Need Advice On Understanding A 3rd Party Database
Jan 9, 2006
I have to create reports from an Access database used in a commercial application. The backend uses Access but the front end does not.
The vendor does not document the data or provide any support for that. The database has over one hundred tables and thousands of fields.
I'm thinking I'll create small transactions in the application and then study the database to see what has changed. But this seems overwhelming considering how many tables and fields there are. So I'm looking for advice on how to approach this.
I have a FoxPro background but I'm new to Access.
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Nov 17, 2005
Hi ,
I am developing an access application that will be used by our Marketing Dept to create BRIEFS for our AD agencies.
The Brief has the following structure
1. Option1
1.1 A1
1.2 A2
1.3 A3
1.3.1 AA1
1.3.2 AA2
1.4 A4
2. Option2
2.1 B1
2.2 B2
2.2.1 BB1
2.2.2 BB2
2.3 B3
2.3.1 BB3
3. Option3
........................
........................
........................
The users will be basically selecting from a list of Categories,Sub Categories and Sub-Sub Categories.
I am a bit confused as to what kind of Database Structure should I use for this kind of requirement.
Right now I have a table tblBRIEF that conatins the basic information about the BRIEF like
Project Name
Company Name
Date
Responsible etc etc
My question is , where and how should I store the selections made by the user for each of the Categories , subcategories and su-sub categories.
Should I have a table for each of the Categories and Subcategories and have a relation with the BRIEF table ???
You advice will be apprecaited?
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Mar 15, 2007
Hi, im currently working on a database which is for someone else. Whe it is handed over to them, they will no doubt want some changes done every so oftern eg new reports, changes to forms etc.
What is the best way to do this? The database holds a lot of data, so I dont think its feasible for them to send it to me via email everytime they need something changed!
Ive noticed a few posts here about splitting the database into a front/back end. If this was done, would they just have to send me the front end; this would probably be a smaller file ye?
If this is going to be the best way round the problem; how easy is it to split a database which is basically already made?
Thank!!!
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Mar 15, 2007
Hi, im currently working on a database which is for someone else. Whe it is handed over to them, they will no doubt want some changes done every so oftern eg new reports, changes to forms etc.
What is the best way to do this? The database holds a lot of data, so I dont think its feasible for them to send it to me via email everytime they need something changed!
Ive noticed a few posts here about splitting the database into a front/back end. If this was done, would they just have to send me the front end; this would probably be a smaller file ye?
If this is going to be the best way round the problem; how easy is it to split a database which is basically already made?
Thank!!!
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Nov 1, 2004
please see post #4
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Jul 14, 2006
Hi there
I want to know if anyone has taken a large database (e.g 400,000 records) and had to take a subsection of this so to reduce size. (E.g you randomly would like to take 20,000 records). I need to reduce a database size for a test situation but would like to know what I should consider when reducing the size in this way.
Do I take the base database structure – table organisation with fields linkages etc and load data in?
I have some help in this task but would like to know of any advice that could be provided.
Many thanks
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Aug 22, 2006
Hi,
I would like to get your advice on my table setup and relationships for this payroll project. The company is an engineering company with Projects (or construction sites) around the world.
The 'Candidates' are current or potential employees and contractors. There are three main pay categories:
1.Shift-workers
All shift workers doing a particular job on a particular project are paid the same rates e.g. all welders on a particular project or site in England are paid the same as each other. For that reason I want to link the pay rates with the job description for these workers. This avoides creating 50 records for 50 welders on the site in England to say that they make £10 an hour normal time (or whatever it is) etc.
2. Contract
Contract workers usually get paid a flat rate per hour. As these are negociated on an individual basis I would need to have this information linked to each individuals job (M_CandidateJobDetails).
3. Salary
Again this information needs to be input for each individuals job.
For the contract and salary people the pay frequency can vary (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly). So can the currency they are paid in. I haven't got as far as the currency issue yet.
The reason for the one-to-many relationship between M_JobClassifaction and M_CandidateJobDetails is that many candidates can have the same type of job e.g. there can be many employees that in the job classifaction of 'Electrician'. For many of the jobs at managerial level e.g. 'site manager' there will only be one.
I will have a table with the hours worked by each person per week. I can use this for those on shift work or contract to calculate what they will be paid.
