Hi,
I asked a question in the Query section and mentioned that I had made a table with "the usual last name, first name, course1, course2 etc" The Query reply was very helpful but one of the replies said I should go look at the Normalisation post. I have indeed been and looked and have a question.
My database is basically a tracker of skill sets an individual has (or will have), along with some data on that individual. There is a record set for each individual. I work in a specialised environment and I am interested in knowing the skill sets of an individual(or group) when those skills are due to expire or when they are booked for. I can produce numbers and statistics relating to individual or group skill sets. For instance certain tasks require that an individual is fully qualified in 3 Maritime skills to operate in a Maritime environment. The date that the individual qualified in those skills is stored in the respective field. I do the calculations (to ensure qualification is in date still) on a report and produce a name (or names) of those qualified personnel.
So in my case doesn't a single Table work better for me? I am not a stock control or customer based design so many of the sample databases I have seen don't fit my requirements. I still feel though, having read many of the Table posts that I am committing a major sin with my design.
I am very new to access and the table was cobbled together with an "Access 2003 for Dummies" (quite apt in my case
) in one hand and a rough requirement drawn out in the other. I would like the database to be user friendly, efficient and structured for future use, so if a re-design is necessary then so be it. The data is in it and can be exported so a complete rebuild is not out of the question. Any advice, criticism or smacking with big "don't do that" stick will be much appreciated. 
I asked a question in the Query section and mentioned that I had made a table with "the usual last name, first name, course1, course2 etc" The Query reply was very helpful but one of the replies said I should go look at the Normalisation post. I have indeed been and looked and have a question.
My database is basically a tracker of skill sets an individual has (or will have), along with some data on that individual. There is a record set for each individual. I work in a specialised environment and I am interested in knowing the skill sets of an individual(or group) when those skills are due to expire or when they are booked for. I can produce numbers and statistics relating to individual or group skill sets. For instance certain tasks require that an individual is fully qualified in 3 Maritime skills to operate in a Maritime environment. The date that the individual qualified in those skills is stored in the respective field. I do the calculations (to ensure qualification is in date still) on a report and produce a name (or names) of those qualified personnel.
So in my case doesn't a single Table work better for me? I am not a stock control or customer based design so many of the sample databases I have seen don't fit my requirements. I still feel though, having read many of the Table posts that I am committing a major sin with my design.
I am very new to access and the table was cobbled together with an "Access 2003 for Dummies" (quite apt in my case

