[AccessD] Checkboxes/MultiSelect Listbox - What's Best?

John W. Colby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Mon Feb 16 21:11:40 CST 2004


Terri,

There is no "best" answer for this kind of question.  Drew has pointed out
some of the considerations, specifically the storage size etc.  The most
important thing to determine is "will there EVER be more of these things.
If so then using fields just sucks since to add a new type you have to clear
all the users out and add a new field, add it to queries, forms and reports.
If these types may EVER change then adding a "child" table allows you to add
in new types simply by adding a new record.

That said, some types of reports are MORE difficult with child records since
to see "counts" of these across a graph you now have to do crosstabs etc.

If this is a "control"program where the types are well defined, there are
just a handful, they can be implemented as bits in a long (for example) and
you need SPEED in comparing them to values in other records then setting up
bitmasks and representing them as bits in a long integer can be quite
useful.

So again, what is the end use?  How many of these things are there?  Can
their names change over time?  Can the number of them change over time?  Are
they used to switch on / off relays in an assembly line or map photocells in
a control widget or just "label" an object or a property of an object?

It sounds to me like you can have N of M of them for any given contract, the
number of these codes could change over time (tomorrow you might need N of X
of them), and thus the flexibility of a "lookup table" of these codes, with
a m-m between the lookup table and the contract table would give the ability
to handle anything that life might throw at you.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Terri Jarus
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2004 4:56 PM
To: accessd-owner at databaseadvisors.com
Subject: [AccessD] Checkboxes/MultiSelect Listbox - What's Best?


I'm redesigning an existing database that is not fully normalized.  Here is
an example where I'm not sure the best way to handle.  Current db has a
field (Boolean) for each program:  AS, DI, MS, SS, LB, NU for example and
the user checks the applicable box(es) that are related to their contract.

I was going to use a Multiselect Listbox and have it save a string value to
the field Programs - but, I would  need the string value to be in a
consistent order.

Another idea would be to save a record for each program in a Programs table.

Which is the best route to follow?  Any suggestions?

If you need more information, just let me know.  Thank you for your input.

Terri Jarus
Director, Contract Support Services
jarus at amerinet-gpo.com
314-542-1902


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individuals or entities to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please return
it to the sender, and erase any copies thereof.
Copyright 2004 Amerinet 1nc.
_______________________________________________
AccessD mailing list
AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com






More information about the AccessD mailing list