Re: Coping with Ingredients

Putting any kind of application rate in TblIngredients is not the way to go because AppRate is an attribute of Material. I'm betting if you change your trend of thought about having an AppRate field in the Ingredients table and focus on associating the AppRate with the Material, your problem will go away.

<< However I must have the ability of being able to change the rate for any ingredient. >>

Aha!! So any Material may have more than one AppRate. You have a one-to-many relationship between Material and application rate. You need to create a new table, TblAppRate with at least these fields: ApRateID, MatID and AppRate. In this table you also need at least two other fields. The first of these fields needs to define how AppRate is applied, ie, by sqft, by thickness, 5 of another material, etc. The second of these fields needs to define when you use a specific AppRate for a specific Material. For instance, if the floor is lightly traveled the AppRate is 3 mils and if the floor is heavily traveled, the AppRate is 5 mils. You'll have to determine how to set up these defining fields.

Again, the solution to what you are trying to do is to get this relational approach to work rather than pursuing the AppRate in TblIngredients route.

BTW, I develop applications where a Project is set up in an Access database and forms for data collection are created from the database and hot synced to a Palm Pilot. The Palm Pilot is then taken to a jobsite and data is recorded on the Palm Pilot. The Palm Pilot is then taken back to an office where the collected data is hot synced to the Access database. Access screens can then display the data and Access Reports can then provide you a hardcopy of the data. In your project, projects could be set up in Access and Access could load forms for taking data about all the sections in a location. The Palm could then be taken to the office and the data hot synced to the Access database. You could have screens developed in the database to view the data, do data analysis and spit out reports on maybe suggested materials and application rates.

--
                            PC Datasheet
A Resource for Access, Excel and Word Applications
                resource_at_pcdatasheet.com
                    www.pcdatasheet.com

· Design and basic development for new applications
· Additions, Modifications and "Fixes" for existing applications
· Mentoring for do-it-yourselfers who want guidance
· Complete application design and development
· Applications Using Palm Pilot To Collect Data And
  Synchronize The Data Back To Access Or Excel




"Graham Bellamy" <dontwriteme_at_ask.first.com> wrote in message
news:ae8hnu$6re$1_at_perki.connect.com.au...


> Yes, I was thinking of doing that. However I must have the


ability of being able to change


> the rate for any ingredient. So I'm thinking of having a


SuggestedAppRate field in


> tblMaterials, and an AppRate field in tblIngredients, and


setting the default value of


> AppRate to that of SuggestedAppRate, so that it can be accepted


in normal circumstances,


> or changed in others.     Oh! Wait. I think I tried something


like that before, and found


> that I can't change the default value of a field once a field in


the record has changed


> (in this case, the MatID). Is this right? I'm going to have a


play with this. If this does


> happen, is there a way around it?

>

> Thks,


> Graham

>

> "Steve" <santus_at_penn.com> wrote in message

> news:MfPN8.2587$bf7.1798_at_newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...

> > Graham:

> >

> > I suggst you move the AppRate to the Materials table; AppRate

is


> > as an attribute of the material. TblIngredients represents a


list


> > of the materials applied to each section of the building.


> > TblIngredients is a resolver table for the many to many

> > relationship between TblMaterials and TblSection. You have

many


> > materials applied to many sections.


> >

> >

> > --

> >                             PC Datasheet

> > A Resource for Access, Excel and Word Applications

> >                 resource_at_pcdatasheet.com

> >                     www.pcdatasheet.com

> >

> > · Design and basic development for new applications

> > · Additions, Modifications and "Fixes" for existing

applications


> > · Mentoring for do-it-yourselfers who want guidance


> > · Complete application design and development

> > · Applications Using Palm Pilot To Collect Data And

> >   Synchronize The Data Back To Access Or Excel

>

>

>