Autonumber Question

[muriel]

I have a database where multiple users will enter data, but it will not be on a shared network. Either I will distribute a master or each user will enter the data into their copy and then I'll have to merge the data at one point.

My question - will autonumber work since all data will be merged into one master of the database and not entered into a database on a shared network?

Thanks!!

 

[grtammi]

Since you're keying on the autonumber field, my suggestion would be to make a tiny modification to the way you're going to lay out your tables for data entry.

What I would do in this case is NOT have a primary key ( in your case, the autonumber field) in the data entry tables, but only in the master database table. Since you will have an autonumber field in the master database, each value that is added / merged into this table will be assigned a key value, determined by the autonumber field.

There's is probably a better way to do this, and there's a lot of excellent people in here - I'd be curious to see their response.

HTH

Greg


Boss quote from an office meeting: We're going to continue to have these meetings until we figure out why no work is getting done ...

 

[Rolliee]

The answer here depends on how you use autonumber.

rollie@bwsys.net

 

[MichaelRed]

The MS 'Suggested' approach (documented via the ubiquitous {F1} key) is to use the replication feature. This will "automaticcally" change the AutoNumber "type" to GUID, and maost of the "key" values will be unique.





MichaelRed
m.red@att.net

Searching for employment in all the wrong places

 

[muriel]

Thanks for the responses. To clarify re Rolliee's response, I'll be using autonumber to track bibliographic documents with their corresponding records in the database. Users will get the number (generated by autonumber and shown on the data entry form screen) as they enter the bibliographic info in the database and will use the number to track the hard copy documents. So it's a tracking number both in the database and with a hard copy library.

My main concern is that autonumber will work when I distribute copies of the database for users to enter info and then merge all the records into the master. We don't use a shared network, so users will have their own copies and then periodically I will need to update the master.

 

[MichaelRed]

Won't work that way. Read the help suggesed.



MichaelRed
m.red@att.net

Searching for employment in all the wrong places