Hello!
This will probably be lengthy, so please bear with me.
At my job we are needing to find a way to stream-line our data entry and keep things more organized and also we're wanting to use less paper (because it's 2018 and I'm mostly tired of filing that crap away).
My boss has tasked me with learning Access, which I'm actually enjoying for the most part. I've taught myself to building forms and what not and even done a bit of very light programming to get a form to hide/show a text box if a checkbox is checked for certain things.
The point of this database (aside from just being more organized) is so that we don't have to type the same thing more than once. We want it to where if we type, let's say, a Contract Number in one database/table, we can just refer to it and pull that information into another.
What we're trying to figure out now (and what I have not been able to find anywhere on the net) is if this is possible;
Is there a way to make it to where if we type something in one database, we can reference it or pull data from a specific field/database/table to another one and never have to type the same piece of data more than once?
...let's say I have "Jobs Database" wherein there is a table called "Jobs" like below:
JobNumber Item Quantity 18001 Screen 2 18002 Board 4
and in a separate database called "Purchase Orders" (where we keep track of purchases from different vendors and the materials we had to use to make a certain part for the Job, which ties back to the JobNumber within that database) there is a table called PONumber.
Purchase Order Database:
PONumber JobID 155 18001 154 18002
Now, my thinking was that I could somehow go into the Purchase Order Database and have the PO table and a field called PONumber, and then create a link to the Jobs database in the Purchase Orders database.
So I did just that.
After I did this, I made a field called JobID, and then I used the Lookup Wizard to lookup the field of JobNumber from the Jobs table, therefore linking JobNumber to JobID in the Purchase Orders Database.
So upon doing that it brings over the data I've entered in that table, and simply allows me to select from the records there (in this case 18001 and 18002).
Again, what we're wanting to do is have to where, if I type it once, I never have to type it again.
Is this possible at all? Or am I just going to have to make sure the Purchase Order Numbers and the Job Numbers are all where I need them to be at all times?
This is a really dumbed down situation, but is more or less what I'm working with.
Because linking to this table, and then having to manually go in and select all of this stuff is fine and all. But I think my boss is wanting it to be more automated than it looks like it's going to be.
Anyway, thank you if you made it this far! It's a big project and the more I research and learn, the less I think that we're going to get exactly what my boss wants lol
I look forward to some replies!