Stop duplication

[JulieAsking]

Kind people - I'd like to ask how to get Access97 to recognise that I am entering a name in a new record that has already been entered previously. My DB is for surgical operations and most patients will have just one operation but some will have multiple operations. Joe Bloggs might have been recorded as having an op around 100 records ago and six months later I have forgotten about him. My DB as it is now allows me to add a new record for him. What I need to do is to be made aware he already exists in my DB so I can go back to his original record and add the second operation to the subform, set up as a subform for this purpose.

Many thanks for any help - Julie

 

[Rich]

It's actually very difficult, if not impossible, if you think about it. The nearest you will get is for Access to warn you that someone with a surname of say Smith already exists, you could then create the necc forms needed to scroll through the existing Smiths to see if the one you require is already listed. There have been numerous posts on this topic, if you use the search button here you'll find numerous answers with differing methods.
HTH

 

[JulieAsking]

Thank you Rich. Appreciate your reply.