Drop Down List in Access?

[samantham]

I'm new to using Access, and have a question.

I am designing a database for the nonprofit organization where I work. This database is going to be used to track pretty much everyone associated with the organization... employees, interns, volunteers, donors, clients, former clients, vendors... you name, I'm going to track it. Well, I hope to at any rate!

Is there a way to set it up so that there is a drop down box to select the relationship type, so that I don't have to keep typing how they are associated with the organization?

Is a form going to be what I need to do this? I don't think it is, but that is the only thing I can find in my book (MS Office Access 2007 In Business - Comprehensive division).

I'm currently taking a computer in business course (degree requirement) and asked my professor, and he said he didn't know, and that he'd get back to me. Well, that was 3 weeks ago, and he still hasn't gotten back to me (hasn't graded the homework we turned in back in September either - but thats a different story).

Thanks for any help you can possibly give!

 

[giacomo]

1. you should be thinking about getting your money back for the course

2. Yes, you need a form, always do your data-entry in a form and not directly in a table. Access is a relational database system, meaning that data is spread out over related tables. One entity may have attributes that are distributed over many tables and the best way to control the integrity of the data is through the use of a form.

hth,
Giacomo

 

[smozgur]

Hi,

I assume you are using table to maintenance your data and want to have a dropdown in the field place to select the predefined values for that field.

Open your table in design view and select relation field. Then Click Lookup tab in the Field Properties section below.

"Display Control" property should be currently set as "Text" as I could understand from your descriptions. Select "ComboBox" instead. Select "Value List" as the "Row Source Type". Finally set the "Row Source" property to include possible relation types separated by comma and enclosed by double quotes, like following:

"relation1";"relation2";"relation3"

Save your database and open it DataSheet View. Now you can select predefined values in the Relation field. Better yet, it will show you the most appropriate option when you start typing in this field (autocomplete).

As another note, the best way to do this is creating a separated table for relations including an ID and using this ID in the other tables and also using Table/Query option in field properties instead Values by linking to this new table. This is really another story for database optimization that would help for indexing and better structure that you might consider.

And more another note, actually using forms are better if you are working with Access.

I hope this helps.

Suat

 

[Fool_Working]

I second the previous two poster's advice. Before you go any farther -
1)Learn how to create normalized tables
2)Use FORMS for data entry

The forms will make it so that anyone unfamiliar with your database can still very easily use it.

The Normalization will save you a TON of work in the future (I speak from experience here).

The best book I've found for learning both of those things is "Gover Park George on Access". It was recomended to me on this forum and does a very good walkthrough of all of the above, as well as teaching you the quirks and hints of access.

 

[samantham]

Normalization and forms are in the same chapter, at the end of the book. Joy! Looks like I'll be reading ahead.

If I'm understanding the normalization thing correctly, I should create separate tables for each grouping, correct? One table for employees, one for interns, volunteers, clients, donors, former clients, etc? How would that work when someone fits several roles (such as they are a former client, that now volunteers and is also a donor)?

I feel like I'm asking such stupid basic questions.

I'd like to get my money back for the course, but at this point, I'm getting an A. I don't know how seriously the university will take my complaints. I've talked to several students, and we all plan on being very blunt when it comes time to do the evaluations.

Scary thing is... I know more about Office 2007 than the professor does. He's gotten stuck in class before (when we were doing the unit on excel) and asked me for help with it.

And thanks for the book suggestion! It'll take 1 - 3 weeks for the book to arrive according to Amazon, and the database is due on 12/5. I'll probably still order it, so I can use it for creating other databases at work. As much as I love Excel, I know that Access will work better for some of this stuff.

I'm lucky - we have to design a database for my class, and because I mentioned that I was looking forward to learning Access because of the stuff for work, my professor told me that my Access project can be the database for work, instead of creating an inventory of all my books/cd's/dvd's/other item I collect, like the assignment states. I'm getting paid to do my homework this semester!