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#1
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Storing Periodic One-Time Report Invoice Data
I have a billing database that also creates invoice reports. 95% of
the time it runs smoothly. I enter data into the subform and an invoice is created from the combination of the Main and Subform data filling about one page. About 1 or 2 times a year I have to create a one-off invoice for multiple clients. This one-off invoice requires much more data than my Main/subform can provide so I end up creating the 100+ row invoice in Excel and exporting it to my Billing db. I then have a special program that reads in the one-off custom data and creates the custom report invoice. All the custom invoices have the same basic fields – Description and Amount fields. This works fine but I would like to store this custom invoice data and link it to the correct client. I would have to greatly expand my current subform to accommodate these one-ff invoices which makes no sense. I thought about creating a custom button on the subform that links to the custom table but after awhile I may have many custom tables. Is there a better way to design my Main/Subform tables and forms to accommodate these one-off invoices? Any help would be appreciated. |
#2
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Storing Periodic One-Time Report Invoice Data
I have the distinct impression that those "Invoice Reports" you are
talking about are really printed Forms. That would present the kinds of problems you posted. Forms are for the entry and editing of data, not for printing. Reports are for presentation and printing of data. In fact, just about any output you intend to print as part of any production process should be presented on Reports. There are some extra wizards and controls available in the Report Designer to tailor the behavior of Reports. See the "Sorting and Grouping" wizard it is really helpful. With very little effort, Reports can be designed that intelligently span several pages and that also intelligently provide Title page formatting, continuing page headers and footers as you desire and page totals and grand totals as you desire. Also, you can design your reports such that all of the "one-off" invoice Reports can be done with a single command. Each Report will be just the size it needs to be in order to display it's data. I'm not aware of any arbitrary limit on either individual Report size or the size of the aggregated Reports. Watch the paper and ink supplies. No Excel is required for any of this. Post back as you have questions. HTH -- -Larry- -- "Wayne" wrote in message ... I have a billing database that also creates invoice reports. 95% of the time it runs smoothly. I enter data into the subform and an invoice is created from the combination of the Main and Subform data filling about one page. About 1 or 2 times a year I have to create a one-off invoice for multiple clients. This one-off invoice requires much more data than my Main/subform can provide so I end up creating the 100+ row invoice in Excel and exporting it to my Billing db. I then have a special program that reads in the one-off custom data and creates the custom report invoice. All the custom invoices have the same basic fields – Description and Amount fields. This works fine but I would like to store this custom invoice data and link it to the correct client. I would have to greatly expand my current subform to accommodate these one-ff invoices which makes no sense. I thought about creating a custom button on the subform that links to the custom table but after awhile I may have many custom tables. Is there a better way to design my Main/Subform tables and forms to accommodate these one-off invoices? Any help would be appreciated. |
#3
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Storing Periodic One-Time Report Invoice Data
On Feb 14, 3:28*pm, "Larry Daugherty"
wrote: I have the distinct impression that those "Invoice Reports" you are talking about are really printed Forms. *That would present the kinds of problems you posted. Forms are for the entry and editing of data, not for printing. Reports are for presentation and printing of data. In fact, just about any output you intend to print as part of any production process should be presented on Reports. *There are some extra wizards and controls available in the Report Designer to tailor the behavior of Reports. *See the "Sorting and Grouping" wizard it is really helpful. With very little effort, Reports can be designed that intelligently span several pages and that also intelligently provide Title page formatting, continuing page headers and footers as you desire and page totals and grand totals as you desire. *Also, you can design your reports such that all of the "one-off" invoice Reports can be done with a single command. *Each Report will be just the size it needs to be in order to display it's data. *I'm not aware of any arbitrary limit on either individual Report size or the size of the aggregated Reports. *Watch the paper and ink supplies. No Excel is required for any of this. Post back as you have questions. HTH -- -Larry- -- "Wayne" wrote in message ... I have a billing database that also creates invoice reports. *95% of the time it runs smoothly. * I enter data into the subform and an invoice is created from the combination of the Main and Subform data filling about one page. *About 1 or 2 times a year I have to create a one-off invoice for multiple clients. *This one-off invoice requires much more data than my Main/subform can provide so I end up creating the 100+ row invoice in Excel and exporting it to my Billing db. *I then have a special program that reads in the one-off custom data and creates the custom report invoice. *All the custom invoices have the same basic fields – Description and Amount fields. *This works fine but I would like to store this custom invoice data and link it to the correct client. *I would have to greatly expand my current subform to accommodate these one-ff invoices which makes no sense. *I