[AccessD] VBA Unbound data entry / update form

 > If you REALLY must have a demo for this, let me know, 
maybe I can do that tomorrow....

LOL, no really, not needed.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com


Drew Wutka wrote:
> Why?  Two reasons.  One, you completely lose this record locking issue
> you are having now. Two, you give the Users way more capability.
> 
> I don't have enough time right now to whip up a demo, sorry, under the
> gun for a different project.  But here's the gist:
> 
> tblCase
> CaseID
> CaseName
> StartDate
> Etc.
> 
> tblContact
> ContactID
> FirstName
> LastName
> Etc.
> 
> tblCaseContacts
> CaseID
> ContactID
> 
> tblContactDetails
> ContactDetailID
> CaseID
> ContactID
> Representative
> TimeStamp
> DetailNote (this would be the memo field)
> 
> The reason I don't have time, is cause I don't have the time to build
> the case and contact portion (creating a case, adding a contact, etc),
> but your system already has this.  Now, when the user brings up a
> contact, in the setup above, the big text box that displays what you
> currently have as a single memo field, instead is returning the results
> of a function.  This function is setup to be given variable criteria.  A
> ContactID and or CaseID, Whether to ascend or descend, only details with
> certain words, only details within a time frame, etc.  All of these
> options are put in a handy little frame next to this big text box, so
> with the push of a button, this 'memo' field they have can sort the
> entries from oldest to newest, or newest to oldest.  With the push of a
> button, they can display all of the contact details for that contact and
> case, or for that case, or for that contact (so if that contact is
> involved with multiple cases, they can instantly see the entries for
> every case that contact has had, or if there are multiple contacts for
> that case, displaying the details for the case instead of the contact,
> they can say 'I see here that our reps talked to your brother
> yesterday....'
> 
> And below this big box, is a little smaller one, where they can enter a
> new contact detail, and as soon as they hit 'Submit' (or save,
> whatever), whalla, that data is saved as a new record (with the relevant
> information) in a split second.  No record locks, because the data other
> reps may be viewing is not being locked either.
> 
> If you REALLY must have a demo for this, let me know, maybe I can do
> that tomorrow....
> 
> Drew
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby
> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 6:04 PM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: Re: [AccessD] VBA Unbound data entry / update form
> 
>  > Question, are the people entering this data ever actually 
> EDITING information?
> 
> I don't sit and look over their shoulder, however I suspect 
> that they do.  These records are any and all "contacts" with 
> a specific individual or company.  Any given claim now has 
> hundreds of contacts.  As I listed before there are 
> literally dozens or even hundreds of different people that 
> may be contacted to process a claim.  These are disability 
> claims so there may be employers, witnesses, friends, 
> acquaintances, lawyers, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, 
> spouses, children, neighbors, dogs, cats, and the man in the 
> moon.  These claims can pay out 20K per month to a doctor on 
> disability, this is BIG money and they track (and check up 
> on) EVERYTHING.
> 
> I suspect that the reason they want all of the "contacts" 
> with any given entity in one record is simply for ease of 
> reading what was discussed with that contact.  Imagine 23 
> phone calls to try and get ahold of the spouse.  12 are no 
> answer, 5 are "I can't talk right now" and 2 are "here's the 
> skinny".  Now, if each of these are in a separate record, 
> separated in time and space with calls to the dog, the 
> milkman, the physician, some other physician, the private 
> investigator... Well... to some people it just makes sense 
> to have a single "spouse" contact record.  Dump it all in, 
> in date order, plainly marked and be done.
> 
> This is not a computer fix it help desk where there are a 
> handful of calls and the problem is fixed, there are a 
> minimum of dozens and often several hundred contacts in many 
> cases.  I have seen one case where there were around 250 
> contacts with JUST the spouse, trying to get her to repay an 
> overpayment.  And any given claim won't always have specific 
> contacts, some have spouses, some don't, some have lawyers, 
> some don't, some have 20 DIFFERENT lawyers (and physicians, 
> and hospitals, and drug stores).
> 
> Soo... yea, they are constantly editing the memo fields, 
> adding new info about contacting that entity.  Each 
> "contact" is date / time stamped with the initials of the 
> person making contact, embedded right in the text.  I know 
> that they do use searches right in the memo field looking 
> for keywords and what is the point of clicking "again" 47 
> times to read 47 "no answer" records?
> 
> I just don't "get" what the point is, and why the fixation 
> on splitting the memo into different records.
> 
> If I split it up, how do I reassemble all the milkman 
> contacts, all the physician contacts, all the spouse, dog, 
> cat, neighbor etc.  More to the point, why bother?  They 
> have a system that works, all it needs is to not lock the 
> record when the field is edited.  I can do that with 
> Gustav's unbound memo and a lock field.
> 
> I think the time spent fixating on normalizing things would 
> be better spent on examining your navel.
> 
> John W. Colby
> www.ColbyConsulting.com
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