One of the main reasons for this database is so that the company can print reports to see what is paid out in payroll for each site and in total (in euros). These will be gross figures and I don't need to take expenses, vacations, bonuses or taxes into account. They other thing we will need to be able to do is assign candidates to vacant positions and change them from one position to another - possibly between different projects.
So basically does anyone have any comments on the relationships, normalisation or anything else. Is this the best way to do it?
I've attached a screenshot of the relationships.
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Aug 8, 2007
I was going to say before I screw it up, but that would have made the title too long.
I've read some forum history and done some searches and can't see that a similar query has come up previously - but if anyone can point me at previous relevant threads then that would be much appreciated. I've looked at some of the design theory threads, but am not really sure whether I've applied some of the good stuff in there effectively - and have put this query here as it's specific to my database rather than a 'general principles' thing.
I am hoping that some kind person/people might be able to pick holes in my planned database revamp as I may not have seen some of the pitfalls - thank you.
Background: I am the first and sole employee of a grant-making trust and set up our (still relatively small) database early on - wish I could have waited, but before my database everything was paper-based and impossible to manage. The data is all on the database, but an exponential growth in number of enquiries/applications over the last year means that it can't be easily manipulated in a way that meets our needs because of my short-sighted (OK, poor owing to inexperience in job) initial design in some areas.
Database:
What it's supposed to do: In brief, the way our organisation works is that we get a phone call or a letter or sometimes an entire application from a charity or community group, decide what to do with it and have to manage the funding contract (regular reviews, grant instalments) if the application is successful.
I think existing data is reasonably normalised (certainly at least equivalent to normalisation in the structure below) so migration shouldn't be a problem, but if anyone spots any normalisation or naming convention issues then please do point them out - I'm an Access amateur, but would like to get it as right as I can (this time). Small letters indicate linked tables, numbers indicate 'footnotes'.
tblProject
ProjID (primary key)
ProjName (a)
ProjDateRecd
Organisation (b)
ProjSource (c)
ProjStatus (d)
ProjResponse (Lookup: Letter, E-mail, No response*) (1)
ProjRespDate
ProjReasonDecline (e)
ProjNote (description)
(a) tblProjEvent
PEvID (primary key)
PEvDate
ProjName
ProjEvent (g)
ProjEvDesc - additional detail - e.g. who involved, topic if not obvious from event field.
ProjEvActWho - who is responsible if future action
ProjEvActDue - due date
ProjEvActComp - checkbox
ProjEvActCompDate
ProjEvNote (NB not to duplicate description - more for 'additional notes arising from completed action' or sensitivities that may need to be considered and kept separate from regular reporting)
(b) tblOrganisation
Details not listed for brevity, but split one field per line of address/detail, org name as primary key - existing table can be migrated as is (2). Includes suppliers, networking orgs. (f)
(c) tblProjSourceLup
How they heard about us - list of sources for speed/consistency of data entry.
(d) tblProjStatusLup
What it says on the tin - where we're at right now with a project. History/status changes recorded in tblProjAction.
(e) tblProjReasonDecline
List of common reasons for speed/consistency of data entry
(f) tblOrgContacts
OrgContact ID (primary key)
Names/personal details of organisational contacts, split one field per item (firstname, lastname, jobtitle, etc).
(g) tblProjEventLup
Letter, Funding contract, review meeting, report, telecon, Board review, etc. May be a future action.
Accounts functions:
Payments in/out linked to organisation with a lookup table for account types (in, out, grant, donation, expenses etc etc). Works fine and can be migrated as is (2)
The current arrangement of relationships has the organisation as the focus - I'm looking to make the project the focus, which seems to make sense as each project is unique - whereas we may get several project applications from the same organisation - and the existing structure makes it impossible to sort these out :o.
Footnotes
1) Vast number of applications that fall into the "arrive, get read, get binned" category make this duplication worthwhile - most applications won't make it into the Project Event table. Apart from the "Greetings in the name of the Lord"/419 e-mails, they do all need recording somehow so we can spot any trends and correct misinformation - save hard-working fundraisers wasting their time*.
2) Of course data validation will be necessary, but in most tables we're talking hundreds or thousands of records only, not tens of thousands so should not be that onerous. Especially as I've been the only person using the database, so there are hopefully not too many inconsistencies!
