Hi Peter,
It sounds like you are trying to use an Access table as if it were an Excel spreadsheet. Access
and Excel are different animals, so you cannot necessarily apply techniques learned in Excel to
Access.
To fill in existing records, you can create an update query. Since you are new to Access, I
recommend first learning how to create select queries:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=304361.
You can convert a select query to an update query, by using the Query menu in query design. You
will see a new row in the QBE (Query by Example) grid labeled Update To:, after converting a
select query into an update query. Don't be surprised when you see no records when running an
update query. Action queries (append, update, delete) do not return recordsets like select
queries do. Also, I suggest either backing up your entire database, or making a copy of the
table before running an update query, just in case something goes wrong and you update the wrong
field or the wrong value, etc.
For new records, you can set a default value in table design mode for your Land Use field.
I recommend that you not use spaces or special characters in the names of any fields, objects
(tables, queries, forms, reports, etc.) or controls on your forms & reports. Since you are new
to Access, I'm going to offer you several good links to information concerning naming
conventions, reserved words, and database design:
Naming Conventions
Special characters that you must avoid when you work with Access databases
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=826763
Commonly used naming conventions
http://www.mvps.org/access/general/gen0012.htm
http://www.xoc.net/standards/default.asp
Using a Naming Convention
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...us/odeopg/html/deconusingnamingconvention.asp
Reserved Words
Reserved Words in Microsoft Access
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=286335
List of reserved words in Jet 4.0
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=321266
Database Design
You should spend some time gaining an understanding of database design and normalization before
attempting to build something in Access (or any RDBMS software for that matter). Here are some
links to get you started. Don't underestimate the importance of gaining a good understanding of
database design. Brew a good pot of coffee and enjoy reading!
http://www.datatexcg.com/Downloads/DatabaseDesignTips1997.pdf
http://www.eade.com/AccessSIG/downloads.htm
(See the last download titled "Understanding Normalization")
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=234208
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=289533
Also recommended: Find the copy of Northwind.mdb that is probably already installed on your hard
drive. Study the relationships between the various tables (Tools > Relationships...)
Name AutoCorrect
Name AutoCorrect was introduced with Access 2000. This is a most buggy feature. I recommend
always deselecting the options to track & perform corrections via Tools > Options ---> General
Tab. Unfortunately, these options are selected by default in all new databases, so you should
remember to always deselect it. For more information, see the following article:
Failures caused by Name Auto-Correct
http://members.iinet.net.au/~allenbrowne/bug-03.html
Tom
_______________________________________
I'm pretty new to Access, well lets just say very new to Access.
I've got a table with Object ID's; Land Use Remarks; Land Use & Land Use
Descriptions. We have added a coloumn called Land Use which we are
standardizing for the governments zoning scheme. Majority of the Land Use
will = Dwelling House. How do I select these cells to paste Dwelling House
insted of having to type it out or to select it from a lookup table. I've
tried to select multiple items and selected paste, but it only pastes the
first cell.
Anyone's assistance will be greatly appreciated.
