Quality Control Database

[JONATHON_LOVEGROVE]

I am trying to create a database for a Quality Control position.



The database would be similar to a patients database, in which it is able to collect multiple types of data and store under individual members.

I eventually want to have the ability to control everything via form... almost like at a doctors office; when they input your credentials the system populates all your information and attached documentation.

I have been google'ing for a week now and cannot seem to find anything.


Please help, Thanks in advance,

Jon

[rpeare]

What exactly is the question? Are you looking for suggestions for data structure? form design? You'd have to be far more specific about how your process works to get suggestions on either.

[JONATHON_LOVEGROVE]

I am looking for a quick explaination on design, for instance how would I link a record to all its information; sort of close to hyperlinking a folder.

[JONATHON_LOVEGROVE]

At the doctor's office they have a program/ database that is able to query a members "folder (all their information, including attached documentation)". I want the ability to create records, edit records, view records, and attach documents to a record using forms.

[rpeare]

this sounds more like a document control type application.

So you have Document X, document X references Document A, B, C and D.

When you open your record of document X, you want the option to be able to actually open the word or other type of electronic file for not only document X but all related documents as well (A, B, C and D).

Is that correct?

[JONATHON_LOVEGROVE]

correct, Im not sure how to link all the different aspects of the database.

[rpeare]

this is what I would do:

Create a table that has a list of your unique documents, DO NOT store the document itself in access, just store the path to that document (there a number of ways to do this so you don't have to physically type it in if you don't want it to)

create a secondary table with two fields

Let's say this table has a PK (autonumber) of DOC_ID

in the secondary table have two fields

DOC_ID Related_DOC_ID

in the related_doc_ID you'd store the ID's of any document related to the 'main' document.

You can do this with a form/subform setup pretty easily if you're not comfortable with unbound forms.

So when you go through your records your main form will have a path to the file that's relevant to the 'main' record and your subform will have all the links that are relevant to your related documents, you can then open any of them with a number of methods (button clicks, hyper links etc)

[JONATHON_LOVEGROVE]

Thats what I was looking for, im glad you could make sense from that mess.

[orange]

You could also look under the Examples on this link.
The Entity relationship diagramming tutorial will take you from a business description to a well designed data base structure.

Good luck.