Tables/Normalization

[intransit2]

I'm redesigning a database for a new-hire training program and would like some feedback on my table structure and relationships before I get too far along. Some info and questions:

1. Students take only one new-hire course, but there are many students in a given course.
2. Students have multiple assignments (such as class and on-job training), and a given assignment can have multiple students.
3. During the course of the training, students have a series of "tripper" assignments. This is a sub-set of the course assignments and occurs on non-sequential days. A student has only one tripper assignment but performs it on several different days.

My questions are:

1. How to best handle the trippers? I did some experimenting creating a combo box on the CourseAssignments form to be able to select the tripper assignment and associated details. This populated the blank fields in the CouseAssignments table for a given student and seemed to work well. Is this an appropriate way to go?

2. One field I have not yet added is a date field in the CourseAssignments table. The folks who will be using the database don't like to do a lot of data entry; I'm wondering if there is a way to somehow autofill assignment dates (which are sequential for 26 days) based on the CourseStartDate field?



Thanks in advance,

Lynn

[June7]

Don't recommend linking on date fields.

If a class can be an assignment not understanding why studentID is in Classes table.

1. Sounds reasonable.

2. Yes, requires code.

[intransit2]

Thanks - I'll change the links from a date field to a ClassID or CourseID field (autonumber).

I think perhaps I should rename the Classes table - it's really a table listing all the new-hire courses. (We run the same new-hire course every two weeks, so I want to associate the students with the individual course.)

Thanks for your assistance!