Altering Choices in Drop Down Menu based on a table

[Aso]

I am wracking my brain trying to not screw up years of data in a database I
created at work. I need to updated some drop down menu choices and some that
have been used need to be eliminated. I am kind of brainfarting here and I
want to make sure that by changing these items or removing them that it will
not affect the historical data in the tables where the full records are kept.
I need some reassurance if at all possible.

I made a dummy database and have played around with it and it seems to
maintain the data but this is a little nervewracking. My only other option if
this would not work, is to archive the tables/data and I cant figure out how
i would compare new data with old data (Boss' wish there) not that it
completely makes sense to. The purpose of that is to have the option to find
the trends with the current back through such a time frame in what would be
the archived data in a one stop shop in lieu of dumping this that and the
other into Excel for comparison. Any reassurance/help is EXTREMELY
appreciated.

Thank you =)

 

[Dorian]

It depends....
Do you have a relationship set up between your main table and the table that
holds the drop-down values. If so, you can only add new drop-down values you
cannot delete them. In this case you will need a 'delete-flag' in the
drop-down values table which can be yes/no field set to yes for an inactive
record and no for active record.
Set this fields to yes to remove a record from the drop-down (whilst
retaining in the table). You will need to change the query that supplies the
drop-down values to test this flag.
Hope this helps.
-- Dorian.
"Give someone a fish and they eat for a day; teach someone to fish and they
eat for a lifetime".