This post is too long already, but if I've been uselessly unclear in explaining anything or anyone wants any more before they want to comment on efficacy of structure please let me know. All feedback appreciated (as I said, I work alone, so really looking for idea-bouncing to check I can see the wood as well as the trees as much as anything - thanks).
*As charity is always a sensitive area and some of you may be involved with voluntary work, an OT comment: 'No response' might seem rude - but if an organisation is -clearly- excluded by the criteria on our website, or that very same person (or a large charity who should be able to manage its information effectively) has previously been told that they are ineligible by reason of their location, size or type then they have had their response already. I could spend all day every day writing 'No' letters - I'd rather be doing something more positive with my time (like checking out/meeting with organisations that are potentially eligible so they get their answer - and in some cases money ASAP). Not R-ing TFM (aka grant guidelines) apparently applies to fundraisers as much as any other profession :rolleyes:
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Feb 14, 2007
Hi, Big Jim Here:
I was hoping you guys would have a recommendation. Do you know of a book or web site that offers workbook examples to help practice learning how to understand existing databases?
My biggest problem with databases has never been designing them but learning how to follow someone else's work. Some place to practice on this deficiency of mine would be great. Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance,
Big Jim
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Dec 22, 2006
Please see the attached two files.
I have tried to figure out what the difference in functionality would be between 1 and 2. In the latter I have just created a series of relations between the last two tables (but that structure could be used throughout the whole DB instead of hanging it together with one relation between tables as is the case for the rest of the DB in this picture).
So there can be three different situations with this table structure:
- linking all tables together via multiple relations
- linking all tables together via a single relation
- a combination of both, such as in the images.
Why would someone choose one versus the other? "Which is better in what situation?"
I've been fiddling about for a while now, but in a structure such as this it doesn't seem to make a difference. Or maybe there are differences in use/design, but on a level that I have not explored yet.
Could anyone explain this to me a bit? I have multiple books, all of which handle basic relations but I have not yet seen an explanation for this question. I think understanding the whole relationship topic is critical to be able to see other pieces of the puzzle fall into place later on. And as of yet, this is really fuzzy to me.
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Oct 12, 2005
Ok, this is a quote from MS Office online.
Omits records that contain duplicate data in the selected fields. To be included in the results of the query, the values for each field listed in the SELECT statement must be unique. For example, several employees listed in an Employees table may have the same last name. If two records contain Smith in the LastName field, the following SQL statement returns only one record that contains Smith:
SELECT DISTINCT
LastName
FROM Employees;
If you omit DISTINCT, this query returns both Smith records.
If the SELECT clause contains more than one field, the combination of values from all fields must be unique for a given record to be included in the results.
The output of a query that uses DISTINCT is not updatable and does not reflect subsequent changes made by other users.
So, from what I understand of this, if any of the fields in the record (or row, whatever) repeat then it is not displayed. Correct me if I am wrong.
The problem is that when I try and use it in my DB it return all the fields regardless of the Distict clause, unless I am only querying one field, which is next to useless.
For example when I make a test table that has repeating words in one field, with a unique ID for each one, the distinct clause works when I display the words field alone and not when I display the ID field as well.
Can anyone explain what is happening or what I am doing wrong?
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Jun 11, 2007
Hello i am a college student and i was just getting on with my database assignment. i don't want any one to do it for me i just want someone to point me in the right direction. i am making a basic Encyclopedia on planets for my project. i have made one form which i want all my other forms to look like. this form is getting its information out of queries. this form is opened when i click a picture of the planet. so i was wondering if it was possible if i could link all the picture up to the one form but each picture opens a different set of data with in this form. i have already thought of just copying the forms and changing the control source. just wondering if there is a different way of doing it.
thanx
tom
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Jun 5, 2006
ok, let me please ask this question regarding a payment relationship in my database
it will be paid in four ways, cash, creditcard, cheque, paypal
each of these payment types will have their own features..
eg creditcard (name on card, card number)
cheque (cheque date, date cleared)
paypal (username...YOU GET THE PICTURE
so is this below way a good way to store these details, or can i do it with 4 less tables..
http://bb.1asphost.com/antonyx6/untitled2.jpg
if this way is correct, i dont see how each id will be entered..
eg
if i enter some cheque details.. will that lead the chequeid to be linked to the paymentid, and the paymentid to the bookingid, and the bookingid to the booking details etc
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Apr 12, 2007
Hi all.
