Re: Help -- How can I convert from a relational to a sequential database?

Create a query with all the fields that you need and export it to a text file. (or even Excel)

Nirmala Sekhar

On Fri, 18 Feb 2000 23:51:00 -0000, "Ken Johnson" <kenneth.johnson_at_cableinet.co.uk> wrote:

>
>I can't solve this problem. Any ideas as to what to try next would be most
>welcome. You'll need to view this article in a non-proportional font if you
>want to read the diagrams.
>
>I have to use Access, Excel, or some other readily available tool, to
>convert a modern relational database to a sequential data base of the sort
>that used to exist 100 years ago.
>
>The data base describes enrolments on classes. The present, relational
>database consists of four tables, as follows:
>
>Students: The fields in the Students table are: Student number (key),
>Initial, Surname. For example (below), student C. Houseman has the student
>number S003.
>
>Courses: The fields in the Courses table are: Course number (key), Course
>name. For example, History has course number C002.
>
>Presentations: The fields in the Presentations table are: Presentation
>number (key), Course number, Date. For example, the first record means that
>there is a presentation of course C003 (Chemistry) on the first of March (or
>the third of January) and this record has the presentation number P001.
>
>Students Courses Presentations
>
>S001 A Fennel C001 Geography P001 C003 01/03/2000
>S002 B Gherkin C002 History P002 C001 01/03/2000
>S003 C Houseman C003 Chemistry P003 C001 03/03/2000
>S004 D Inkwell C004 Mathematics P004 C002 03/03/2000
>S005 E Jumpoff C005 Literature P005 C002 04/03/2000
> C006 Art
>
>The fields in the Enrolments table are: Enrolment number (key), Student
>number, Presentation number. For example, the first record means that
>student S002 (B. Gherkin) is enrolled on presentation P004 (History on 3
>March) and this record has the enrolment number E001.
>
>Enrolments
>
>E001 S002 P004
>E002 S001 P005
>E003 S005 P003
>E004 S004 P003
>E005 S004 P005
>
>Now, the format into which this has to be converted uses presentation
>numbers, course numbers and student numbers in the same way, but it uses a
>sequential file to record enrolments. Data is stored as follows:
>
>
> start of file ----> Presentation number
> Student number
> Student number
> Student number
> Student number
> Presentation number
> Student number
> Student number
>
>Zero or more Student Numbers follow each Presentation Number. The
>Presentation Number gives the number of the presentation on which the
>students are enrolled, e.g. the following arrangement means
>
> Presentation P001 is empty
> Presentation P002 is empty
> Students S004 and S005 are enrolled on presentation P003
> Student S002 is enrolled on presentation P004
> Student S004 is enrolled on presentation P005
>
> start of file ----> P001
> P002
> P003
> S004
> S005
> P004
> S002
> P005
> S004
>
>The sequential file is typically 10,000 records long so I can't convert it
>by hand.
>
>One other thing: I have to export or save this file in Fixed Width Field
>format, Therefore, producing a report in Access and exporting it as a text
>file doesn't work, because the field widths are all lost by the time the
>data gets into the report.
>
>All ideas are welcome. I'm damned if I can think how to do it.
>
>--
>http://simsey.cjb.net
>Ken Johnson Ltd.
>This company thinks the same as I do.
>
>
Received on Sat Feb 19 2000 - 00:00:00 CET