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SpencerWulwick
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One Form vs Form with Sub-Form(s)
Dec 29th, 2005 at 10:58pm
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Hi -

I'm getting ready to convert another of my few remaining databases in shhhhh Access to Sesame.

Before I begin yet another project, I would appreciate some feedback.

Each CD will be entered on a form with basic information about the CD such as Name, Date Purchased, Slot # in CD Player, etc.

Additionally, for each track, I want to record the Track #, Track Title, Recording Artist, Track Length and Title. 

I have never used sub-forms and am wondering whether this is a situation where I chould consider it (rather than creating a single form with 40 tracks even though a CD may only have 6 or 11, etc.).

Comments on the ramifications of the two approaches - especially with regard to the impact on searches and reports - would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
  
- Spencer

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The Cow
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Re: One Form vs Form with Sub-Form(s)
Reply #1 - Dec 30th, 2005 at 12:46am
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Quote:
Hi -

I'm getting ready to convert another of my few remaining databases in shhhhh Access to Sesame.

Before I begin yet another project, I would appreciate some feedback.

Each CD will be entered on a form with basic information about the CD such as Name, Date Purchased, Slot # in CD Player, etc.

Additionally, for each track, I want to record the Track #, Track Title, Recording Artist, Track Length and Title. 

Exactly the application Sesame was designed for. When we were young and had more disposable income, my wife and I collected LPs. Between the two of us we have a couple thousand. I have always dreamed of having the free time to put them all in a database. Not just the titles, but also who plays on which songs, and what instruments they play.
Quote:
I have never used sub-forms and am wondering whether this is a situation where I chould consider it (rather than creating a single form with 40 tracks even though a CD may only have 6 or 11, etc.).

Comments on the ramifications of the two approaches - especially with regard to the impact on searches and reports - would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


I would recommend a naturally linked subform. It will prevent you from having a lot of empty fields. Even empty, fields take up storage and use up resources. The LEs for those empty fields also take up a lot of form space.

As far as searching is concerned, subforms win hands down, in that you can search any of "song sub-records" for a song and get back all of the parent records that have that song on any track. If you use a bunch of LEs, you will need to know which track the song is to do a search on it.

For reports, subforms can be a bit tricky. Ray has some good examples of working with subforms and reports (with and wihout subreports). But then dealing with a lot of repetitive empty fields in a report isn't much fun.

Since a set of songs cannot appear on more than one CD, remember that you will want to use natural (not relational) linking. It probably won't be perfectly normalized - but in this type of application that shouldn't matter at all.
  
Mark Lasersohn&&Programmer&&Lantica Software, LLC
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SpencerWulwick
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Re: One Form vs Form with Sub-Form(s)
Reply #2 - Dec 30th, 2005 at 2:14am
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Thanks Mark,

You certainly make it sound like a "no-brainer" regarding which method to choose.

So it looks like I will finally get experience using sub-forms.

One last question.  Where do you suggest I start?

Cheesy
  
- Spencer

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SpencerWulwick
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Re: One Form vs Form with Sub-Form(s)
Reply #3 - Dec 30th, 2005 at 4:16am
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Hi -

OK, I see that there is a sample application in the Quick Start Tutorial and an entire section in the User Guide, so I'll start there.

Sooo, you can ignore my last question in the preceding message unless there is something else that I am overlooking.

Thanks!
  
- Spencer

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SpencerWulwick
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Re: One Form vs Form with Sub-Form(s)
Reply #4 - Dec 30th, 2005 at 6:03am
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Hi -

Hey!  Am I the only one who is going to reply to me?  lol

WOW!!!

I have already created my first application with sub-forms and I cannot believe how incredibly easy it was.  Also, I picked up a few pointers by following the Quick-Start tutorial that I either had missed or completely forgotten about when - what seems like eons ago - I first used the tutorial.

I'm sure that I'll have questions as I go along - in most probability with regard to reports and (perhaps - though doubtful cuz I think I see how it works) searching, and I'll ask them as I go along.

But, all-in-all, this really isn't any more difficult than creating a database with a single form.

One question that does come to mind.  In Access, the sub-form records are in a separate table.  Is there a way to export from Access/import to Sesame to both the main and sub-form with the related information being in the proper relationship and sequence?

ONLY 26 MORE DAYS!
  
- Spencer

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