Already in List Best Practices

[Thales750]

When adding contacts in a system where the chance for multiple proper name duplicates, is high; what is your preferred method of adding new contacts?

 

[plog]

First allow the user to search for the contact to see if contact exists, then allow them to add them if they don't.

 

[vbaInet]

Most of the time users won't be bothered to search for duplicates so it's best you write code to look for duplicates before saving the record and prompt the user if duplicates exist. My preference is not just prompt the user but present the user with a small pop-up form with a listbox displaying 3 or 4 relevant fields of the duplicate records. Double clicking any record will show more details of that record.

Some users prefer that they are given the option to suppress checking for duplicates by means of a simple tickbox.

 

[Thales750]

Most of the time users won't be bothered to search for duplicates so it's best you write code to look for duplicates before saving the record and prompt the user if duplicates exist. My preference is not just prompt the user but present the user with a small pop-up form with a listbox displaying 3 or 4 relevant fields of the duplicate records. Double clicking any record will show more details of that record.

Some users prefer that they are given the option to suppress checking for duplicates by means of a simple tickbox.

This is what I have done as well. But we use resolving tables to connect contacts to different tables, like customer, and vendor, for example, a sales person from a vendor, could also be a customer.

I might have it where double clicking would create the link to the existing customer.

This is where I'm breaking down a little. what would be the most ergonomic method for selecting either existing or new?

I guess they could select the existing from the list and then click a command button. That would end the popup and create the link to the contact.

What do you think?

 

[jdraw]

Conceptually, you might consider a Person table -- and then identify separate Contact,Supplier, Vendor, Customer....using the PersonId as the link back to the Master Person table. Sort of a master lookup table.

Many Organizations have a master, authoritative Client table. Where ever Client is used in systems, there is a tie in to the authoritative table.

Could be worth considering if duplicates are an issue. But it's a change in data management practices, and would reqire a fair amount of discipline and buy in. The prcticality of this would depend on the severity of "duplicates" to the business.

 

[RainLover]

I use the not on list event to take you to a form where you can enter what you need.

I have some code if you need it. But I believe if you search our own archives you will find it.

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EDIT
I don't know what I was thinking here but on looking back I would say that I was not quite correct.
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[Thales750]

Conceptually, you might consider a Person table -- and then identify separate Contact,Supplier, Vendor, Customer....using the PersonId as the link back to the Master Person table. Sort of a master lookup table.

Many Organizations have a master, authoritative Client table. Where ever Client is used in systems, there is a tie in to the authoritative table.

Could be worth considering if duplicates are an issue. But it's a change in data management practices, and would reqire a fair amount of discipline and buy in. The prcticality of this would depend on the severity of "duplicates" to the business.

This is also very similar to what we have been doing. And the changes to the data structure are immense, it take pages of code where before none was needed.

However the flexibility in linking data across the entire system is like not on the same scale. We will never go back to the basic Mother-daughter relationship again. At least main relationships, obviously lookup table and definition tables are often single relationship types.

One of the problems associated with the majority of the connection being linking, or resolving, if you prefer, is that the flexibility also makes it more difficult to decide on the most efficient method for entering data.

Either way, resolving table more often resembles real world business models.

 

[vbaInet]

This is what I have done as well. But we use resolving tables to connect contacts to different tables, like customer, and vendor, for example, a sales person from a vendor, could also be a customer.

I might have it where double clicking would create the link to the existing customer.

This is where I'm breaking down a little. what would be the most ergonomic method for selecting either existing or new?

I guess they could select the existing from the list and then click a command button. That would end the popup and create the link to the contact.

What do you think?

You can consider a couple of ways:

1. Double-clicking the record on the pop-up form will close the pop-up form and open a dialog form for viewing the record (i.e. read-only).
2. In addition to 1, an "View Record" button to perform the same thing as explained in 1.

Or

3. A dialog pop-up form. The top half of the form will display the duplicates records and the bottom half will show more details. Again read-only. Perhaps a split form might come in handy here, otherwise create your own.