Table to determine which fields to show

[laffeg]

I have been tasked with converting a series of excel sheets into an access database to allow multi user entry

the main table will have a product name - desc in image below - and some fields that are required for all records but also a raft of other fields that only certain records will require - based on product

I thought by having table as in image with yes/no fields to record which fields are required for each record, I would then be able to make form entry simpler but struggling to see how I can use this table to make the form entry work.

any suggestions welcome, thanks

 

[Galaxiom]

A better way to handle a multitude of dimensions is to make them into data.

In the basic implementation, the Dimension table would have these fields:

DimensionPK
FK to the main record
DimensionName
DimensionValue
DimensionUnit

The unit dimension can be as simple as text but it is better to store the dimension as metres, litres etc along with a multiplier factor providing a complete consistent scalable unit that covers any number and can configured to display units at a user defined multiplier.

A more advanced design gets funky with the meaning of a "unit" by defining a multidimensional unit in another table. A single value in the Measurement table record links to anything you want to know about that dimension. Those dimensions can even be linked to calibration records if you like.

Classes of materials can be defined and assigned a standard set of dimensions. That set can be stored in a table related to the material it is measuring. This keeps consistent dimensioning through the related materials.

Notice how everything about the dimension is easily defined because it is held in the data rather than the field names. This allows an unlimited number of dimensions to be managed, adding new dimensions without ever touching the table structure.

With a properly formatted continuous subform, the multiple dimension records can be made to look like they are just fields on the main form.

 

[laffeg]

hi
thanks for the reply
at first I didn't understand your suggestion but yes I can see how that would help

will give it a go this week

thanks again