Thanks for reply DB guy,

You hit the nail on the head. i.e., the internal mask would not enable the
'n/a'.
I used 'is not null' validaion rule with a 'message' and no zero length
string.

"theDBguy" wrote:

Hi,

Not sure how you can create an Input Mask to allow both "N/A" and "(999)
999-9999". However, another option might be that:

Data Type: Text
Required: Yes
Allow Zero Length: No
Default Value: "N/A"

Just my 2 cents...


"Steve Stad" wrote:

Can you tell me how to write a data validation rule I can use in the table
design mode for a phone number field that will not allow blanks (eg Not null)
and allow user to write N/A if phone number is not known or available AND
allow user to type a phone number as (123) 123-3456 if phone number is
available.
Thanks.