[AccessD] This seems to get me often

John R Bartow jbartow at winhaven.net
Wed Dec 24 23:41:31 CST 2014


No insult intended, I do simple apps myself sometimes ;-)

What you mention Charlotte is why, IMO, many database gurus have a thing about Access. A power user designs an app to do one thing and designs the backend to do one thing, disregarding the tenants of normalization. A few years later their asked to update it to do more things and it would take a redesign to accomplish it. We know that access can handle well planned normalized schemas, it's just that it doesn't have to.

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Charlotte Foust
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 11:28 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] This seems to get me often

Susan,

I recognize your situation and understand.  Just know that the simple apps have a way of sticking around forever and user appetites for new reports and features usually leads to a  need for normalization.  For me it's easier to just design that way from the start.  I'm lazy!

Charlotte
On Dec 24, 2014 5:28 AM, "Susan Harkins" <ssharkins at gmail.com> wrote:

> Charlotte, this makes perfect sense, but it isn't the way I would 
> approach it for a db I might be working on, but then, mine would be 
> small and specific. I know some of you use Access to create dbs with a 
> much broader scope and that definitely impacts your design. I think 
> perhaps the smaller the project, the more freedom you have -- I might 
> be wrong. :)
>
> It's kind of interesting because I downloaded a few knitting patterns 
> this morning and it hit me that designing a database is really a very 
> creative endeavor. You have a pattern, you have stitches that you know 
> and have used for years -- but still, we all seem to bring our own 
> personal process to the project. :) Another knitter can observe and 
> with a minimal amount of explanation from you, they might say, "That's 
> not how I would've done it, but that's nice!" :)
>
> When I stopped working in and writing about Access, I don't think I 
> realized how hard it would be to reclaim the skill. It's like riding a 
> bike right? Um... not for me. And speaking of... I tried riding a bike 
> with my granddaughter a few years back. That wasn't so easy either. :)
>
> Susan H.
>
> On Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 8:02 PM, Charlotte Foust < 
> charlotte.foust at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > The donation table contains donation, amount, date, donorID, perhaps 
> > type of donation (i.e. pledge, lump sum, in kind, etc.).  You have a 
> > persons table that includes a field for companyID because you 
> > probably want to address any thank yous to that person's attention 
> > at their company, if any.  The Company table is just that, 
> > companies.  It may have multiple addresses so those are linked to 
> > the persons table.  If you put contacts into the company table, you 
> > will either wind up overwriting the contacts for future donations, 
> > or you'll have duplicates of the company for different contacts.  
> > The persons and companies table have addresses in an Address table whose PK is inserted as an FK in the appropriate table.
> Does
> > that seem any clearer?
> >
> >
> > Charlotte
> >
> > On Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 4:48 PM, Susan Harkins <ssharkins at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > A donor can be an individual or an organization -- they're all donors.
> > > Donor is the entity, the name and type of donor all belong to donor.
> > Right?
> > >
> > > Susan H.
> > >
> > > On Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 7:36 PM, Charlotte Foust < 
> > > charlotte.foust at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > ​Not without denormalizing the table.
> > > >
> > > > Charlotte​
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 4:32 PM, Susan Harkins 
> > > > <ssharkins at gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Is there anyway to have orgs and individuals in the same table?
> > > >
> > > >
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