problem with using a query as a basis for a form

[Kevin]

I am using a query, which combines fields from 2 tables (a main table
and an ancillary table), as the basis for a form's records. In the
query I defined a relationship between two fields, so that I could get
the query to only give me the correct number of main records and not
multiples of the main records. The problem I have however is that when
a main record is deleted, it also deletes the linked ancillary record,
which I don't want it to do.

The main table had some information about trademark registrations. I
had originally included an ole field in each record to include a
picture, but that made the DB too big, so I split out the pictures
into another table, and linked the two tables through a field called
TMTypeName. I still needed the form to show the pictures and that is
why I tried the query linking the tables.

Could someone suggest a better way of doing this, either in the design
of the query or the form. (I would rather not link to pictures outside
of the database).

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Kevin

If deleting the parent record also deletes the related child record(s),
that's good referential integrity! If you are able to get rid of a "parent"
without affecting the "children", you get orphans -- no way to know to whom
those "child" records relate. Why do you consider this a bad thing...? Put
another way, what kind of database structure/relationship do you have set up
that makes it desirable to do this?

A scan through the tablesdbdesign newsgroup will reveal that keep pictures
in a Access database can lead to serious "bloat". Again, what is your
underlying business need/rationale for not wanting to keep the pictures
outside of Access?