Where/how do I store reference information

[Dave1963]

G'day,

I have not developed a database application before. At my work I was seconded to fill in as a team lead for a change management team. We are in a production environment and need to track the progress of product improvements. The current system is very complicated using an enormous Excel spreadsheet and a very bid MSProject schedule.
It is very handraulic in the way it is maintained.

Before I started I reviewed who inputs data, who uses the data, and what metrics are reported. I can reduce the amount of data that is recorded by only generating many of the existing Excel fields through calculation run when a report is generated or a chart populated.

I need to track the state of several hundred minor changes through the production run.
The reference data I need to store is serial number against production batch. This is fixed data that is not changed, only used as to show the entry point of a change into the production line and which serial numbers the change is applied to.

Where or how do I store this information?

I look forward to your advice. Thanking you in advance.

Dave

 

[namliam]

In a table?

Is that the answer you are looking for?

 

[Dave1963]

Thanks namliam,

I don't know. If I allocate the entry point of a change as serial number 25, production batch 3, when I run a progress query can I then show the Configuration Manager that this change is applied to all following serial numbers and production batches?
I wish to graph the totals of design changes by development state and project a cummaltive summary to the end of the production run.

I was afraid the answer would be "in a module as a declared constant" or something like that but as a rank amatuer I can handle tables.

Dave

 

[namliam]

Yes I think so, I believe this is a case of getting your design/normalization proper to make sure things work as you want them too.

I would likely have a configuration table that would hold the different configurations over time, possibly with an "active" flag/tick or active from / active to dates/times
This should be able to do what I think I understand of your problem.