Designing a GUI for a database

[ascotchmer]

Hi

I've been asked by someone at work to design a "no brainer" gui for an access database but I am a complete newbie with regards to this - sure I can do simple queries to filter the information I what in design view but this is something else.

How can I design a gui that can be clicked on or is executed when the mdb icon is clicked that will allow people to access from a drop down box the area they need information about and then have to option to either have the information exported to excell or in a summary report to be printed off. Should I use the form wizard or the report wizard - though none of them seem to do what I want.

I've set up the database from the excell spreadsheets they gave me containing activity figures per operational region. The regions are listed in the first column and I wanted a drop down box to list them.

We have 6,000 entries on the database. These cover 8 regions with some regions containing maybe 500+ entries. As mentioned the regions are listed in column one of the database.

When I select the regions column in a drop down box instead of getting just one entry per region, I get every single entry for example 500 for region 1, 200 for region 2 etc. In other words it is reading the rows not grouping them according to region which is what I want

How do I group them so Access only includes one entry per region on the drop down box and what is the best way to design the gui to give the results I am after?

Thanks
Andrew

 

[Rabbie]

Have you normalised your database?. Try doing a search on "normalisation" in this forum for starters.

 

[Bob Miller]

Hi

I've been asked by someone at work to design a "no brainer" gui for an access database but I am a complete newbie with regards to this - sure I can do simple queries to filter the information I what in design view but this is something else.

How can I design a gui that can be clicked on or is executed when the mdb icon is clicked that will allow people to access from a drop down box the area they need information about and then have to option to either have the information exported to excell or in a summary report to be printed off. Should I use the form wizard or the report wizard - though none of them seem to do what I want.

I've set up the database from the excell spreadsheets they gave me containing activity figures per operational region. The regions are listed in the first column and I wanted a drop down box to list them.

We have 6,000 entries on the database. These cover 8 regions with some regions containing maybe 500+ entries. As mentioned the regions are listed in column one of the database.

When I select the regions column in a drop down box instead of getting just one entry per region, I get every single entry for example 500 for region 1, 200 for region 2 etc. In other words it is reading the rows not grouping them according to region which is what I want

How do I group them so Access only includes one entry per region on the drop down box and what is the best way to design the gui to give the results I am after?

Thanks
Andrew

As far as GUI, you can make it that by using icons for your buttons e.g. a trash can for delete. However, to me that is not a "no brainer." A no brainer would have complete descriptions written on the button. I developed a db for the DoD and had to write senetences on my buttons so the colonels would know what to do. Binoculars for a search was too brainy! I wanted to use a menubar and they insisted on gigantic menu screens. I hgihly recommend the bmenubar approach because many users of Access applications will have used the menubars in Word and Excel so it is a logical extension for ease of use and short learning curve.

 

[KeithG]

Also if you created your table structure from an Excell spreadsheet you already have made a grave mistake in the tables stuctures.