[AccessD] Autonumber Assigned Immediately

My reason for not doing that is quite simple as I explained in a previous
email.  An autonumber being the PK is the only PK that makes sense <ducks>,
but as soon as you place meaning on it, it will require changing.  The
problem becomes that you use the PK as an exposed number in 5 forms, 13
queries and 12 reports.  Now the "suit" comes along and requires you change
it to the letters in his daughter's name, scrambled, plus her birthday,
minus his mother's maiden name.  You now have to go add a field to hold this
new construct, and then fix all those forms, reports and queries.  Better,
if you are going to expose the number, that you just add a field to the
table right away, and then immediately (as each record / autonumber is
created) copy the autonumber into this new field.  Now if the "suit" makes
this ridiculous order (and it WILL happen if you DON'T plan for it), you
just alter the field data type, build the ridiculous order number generator
and apply it to the already existing field.  The field name remains the
same, the queries, forms and reports continue to work.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com 

Contribute your unused CPU cycles to a good cause:
http://folding.stanford.edu/

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Reuben Cummings
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 11:46 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Autonumber Assigned Immediately


I don't know why everyone is so adamant about no showing an autonumber.  I
agree technically they shouldn't be shown.

But sometimes a simple solution is the best.  For example, we currently have
some contracts to 'digitize' a state required form for several local
counties.  Our solution to digitize is merely enter the data into a DB we
created.  However, the paper copies have to remain available.  We number
every form we put in so that the user can then search and find a paper copy
by using the number generated by the software.

Initially we did this using the autonumber and it worked perfectly (we had
to abandon it to allow multiple entry persons for one county.

It is a row identifier and therefore always points to the same set of data.
If he wants to use it as an identifier let him.  I have.

Reuben Cummings
GFC, LLC
812.523.1017


> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Charlotte 
> Foust
> Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 10:31 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: Re: [AccessD] Autonumber Assigned Immediately
>
>
> That doesn't make sense.  If you have pull data in from other tables 
> and populated fields in a new record, the autonumber should have been 
> assigned, so there's something you aren't telling us.  And as someone 
> else pointed out, the user should NEVER see the autonumber.  It has no 
> meaning, it merely identifies a row, not the data in the row, and it 
> should not be treated as meaningful.





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