Quality Control Database table/relationship design

[bfriend5]

Hi everyone,

I'll get straight to the point- I'm creating a database to keep track of reports based on tests and errors that arise in a quality control laboratory.

Purpose of database:
1. allow easier generation of reports to be given to other individuals in the company
2. keep a historical record of tests/errors

I believe I need help with normalizing my tables. Our lab receives samples of tea (blended and regular) and tests a number of things associated with the tea. I have attached an image of my relationships table; I would like for someone with a better eye for normalizing data than myself to tell me if I have done a decent job here, or if I need to approach it a different way. I hope the detail I provided here is sufficient, if not I would be pleased to elaborate further. This is all a bit overwhelming as it's my first time creating a database, but I have been trying to break it down into small manageable pieces.

Thank you!

 

[spikepl]

For a first-timer it looks pretty good.

That's all anyone will be able to say without knowing anything about your business. We miss the narrative, the full story about the tests.

Do not store attachments in the db - it will blow up. Put them on the server and just store links to the docs.

Further, do not use multivalued fields. They look tempting , but are an Access-specific invention, are not portable and thus a total pain. Use subforms or listboxes for same functionality.