Don't know if I should merge tables (please help)

[bigdaddy757]

Greetings! I am a totally new user to the AccessForums. I found this site while combing the web for a solution to my problem.

I have to build an Access database that tells someone what account to charge to when performing certain work. Unfortunately, the information I need is split into two tables.
tblAccts: department,contractNumber, taskNumber,activityDescription,supervisorID, accountNumber
tblWorkDefinition: contractNumber, taskNumber, taskDescription, buildingNumber

I'm simplifying my tables a LOT just so you see the gist of what I'm saying here. Note that each table has two fields in common: contractNumber and taskNumber. Iin tblAccts, multiple departments can use be working under the same account and the same task, but have different accountNumbers associated with them.



Can I pre-merge the two fields in Excel by finding all the common records in each table where I concantenate contractNumber&taskNumber? Then, import that combined table into Access?

Or, is there a way that I can use SQL to sort of "stitch" the two tables together when it sees the common values between those two fields in the two tables? How would I do that?

[rzw0wr]

Before you do anything read up on table normalization.

It might save you some heartburn later.

Dale

[orange]

Follow Dale's advice -- read up on Normalization. Also, if you're working in Access and excel you may be making life more difficult for yourself than you realize. These are different products and different concepts.
Tables, Normalization , Primary and Foreign keys are critical to database.

Take a look at post #3 here for some links.