Table Structure

[scewing]

A coworker has asked me to review their Access database they're building (Access 2016), and I'm not sure if there's a problem with it (I think there is).
The main table (Employees) is for employee information, and it has about 12 fields. The problem (I think) is that pretty much every field is a foreign key linking it to another table (about 12 tables in all), and each of those tables really only has one field.
Example: In the main table there is a field called status. It is a foreign key to another table called Status, and that table only has a primary key and a field called "status" with 4 or 5 entries (active, retired, pending, etc.).

Am I wrong in thinking they should just make these fields in the main table?

[madpiet]

It sounds like the design is to keep the users from entering random data (well, data that's not in one of those lookup tables). So what you do is create a form and change all the textboxes for the fields where users can enter data into comboboxes and then base the comboboxes on the relevant lookup table.
The pattern is like this: each combobox will have 2 columns, one for the value being stored (the "index" to the choice selected) and the other to show the value from the lookup table. Then you go into the column widths property and set it to "0;1" (first column is hidden, second is 1 inch wide... adjust to suit your needs). Then you just set the Limit to List property of each combobox to True.

[Micron]

At first, I thought this was just a bunch of lookup tables (not lookup fields) but this part is suspect:

The problem (I think) is that pretty much every field is a foreign key linking it to another table

I can't picture how an employee's employee number, first name, middle name, last name, address, DOB, service date start, service date end, etc. would be set up that way. Those could be 8 of the 12 fields you say the table has, and none of those should be linked that way.

Seeing a pic of the relationships window might be good.

[ano]

knowing text is easy wrong written and names are often family it is not wrong to have those names not in the main table
and a name with more words can be easy added if the nametable has a sequence # behind it, and or function

[Welshgasman]

Not that strange.
I have a table in my first ever Access DB called tblLinks.
That is all it is, one Autonumber field and 4 link fields.
That links
Ships
Crew
Rank
Date