[AccessD] Many to Many problem part 1 - the background

Kathryn Bassett kathryn at bassett.net
Wed Jul 18 13:13:43 CDT 2007


I've been working on something on Webweavers (Dreamweaver group). But my design problem actualy has more to do with understanding how to imput something into MySql database. If I could understand it in Access, then I will be able to figure it out in MySql. With that in mind, an explanation of what will be in the database is needed. In Webweavers, one of the gals didn't understand the collections the database is based on.

I'll start with Win's last question first:
> You talked about a library of collections, but what I see here looks 
> like a genealogy of sorts.  To me a library means collections of 
> literary works - is that not the case here?

No, that's not the case. Have you ever heard of a libray that has "vertical files"? I'll give you an example. A number of years ago, I went to the library in Lake county Ohio. In the genealogy and history section of the library they had a file cabinet of uncataloged papers. In this particular case, there were file folders with surnames on it. A misc jumble of papers would end up in the file folders. In the case I'm thinking of, there was a folder named Harmon. In it were just two papers, one was a letter from someone inquiring about a Harmon family. The other was a copy of a genealogy society newsletter with an article on a man named Harmon. This is unindexed material, not in any catalogs. If I hadn't gone there in person and looked in the files, I would not have made the discovery that was important to me (if you are curious, http://bassett.net/secondsite/kathryn-p/p202.shtml#i10064 and scroll down til you see Story).

Another, larger example is Gwen, the lady I work for. She has the equivalent of about 30 "bankers boxes" full of materials from her 30+ years of research. There are many "collections" like this - they are not published books or other literary works. People like Caroline Ackley, David Gardner, Walter Hilbig etc have turned over their un-indexed collections to my friend Arlene. She has been going through the collections and been making indexes of the names in the collections.

In metaphoric terms, she has a notebook labeled Caroline Ackley, and as she was going through that collection and sorting it into a way she could find things in the future, she wrote down names she encountered. In some cases, she also made a note about the name - like my hypothetical memo for John Doe in the AckleyCaroline collection (see below).

There are many genealogists that will be interested in knowing that "Win Day" is mentioned in an otherwise unindexed group of papers that Alene now has, and they are willing to pay to get copies of those papers - or they will plan to visit her library in person to look at them. Her library is not a normal library, it's an archive of research collections. 

Hopefully, this fuller description will help you all understand.

> When I design a database, I don't start with the database, or thinking 
> about the web-based forms.  I start by writing descriptions of the 
> information I want to display and how the bits relate to each other.

After someone does a search by filling in last name and probably also the first name (though they may only search last name), then this is a sample of what I want to display.

=========
Someone by the name of Win Day(1) can be found in the following collections:

AckleyCaroline(2) - son of Fred, circa 1800; son of Thomas, circa 1600; and another married to Jane Smith(3)
GardnerDavid(2) - married to Jane Smith(3)
HilbigWalter(2)
SmithJeremiah(2)
 
For a flat fee of $n you can get a copy of 1-nn pages. If there are more than nn pages involved, you will be notified of the charge and your payment can either be applied or refunded if you choose not to purchase.
=========

(1) pulled in from tblCScollections
(2) pulled in from tblCSnames
(3) pulled in from tblCSmemos

So, that is the information I want to display. Part two will describe where I'm stuck.

--
Kathryn Rhinehart Bassett (Pasadena CA)
"Genealogy is my bag" "GH is my soap"
kathryn at bassett.net
http://bassett.net   

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