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  1. #1
    cheyanne is offline Advanced Beginner
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 64bit
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Valencia, Spain
    Posts
    91

    Should forms use a table or query as their control source?

    I have read several books on Access, over the years, and have not found any specific guidance to this point.




    Accepting that one knows about designing tables, normalisation and building forms, should one always use the respective
    table when setting the control source for its main form? Take, for example, a table named tblClients and a form named frmClients
    which shows all fields from tblClient, if I want to show fields from another table (assuming they have an established
    relationship) then the fields from table2 do not show in the tblClients control source drop down list.

    It would be anti normalisation practice to include fields from table2 in tblClients field list (apart from say tbl2.fieldID, and the only way I
    can see to incorporate the tbl2 fields into tblClients is to make a query which has all the fields from tblClients and those I want from table2.
    Is this how one should produce the control source for tblClients by making a query i.e. qry Clients?


    Regards

    Cheyanne

  2. #2
    R_Badger is offline Knows a few tricks
    Windows XP Access 2003
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Suffolk, UK
    Posts
    262
    I almost always use a query as the record source for my forms in one shape or form.

    The way I tend to think of it is...

    Tables store the data and should only been seen by the developer

    Queries link, sort and provide an initial 'filter' of data, and should only been seen by the developer.

    Forms display data to the user and allow the user to input data.

    Reports allow users to print data.

    Is that any help?

  3. #3
    cheyanne is offline Advanced Beginner
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 64bit
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Valencia, Spain
    Posts
    91
    Hi

    Many thanks for your prompt reply.

    You reply makes a lot of sense and I too have been using quries as the control source on several of my forms.

    I am just surprised that little guidance seems to be forthcoming in the "established" books on this matter.

    I almost felt embarrased about asking for comments on the matter.

    You have reassured me about my using queries a a legitimate control source for forms.

    Regards

    Cheyenne

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