Database for talent show

[joltremari]

I have running a talent show for several years now. First I kept all records on paper, then moved to spreadsheets, now I am moving to a database. I have it "useable" but I feel it could be better. I have many questions but I will ask the important one now. I am using 2 tables, one holds contestant info such as name, address, phone, etc... the other holds the info from each years talent show such as year, age, song title, winner, no show, etc... so I can have mutiple records for each contestant. (kind-of a history) I have them referenced by ID fields. The latter table is a subform on the main form which is the first table. This works but when I am making queries and need to do other certain things it makes it difficult because I have it set up this way. Is there a better way to set this up? I hope I have explained it clearly. Any suggestion is appreciated.

JO

 

[Peter Reid]

I have running a talent show for several years now. First I kept all records on paper, then moved to spreadsheets, now I am moving to a database. I have it "useable" but I feel it could be better. I have many questions but I will ask the important one now. I am using 2 tables, one holds contestant info such as name, address, phone, etc... the other holds the info from each years talent show such as year, age, song title, winner, no show, etc... so I can have mutiple records for each contestant. (kind-of a history) I have them referenced by ID fields. The latter table is a subform on the main form which is the first table.

All of that *sounds* fine

This works but when I am making queries and need to do other certain things it makes it difficult because I have it set up this way. Is there a better way to set this up? I hope I have explained it clearly. Any suggestion is appreciated.

JO

It really depends on what the 'other certain things' are! Best get started on the other questions ....

 

[The_Doc_Man]

When you are searching for things, your best bet usually involves basing the search not on the tables but on a JOIN of the tables. This allows you to include explicit data in your search rather than searching in multiple stages using the linking key as the basis of the second search. Read up on JOIN in the Access Help facility. Then remember that a query of a query is perfectly legal and quite common. Forms can be based on queries. Reports can be based on queries. Queries are your friends.