Replies

Thanks Drew,

I will pass it along.

Bret

Thanks Hans,

I will forward you suggestions to him. I hope it is that simple.

Bret

Thanks Wendell,

Compact and repair is one that I don’t often think about and I should. I’ll pass this along.

Thanks again,

Bret

Thanks Charlotte and Hans,

This has been real helpful. Now I just need to spend some time and then later I won’t have to dig quite so hard to find the answers.

Bret

I think I am starting to see what you are saying. My “totals” spreadsheet is in columns and rows, the problem there has been the fact that I am using two or three rows at the top for the labels.

I will try importing just the totals sheet. In the past have seen the other spreadsheets displayed on the import screen and I knew they wouldn’t work.

Thanks Hans

Hello Hans,

When you say the the ” or have a name assinged to them”, do you mean, name the cell in Excel. For example instead of cell d4 give it the name “temperature”?

The problem I have had with importing into Access is that the spreadsheets are laid out in the fashion of the original paper form that was filled out by hand every night. This puts label and data mixed together in columns and rows.

Thanks Hans

Hello Charlotte,

Right now I would like to just use the totals. I don’t really care that I convert the entire worksheets.

Eventually I would like to move all of this to Access. I like the idea of being able to use the data that I collect and I have decided that I was wrong to use Excel for this purpose. It requires to much manual manipulation to be very useful. I need to create forms that resemble the Excel Spreadsheets we use so as to not create angst for my managers when they do their daily paper work.

Thanks Charlotte

Thanks Hans,

I’ll give try your suggestion. As long as I have all of you to lean on my frustration never lasts very long. Thanks so much for all the help you and the others give on this board it is great.

Computers are one of the few areas left that people seem to honestly love helping each other.

Bret

Thanks Wendell,

I have had more success with queries today so maybe I was just brain dead last night. I still have tons to learn. I will see if I can find the book you recommend. Thanks.

I have a question about forms that I will pose on another thread.

Thanks again,

Bret

Pat you are right the database is to large for Excel.

Now, where do I turn to learn SQL? Are there any good sources on the web? Books?

Thanks,

Bret

Here is an example of one of the things that frustrates me. I would like to be able to simply ask “How many of item X did we sell between these two dates?” I want it to be able to be asked by me or my manager who is a complete novice to computing. therefor it will really require a form that has all the different sort criteria available. Here is the rub, the datatime field that is in the database tracks each individual sale by data and time. So unless I use the DateValue function I get fifty entries that return all with one sales each.

I tried the Excel import and the database is to big.

Thanks for all the help, you will all be hearing from me more. I will not be defeated in my quest. I just get frustrated and think that I must be going about things in the wrong way.

Thanks a lot,

Bret

Thanks Hans,

I just get so frustrated. I know I have a wealth of info here and I can’t really use it. Do you know of any end user Data mining software that will do what I want. Doing a web search doesn’t seem to help. I have purchased Crystal reports and find it just as confusing as Access. I have probably wasted thousands of dollars in software and time trying to get the answers I want.

I hear how wonderful Access is and I can believe it, I see a lot of programs based on it. I just wish I could really use the data I have stored.

I will keep struggling, buying books and asking for help.

Thans again, I’ll be back for more help.

Bret

Thanks Ed,

I’ll give this a try. It is just so frustrating that all this information seems to be right at my finger tips and all it is is so much fluff.

Thanks again,

Bret

Thanks for replying Charlotte. The application on the Palm is called Tracer Plus. It creates a database that is then exported to the PC. I have used the software for about a year and they came out with an new feature that creates an OBDC file to link directly to Access. Since I upgraded that software I have found that their OBDC file sets up a table but all the data has the data type of Text. I have tried to change things on their end without success.

Today I was trying to use their table to get the data from and then use append delete or something to create a different table that I could change the data types to the proper settings.

What is happening (I am assuming this) is that when I run a query the data type being text doesn’t allow for a comparsion of less than, greater than or equal to, as a number datatype would. The query is now returning items that have a negative amount for reorder.

Does this make it as clear as mud.

TIA
Bret

Thanks Hans and John,

It works great.

Bret