Motorcycle Tire Database Design

[aikawa]

Hello, new to the forum and to access. Im trying to build a database on motorcycle tires and quite confused as where to start.



I have 9 Tire manufacturers and within each there are different applications (race, on-road, off-road) with different model numbers, different tire sizing's (for both front and rear tires) and different pricing.

How should I start this DB? One table for manufacturer, one for road application, and so on?

I just need a little advice to get me started. Thanks

[NTC]

nope...so far you are one big table; with a field for each parameter

now some of these fields have a fixed selection i.e. Manufacturer (or Application)

so you will have specialty static tables; a Manufacturers table just holding this info (or an Applications table)so you don't have to retype it each time

back in your main table - when in table design - you can define these fields as 'Look Up' fields.... so they become drop downs with the choices from your speciality tables..

[aikawa]

still a little confused. so I make 2 tables: Manufacturer and Application?

In the manufacturer table i would have the names of manufacturers? what else could I add?

And for Application: model, size, diameter, application use?

How would I work the relationships between them?

If someone could quickly create one in access as an example or to get me started I would very much appreciate it.

[NTC]

depends on what you are trying to accomplish; if you just want to list each type tire - - then you have 9 manufacturers and lets say each makes 10 different tires and so you are going to have a 90 record table. One big table - very manageable - just start going.

but if the 9 manufacturers each have 100 tires - now you're talking about 900 records and suddenly retyping in repetitive info is worth while....in which case the most repetitive info is : Manufacturer and Application (that I can think of - there may be others). In which case you make a single column table of each with their info. And then back in your main table - when you create their field/column - you define the field property as LookUp (that is an option) and the wizard will help you set it up so rather than retype each time you just select one of the entries from these specialty tables - can help data entry alot - but maybe not worth while for you.

On the other hand if you are attempting to keep track of inventory - and have changing quantities - that is a different approach altogether.....

[aikawa]

Thanks, Im sort of getting on track.

What im having trouble is with how to organize/place/list each section of the categories withing the manufacturers.

For example if Bridgestone has 3 categories for tires (On-Road, Off-Road, and Scooter) then in each category; say for On-road there's the different compounds(race, supersport, sport-touring) for Off-Road (Trail, Enduro, Competition) and scooter (street) how can all this be placed in one table? It would seem scattered and insufficient.

[aikawa]

OK no replies so ive gone ahead on worked on this db.

I tried to attach it but file is to big. Tried to compress but still too big.

Any other way of attaching it?