_Categories)
StructDesc (text)
StructWeight (number, double)
StructID CatID StructDesc StructWeight
1 1 BoxType1 1.1
2 1 BoxType2 1.5
3 1 BoxType3 2.1
4 2 PalletType1 5.4
5 2 PalletType2 6.8
6 3 JackType1 4.5
7 3 JackType2 7.8
From here it depends on whether you want to keep your data for historical reference or not. If you don't you can append all your information to at temporary table you purge of data for each new order, or you can create a history table so you can go back and see what shipped on what date and to whom. If you want the more robust route you will probably want a customer table, an order table (which would store the customer ID and the date of the shipment among other things, and an order items table (which would contain the order ID and all of the individual items sent to the customer on any given order along with the quantity sent. From there you can have a query figure out the total weight of an order based on what items are entered and the weights you've set up in your tables.