Adding Records Across all related tables

[karibarikix]

Right now I have set up a database that links all information about a sample type by its ID. The idea was to be able to see all of the characterization of this sample through the ID. So if I am looking @ sample ID GA12 than I can click on different buttons/layouts to see all of the data on this sample (MASS, thickness, SEM images). In the beginning I had just one table with many layouts, but now it seems for automating reasons it would be easier to have multiple tables that are related through the Sample ID. My problem is when I create a record in one Table it does not create the same record in all other tables. Also if an ID needs to be changed slightly I want it to update in all of the tables not jus the table I am working at. Can anybody help?

[Maarten Witberg]

Hi.

 

If an ID changes sometimes, it is not suitable for use as a relationship key. It's better (no, imperative ) to use auto-generated ID keys. You can still use your own ID as identifier for a record, but look at it as if it's a name field in a contacts file.

so what you can do is create a main table that holds the basic info for your sample (such as its ID-"name", date taken etc) and child tables for all the other things.

 

But generally speaking, it is useful only to make a child table if there are multiple similar data to link. I can imagine that this would be the case for "SEM images" although I don't have a clue what those are. But the mass of a sample wouldn't change, so you can store that in the main table. Unless it evaporates or something and you measure that intermittently. Anyway, you get my point.

 

Now I don't understand why you want to create all the related records upon creation of the main record. These can be created upon data entry, for instance in a portal this is a matter of clicking in the first empty portal row when so allowed in the setup. But if there is no sem image, why create a record for it?

 

In the setup I outlined, if you want to view for instance the table with all the images, you can put in the related ID "name". And if it is changed in the main table, it automatically updates in all layouts of any child table you put it in.

 

hope this clears things up a bit

 

kjoe