I have several fields in a data base for entering
childrens names. I want the system to total the number
of children for each record. The fields are Text fields
and I don't believe the count will work. Is there any
other way and thanks.
Yes. There is another way!
Instead of having your table grow in width, with a different field for
each child's names, *use Access as it is designed* - as a relational
database. "Fields are expensive, records are cheap" as someone once
said in this forum.
You should have THREE tables here: I presume that each record here
refers to a class or an event? Assuming it's a class, you should have
a table of Children, a table of Classes, and a third table of
Enrollment:
Children
ChildID <student number, some unique key>
LastName
FirstName <note that you might have two children both named Jim
Smith>
<other biographical information about the child, e.g. parent's
names, address, ...>
Classes
ClassID <some unique identifier for the class>
<whatever your current table deals with>
Enrollment
ClassID <link to Classes>
ChildID <link to Children>
It's easy to enter data with this design, if you use a Form for the
Class (or whatever entity your current table represents) with a
Subform based on Enrollment; you can put a combo box on the form to
enter the studentID while displaying the student's name.
John W. Vinson[MVP]