Anyone know where I can find third party no-install exporting software. I need to export to HTML and maintain all my formatting on a report.
Thank you,
MJ
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Jan 31, 2008
Hi,
can a 3rd party application be run within an access window? i am looking only for Acrobat reader butr dont want it to open outside of the database. i would like to try and have it open in a window on a form only keeping it within the database itself.
if it can be done, where can i look up the info needed to achieve it?
many thanks,
nigel
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Oct 2, 2006
I manage a small non profit. We run NonprofitBooks on top of QuickBooks. NonprofitBooks uses an Access database. All has been fine for several years.
Recently, we upgraded from Access 2000 to Access 2003. When we used Access to open the file to edit some data, we received Security Warning & "Sandbox" errors. We did not make any changes to teh file.
Now, Nonprofit Books reports "No Data". I'm having difficulty contacting the vendor.
Any ideas? Thanks.
George Martin
Adminiatrative Manager
Jaron Ministries International
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Apr 6, 2006
I have a database that was built by some users, long before I came to my current job location (oh yes, one of those fun issues), and have run into an error that is involving a 3rd party tool, and is tough to duplicate.
There is an ocx control named "Kodak Image Thumbnail control" the path is C:winntsystem32ImgThumb32.ocx.
This is an active x control, that on the double click event, opens up the correct corresponding .pdf file. It works correct for me, on my machine. It works correctly for 3 other people on their own machines. When we had a user it worked correctly log into a user who it does not work correctly, it then worked correctly for them (appears to be user rights, and not machine specific). It does not work correctly for another 2-4 users (not sure the exact number).
But, the rights were gone over with a fine tooth comb, and nothing was found different from each user.
What is weird, is how the error occurs. There are 59 records in the database, with a linking .pdf file displayed in this .ocx control. For those users in which this does not work, the first two records open the .pdf correctly. After this (records 3 to 59) they receive the following error:
"Microsoft Access can't open the file containing the OLE object.
- You may have specified an invalid file name or an invalid unit of data (such as a range of cells from a worksheet) when the file for the OLE object.
- The file you specified may not be available because it's locked by another user or you don't have permission to use it.
Try one of the following:
- Make sure the file is available and that you used the correct file name.
- Check the OLE server's documentation for information about the syntax to use when specifiying an OLE object's data."
[OK]
Since this is a third party tool, that I have never used, and do not even have on my machine (yet it works correctly for me) I am not sure what else I can do to track down the error. I just wanted to see if anyone else has run into this error, and if so how they had fixed it.
Thank you for your time.
T.J.
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Apr 11, 2008
Hi
I purchased the Janus GridEx2000 component a couple of months ago and have used it extensively in an Access 2007 project. The component has an OCX for development and and OCX for distribution. I have come to the stage I wish to deploy the first version of the database and so have gone to the users machine and registered the distributable OCX control however when I run the database I get
"There is no object in this control".
I have searched google for numerous different attempts at solutions such as AutoCorrect being turned off, ensuring the ActiveXs weren't copied by deleting each control on each form and inserting a new one correctly, creating a new database and importing all the forms, tables etc into it. None of these solutions have solved the problem.
As a quick test I loaded Access 2003 and created a sample database. Put a form in it and on that form the ActiveX control. I then copied the mdb to the users machine and it worked. So I then went back to the development machine and opened the mdb in Access 2007 and created a new form and inserted the control. I then copied the mdb on to the user's machine again. The original form created using 2003 worked but the new form created in 2007 displayed the same error as above. I created a new blank 2007 accdb and again created a form and inserted the component, copied the file to the user's machine and again it didn't work displaying the above error.
When I open up the references on the users machine everything seems to be ok and it is linked to the correct ocx file which has been registered.
I am absolutely stumped and the thought of having to try and get the whole project re-written back into Access 2003 is just sickening.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Nick
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Jun 18, 2015
Which third party reporting tool is good to work best with Microsoft Access ?
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Jan 9, 2013
I have researched the 'party' data model but it is a bit too complex for what I'm seeking. For those familiar with it, I don't really need the intermediary relationship from-to tables.
I'm interested in ideas about setting up a data structure that will allow users to search contacts or select contacts in dropdowns regardless if the contact type is a person or an organization.
Obviously the fields needed for both are different and the biggest issue is the name field because the person contacts are
The way I am accomplishing it now is writing the company name, or "first name " & "last name" for a person, to kind of a bridge table when a new record is inserted into the person table or the organization table...kind of inefficient.
