Question Advice on Handling Flags (1 Viewer)

[PNGBill]

Hi Forum,

We send Reminder Letter to our Customers and the system used to consist of a few Temp tables and a bucket full of queries and two macros plus a hand full of forms.

I have reduced this to a few forms with built in sql, no temp tables or macros - yet.

I am now at the stage where a Letter option is to be selected.

Previously this was done by flagging a record on a temp table and then running a query to:
A) Produce the letters (reports)
B) Update a table of Letters sent.

My question is can we use some other method to hold this "flag" which can be used to run the reports and update the records.

Does VBA allow for such an activity?

I guess we could just produce the letter at the time rather then make it a end of process task.
Or, update the letter sent table and then query that table for all records with today's date and produce the report accordingly.

Our method was to have one report with all letters, sorted by Fax number so multiple letters to one fax would be sent at the same time.

Appreciate any ideas and guidance.

 

[darbid]

Previously this was done by flagging a record on a temp table and then running a query to:
A) Produce the letters (reports)
B) Update a table of Letters sent.

My question is can we use some other method to hold this "flag" which can be used to run the reports and update the records.

The way you are doing it sounds ok to me. The goal here is to be able to note a record in same way so that when you come back at the end of the week/month or whenever youcan find all these noted records.

A flag is a specific way of doing that. You might however find other less specific ways when you look at the structure of your tables. There might be a date or something which you could use to see all the updated records that you need to send a letter on.

 

[PNGBill]

Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated.

Went with adding a field to the tblLetterSent called LetterPrinted

We add the record to this table and LetterPrinted is 1
When the letter is actually run 1 is updated to 2.

This prevents multiply letters being produced and provides some degree of evidence the letter was produced.

But.. we have also gone down the track of producing each letter as the process is run rather then produce a multi paged report at the end.
This effectively means 1 is changed to 2, half a second later.

All I need to do is automate the saving of the .pdf file.

 

[darbid]

All I need to do is automate the saving of the .pdf file.

search is your friend, there are lots of topics on this.

 

[PNGBill]

Yes. Have noticed quite a few. Just have to tidy up what I have done so far and then study for the next step.