help with a database that is storing data from a form

[Shanin]

I don't know if this is the right area or not but I'll give it a shot.
Basically what we are wanting is to make a database that will store
information that we currently have on written incident forms and be able to
run query's on this information if needed and sort by all types of criteria.
At first this seemed like a no-brainer but that was when I thought these
forms would only have on catagory or sub-catagory marked per form, which is
not the case. I'll try and explain the paper form the best I can.

It would list the person it occurred on, the date, the location, the persons
involved (which could be staff, supervisors, Q's, Coordinators), and the type
of incident, which there are 6 and they each have several sub-catagories to
define it more specifically as well as each has a description box. The thing
is, more than one of those 6 catagories can be marked per incident, as well
as more than one sub-catagory.

They then want to be able to run queries on this and be able to sort by
location, date, individual, staff, event type, etc. Is there any easy way to
set this up where there would not need to be a separate query for each sort
option, like a main page where you could select sort by this field and this
field but not the others? And would there be any way to when entering the
data onto a form to have it where the six main catagories were a drop down
box, and if one was selected the sub catagory box would automatically list
the sub catagories for that main catagory? There would also have to be a way
to enter more than one catagory if needed too.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Shanin

"Easy way"? For whom?!

Access is a relational database that can certainly be used to create an
application to do what you're describing. Access also has a fairly steep
learning curve. If you've never used Access before, and haven't
designed/developed applications, this would certainly fall into the "bigger
than a breadbox" category. For an experience Access developer, not nearly
as painful.

There's a chance someone has already created an application that can do what
you want. Try searching at Google.com, using some of the keywords you've
included, like "incident".

This and the other microsoft.public.access.xxxxx newsgroups are available
for help with specific questions. Since most all of the folks responding
here are volunteering their time, you might have some difficulty finding
someone willing to do the design and development work your description seems
to call for...

Good luck!

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[Shanin]

Well I didn't mean easy, really meaning a point in the right direction as to
not start off wrong and apply more work then necessary to make it work
correctly

I've created databases before in Access, just never one that had so many
sub-catagories that needed to be sorted by. The only thing I really need a
little help getting going on would be the drop down box if I say I have a
field named "catagory", and one called "subcatagory", to get the field called
subcatagory to pull up the list related to the catagory. And on the query, I
could make a seperate one for each thing they want to seach by but just
wondering if there was some easier trick of being able to run one query with
multiple sorts by selecting from a common form, such as having drop down
boxes to sort by this location and this supervisor, or this location and this
employee, allowing you to select multiple options for none at all and just
pull them all up? I'm not wanting someone to make it for me...just give me
an example that could help get me started

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Shanin

I'm having a bit of trouble following what you have and what you want to do.

It sound, though like you want to have the selection in one combo box limit
the choices in the next combo box. You can learn more about this by
checking at Google.com or at mvps.org for "Cascading Combo Boxes".

If you are also asking about using a form as a way to search/filter, both
those sources will provide leads using "search form" or "filter form" as
search terms.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP