Best Way to Setup Table/Form Fields for Attendance Tracking (Attendant1, Attendant2 etc...)

[Machinery]

I got to work through the first link. That is really a great approach and explanation of relational db. What it contains is easy to research in bits but having it all in one place is fantastic.



The overview you requested-

I am simply replacing a paper attendance form with an electronic version (via Access). The paper form is used to document EVERY meeting at this facility (attendees, date, organizer, minutes). The meeting organizer saves their forms personally rather than transferring to a common storage location. It is simply a classic case of a need for organization and being able to locate a specific record easily. If I have a new employee, I do not have to do anything except write their name on the paper form if they are attending a meeting.

Now, the overviews you have provided are great, apply directly to what I am trying to accomplish and I have a need for them. My question has become very specific and I think I should move away from table and relationship design to form design. My question is still regarding the fields pictured above on my form. Is there any other way to input attendees into my db without the need for 20 separate attendee fields? I know this question is going to bring us right back to tables and relationships but it seems simple. My alternative is typing all names into one text box then simply having a keyword search for that textbox (I never said it was a pretty alternative).

[Machinery]

Here is the entire form. I simply copied an existing document to create an identical form in Access. Let us assume that the contents of the form cannot be changed.

[orange]

Don't be confused with the underlying table structure (tables and relationships) and the user interface(your existing form).

You need to design the database (tables and relationships) to satisfy the business needs. If you use the form you have, you will have a number of processes to validate the data on the form, move the data from the form to the appropriate table with the related dup checks etc.

Take the existing form and identify WHAT info subjects/entities exist.

Good luck.

[Machinery]

I'm really not confused about anything but definitely more informed because of the entity/table and attribute/field analogies from your link. I think I know how I should deal with multiple attendees "properly" but it would require an administrator and/or maintenance to continually update tblAttendees. I'm just going to roll with one text box and then allow the user to search a keyword (name) there.

Thanks!

[orange]

If you use the form you showed, and if you have 10-20 names in the attendees, you will have to
--process(loop through) the list of names for the meeting/or training session involved; then create the appropriate records
in the meeting or training table; and update or append records accordingly.