I have finally resumed my series about using Access on a PC to feed a MySQL database on the web! Read part 2 here. This part describes the purpose of the database and describes 2 of the websites that get fed by this little homegrown system.
Remember that this method was created for websites that exist on servers that do NOT allow remote MySQL connections. Some servers do allow the remote connections, which simplifies the whole process.
I sent out a new article today. First one in months. I have the same 24 hours as everyone else, but …
No, I am not going to take the easy way out with an excuse.
Anyhow. Received 2 comments. One via the website and one via email. I appreciate both comments, even though they both were against me (at least a little!). The website comment was in regards to this posting about php and mysql. If you visit the posting you can read the comment.
My response? What can I say? I let my subscribers down. I will do my best to write another in the series, but not until after my daughter’s wedding. (hmmm, not good enough; only gives me 9 days grace!)
The email was about primary keys.
Hi Richard
Good to hear from you (been a while since you’ve uploaded a new article), and hopefully everything has been going well with you.
Just wanted to mention that your statement “Every table must have its own primary key” is a little misleading from our experience over the years. Lookup tables do not always need a primary key, whereby master tables should be since they’re the ones being ‘queried’ on a repetitive basis. The problem with Lookup tables just ordinarily being given a primary key is when the data is not meant to be ‘in order’. For example, a list of Job Titles in a single field table. Over the years a couple of clients have jumped on us for listing them alphabetically (naturally happens with a Primary Key on that field), when they should be listed in a hierarchical manner, e.g. CEO, CIO, President, 2nd VP, etc.
Just thought we’d add our two cents.
Keep up the good work,
My response?
I appreciate your comments.
Life always has exceptions, but I’ll stand by my preference this time.
Actually, if you read the fine print, I ALWAYS use autonumber fields for primary keys. I never want user generated data as a primary key. Some would consider me picky, but that’s okay, because your database is yours and ….
My need for a primary key is to provide for 1-to-many relationships, primarily. Now if you ponder that, why do I have them on the many sided table if it is a “dead end”? The answer to that comes via the style of unbound form that I use so often (which is another personal style some do not like, but, that’s okay cause …)
As to your example … in the hierarchical manner, e.g. CEO, CIO, President, 2nd VP, etc, what solution did you come up with, or have thought about, to allow simple sorting?
Dialogue is great, even when the other party disagrees, or tells you off!
Now I want to write more on both topics, and get some more dialogue going.
This is fun, even when it hurts!
While designing a relational database, it is a good idea to distribute the information in multiple tables. It is not advisable to store all the information in a single table, although it is easier to design. When your database grows in size, the efficiency decreases accordingly.
To read the rest of this article, Relational Database Design Guidelines - an introduction.
Have you ever had an Access database crash, and then not open again?
A database is said to be “corrupted” when a part of its data or functionality is lost. When an ACCESS database is corrupted, you may get several error messages while doing the common operations in ACCESS. For example, while opening and closing the database, while running forms or queries, while updating and saving records, or while scrolling through records. This is the indication that a part of your database is corrupted.
There are many reasons why this data or functionality corruption may occur.
Although my favourite “filtering” method is the MS Access Query tool, I do use the Access Filtering method regularly as well. Here is an introductory discussion of Filtering in MS Access.
A reader wrote to ask me the following.
Thank you very much for your sample databases. I did software for my hotel reservations and now I want to make SW for cash desk in my restaurant. Problem is that I do not know how to make matrix of buttons. Each buttom must have another name and another function. Names I have in my store software as PLU. For example I want to sell coffee then my staff will select category drinks and my SW will prepare matrix of buttons. There will be ice coffee, coffee, etc. How to do it. I have approximately 200 items in assorted categories.
I found this question quite interesting and it grabbed my curiosity. I actually dropped what I was doing to experiment. To see my full answer, check out Buttons: Now you see them, Now you don’t.
p.s. I’ve started including “Digg This” logos. If you appreciate all my hard work on these articles, please “Digg” my work. thanks