Is this a relationship thing or should I just write a function to create a temporary recordset when needed?
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May 12, 2005
Im in the process of building a database for a friends business, and im a bit of a newbie with access.
Id like to get some opinions on structure and overall how i should build the Database.
My goal is to have two types of clients ... donors and buyers.
A client can be both a donor, a buyer or both.
When a client is a donor, they get a certain amount of credits added to their account.
When a client is a buyer, they will be purchasing those credits from a donor.
heres an example of what i want to accomplish;
John smith donates 500 credits; I enter John Smiths info and credits into his profile;
Jim Doe buys 100 of John Smiths credits; I want the DB to automatically update Mr. Smiths Credits, and then add 100 credits to Jim Does profile.
Also, I want John Smith to be able to purchase credits from Jane Johnson, and again, have the credits added to John Smith and deducted from Jane Johnson automatically.
Get my meaning here?
The tables will also contain the typical client info ...ie; Name, Address, Phone, SSN etc...
Can i/Should i do a seperate table just for credits and link it to the client tables? Should i create seperate tables for Buyers and Donors?
Also, I have an excel spreadsheet with formulas to do credits already, but when i tried to import it into a table in access, it didnt work so well.
Any opinions on table structure, design etc would be greatly appreciated
Thanks all for lookin in
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Jun 4, 2005
Hello to all,
i have a non-windows application and i would like to create a vb program to print invoices.
I would like to send to this program a txt file with all the values (qty, vat, customer name etc with vertical & horizontal positions in the form etc..) and then superpose all i need to print with an image (gif or jpg wich is the my customer invoice presentation.
In fact i have 2 layers , one with all the value i print and another with the invoice image background.
I'm a beginer with VB, so i need advices to create this program, maybe someone did this already.
Thx in advance
VINCENT
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Sep 3, 2005
Hi all,
Im fairly new to access and im having trouble constructing a stock control system that can create sales orders and adjust stock levels accordingly, hold customer details linked to sales orders. Ive spent about 20 hours trying to do this and its just pickled my brain, ive searched everywhere but sometimes im uncertain what exactly it is im looking for. Can anyone give me some pointers?
I have 7 tables at the mo but its 4 of the tables i need for the sales order:
tblcustomerdetails
customerID,first name, last name (general customer details)
tblorder
orderID, customerID, delilvery address fields..., subtotal, total, delivery
tblorderdetails
orderID, productID, productname, description, listprice, quantity, discount, linetotal
tblproducts
productID, catagoryname, productname, description, costprice, listprice, profitmargin, suppliername, instock, reorderlevel, quantityperunit.
what im trying to do at the minute is contruct a subform for a form that would require entering the products into through a combo box selected by productname and then autofill the product description and listprice. Ive ended up deleting all my forms and queries because nothing seemed to work right. I will then add this sub form to a form containing all the customer information and the total price for the subform this then needs to be output to a report for printing, but i can figure that out later. Ive attached my database if anyone wants a look if you dont understand my jibberish.
thanks
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Oct 29, 2005
Hi all
First post.
I was wondering if this could be done in Access. Let me explain
I work at a candies manufacturer in Puerto Rico. Right now we are not tracking any kind of inventory. Is it possible to efficiently track our kind of inventory ( raw materials, work in process and Finished Goods) in Access?? Maybe using a bar code system??
Is it possible??
Please advice
Thank you
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Nov 2, 2005
Hi
I would like some advice or opinions from people who have worked with access and mysql.
Currently we run a large database in access which holds around 3500 records. It is actually running quite slow at the moment. What would you suggest to speed it up? ive heard running it on a sql server but i dont have the info to know if this would be correct.
Also i was thinking or changing the access database and getting it fully redone in mysql why would this be more advantageous?
Also i havent any knowledge on MySql is it easy to learn for a beginner? Do you have any information such as websites i could visit to learn or sample databases? Or would it not be worth me learning it? What would you see at the front end and back end?
Sorry to bombard you with questions
I value your opinions
Thanks
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Sep 14, 2006
Hi,
My client wants me to make fields from different tables on the same form which he wants to use for input. This has made it very difficult for me as my queries have to involve a lot of outer joins and in some cases full joins.
Any suggestion please?
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