stop duplicate data

[DaveB]

I'm a service plumber. Is there a way to make my data
base so that if someone calls me again, instead of me
filling in their information twice, instead it will go to
their info? How would you set this up?

 

[Sal Rosario]

You can use a form with combo boxes to choose an existing customer.

Regards,

Sal Rosario
Database Cosultant in NJ
www.salrosario.com

 

[DaveB]

What I need to do, is when I say type in the first name,
last name, and phone #, and they all match, I need the
form to go the form that it matches, and also to delete
the current form or at least the info that I typed into
it. Can you tell me how to do this? Remember, I'm just a
beginner.

 

[PC Datasheet]

Dave,

Create a customer table and a service call table. Include the customer's name,
address and other pertiment customer fields in the customer table. Make the
primary key customerID. Include all the pertinent service call fields in the
service call table. Make the foreign key customerID. Create a main form based on
the customer table and a subform based on the service call table. Set the
linkmaster and linkchild properties to customerID. Use an unbound combobox that
displays customers' names that will cause the main form to jump to the record of
the customer you select in the combo box. You can use the combobox wizard to
create this. You'll be able to enter new customers or jump to the record of
repeat customers in the main form. The subform will allow you to enter as many
service calls as you do for each customer.

 

[Rolls]

See the answer by PC Datasheet. You want basic information about each
unique customer stored in one master table. You will enter that only once,
with a unique identifying customer code. Maybe the first 5 letters of the
last name or SMIT1, SMIT2 if you have two Smiths. It should easy to
remember. Use a separate table for further information about each service
call. You have one customer SMIT1 but possibly more than one service call.
This sets up a parent-child or one-to-many relationship between the tables.
The frmMain / sfrmCall pair will let you see both tables on one screen.
Each customer displayed will show all service calls. Whem you change the
customer you should then see any and all calls for that customer, and so on
for all customers.