Formatting form in matrix style Excel format

[Harley Guy]

Is there a way to format a form in a datasheet view to have column headers with names at a 45 degree alignment and names down the LH side of the sheet with data to be input in the fields? It would be a matrix style look so that a user can go to a name, scroll across to a corresponding task and put in an evaluation number.



Easy to do in Excel but not so much in Access. I need Access to manage data for 7 shops in a production facility which would consist of nearly 500 employees covering 800 tasks. Trying to get one central database but design it so it's familiar to them as they use in Excel.

Any ideas?

[June7]

45 degree rotation not available with standard controls and properties.

As you are discovering, spreadsheet and relational database are two very different animals. Data entry in normalized relational database will often not resemble spreadsheet arrangement.

To have 800 tasks across page is not even reasonable in Excel.

[Harley Guy]

45 degree rotation not available with standard controls and properties.

As you are discovering, spreadsheet and relational database are two very different animals. Data entry in normalized relational database will often not resemble spreadsheet arrangement.

To have 800 tasks across page is not even reasonable in Excel.

I am seeing that...and it wouldn't have 800 tasks for one massive matrix...it would be several seperate ones (per group)...still, even the table for tasks is going to be rather large. Which is why I wanted a database instead of a Excel spreadsheet.

[June7]

Tables/queries have a 255 field limit.

A properly normalized data structure seldom hits 255 fields in a table.

[Harley Guy]

True..but the number of records an Access database can hold far exceeds what Excel can do...the fields for each table in this case, I think the largets number used would be no more than 6.

I can create the database but I am being hampered by a "standard process" on how they want to visually see it posted. Just need to get these folks to take this one step further and see the bigger potential and ease of how to manage shops.

I'll get there but it's an uphill battle...which would have been made easier if I was able to use a matrix style form in Access...

Thanks!

[June7]

You could probably give them what they want with unbound form and a LOT of VBA code to save the data - but don't tell them that!

[Harley Guy]

Not a chance June...would be way difficult to manage and users wouldn't have a clue on how to update anything...