thought about creating a custom button on the subform that links to the custom table but after awhile I may have many custom tables. *Is there a better way to design my Main/Subform tables and forms to accommodate these one-off invoices? *Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for the reply Larry. First off I am creating reports, not printing forms for these invoices. There are about 10 bound textboxes in the Main form and 6 bound textboxes in the Subform (1 to many). I can create 95% of my reports (invoices) from these 16 fields but a few times a year, every year, I really need 100 bound textboxes to create these one-off reports. The 6 Subform fields would look like this: Billing Date Date of Service Type of Service Total Service Hours Service Rate Total Cost of Service Usually Type of Service, Total Service Hours, Service Rate are concatenated and put on one line of the report. So 95% of the time I use one record in the Subform to create my report. The 2 or 3 times a year I have to do special reports. These are usually adjustments to previous reports (invoices) Original Date of Service (different for every month) Type of Service Total Service Hours (hours vary per monthly bill) Original Service Rate Adjusted Service Rate Original Total Cost of Service Adjusted Total Cost of Service Credit Due I have to repeat the above for maybe 10 months, which means I would need about 80 textbox fields to do this one special invoice report. Sometimes I have to go back years to Adjust incorrect invoices. My question is how do I design the Subform so these special one-off invoice reports can be stored and made displayable at a later date? Do I expand my Subform table by 200 fields just to accommodate these odd invoice reports? |
#4
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Storing Periodic One-Time Report Invoice Data
On Feb 15, 6:38*pm, RedRider wrote:
On Feb 14, 3:28*pm, "Larry Daugherty" wrote: I have the distinct impression that those "Invoice Reports" you are talking about are really printed Forms. *That would present the kinds of problems you posted. Forms are for the entry and editing of data, not for printing. Reports are for presentation and printing of data. In fact, just about any output you intend to print as part of any production process should be presented on Reports. *There are some extra wizards and controls available in the Report Designer to tailor the behavior of Reports. *See the "Sorting and Grouping" wizard it is really helpful. With very little effort, Reports can be designed that intelligently span several pages and that also intelligently provide Title page formatting, continuing page headers and footers as you desire and page totals and grand totals as you desire. *Also, you can design your reports such that all of the "one-off" invoice Reports can be done with a single command. *Each Report will be just the size it needs to be in order to display it's data. *I'm not aware of any arbitrary limit on either individual Report size or the size of the aggregated Reports. *Watch the paper and ink supplies. No Excel is required for any of this. Post back as you have questions. HTH -- -Larry- -- "Wayne" wrote in message ... I have a billing database that also creates invoice reports. *95% of the time it runs smoothly. * I enter data into the subform and an invoice is created from the combination of the Main and Subform data filling about one page. *About 1 or 2 times a year I have to create a one-off invoice for multiple clients. *This one-off invoice requires much more data than my Main/subform can provide so I end up creating the 100+ row invoice in Excel and exporting it to my Billing db. *I then have a special program that reads in the one-off custom data and creates the custom report invoice. *All the custom invoices have the same basic fields – Description and Amount fields. *This works fine but I would like to store this custom invoice data and link it to the correct client. *I would have to greatly expand my current subform to accommodate these one-ff invoices which makes no sense. *I thought about creating a custom button on the subform that links to the custom table but after awhile I may have many custom tables. *Is there a better way to design my Main/Subform tables and forms to accommodate these one-off invoices? *Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for the reply Larry. *First off I am creating reports, not printing forms for these invoices. *There are about 10 bound textboxes in the Main form and 6 bound textboxes in the Subform (1 to many). *I can create 95% of my reports (invoices) from these 16 fields but a few times a year, every year, I really need 100 bound textboxes to create these one-off reports. The 6 Subform fields would look like this: Billing Date Date of Service Type of Service Total Service Hours Service Rate Total Cost of Service Usually Type of Service, Total Service Hours, Service Rate are concatenated and put on one line of the report. *So 95% of the time I use one record in the Subform to create my report. The 2 or 3 times a year I have to do special reports. These are usually adjustments to previous reports (invoices) Original Date of Service (different for every month) Type of Service Total Service Hours (hours vary per monthly bill) Original Service Rate Adjusted Service Rate Original Total Cost of Service Adjusted Total Cost of Service Credit Due I have to repeat the above for maybe 10 months, which means I would need about 80 textbox fields to do this one special invoice report. Sometimes I have to go back years to Adjust incorrect invoices. My question is how do I design the Subform so these special one-off invoice reports can be stored and made displayable at a later date? Do I expand my Subform table by 200 fields just to accommodate these odd invoice reports? RedRider and Wayne are the same person. |
#5
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Storing Periodic One-Time Report Invoice Data
Dear RedRider/Wayne,
I noticed that the thread faded out. Please excuse my directness which is an attempt to be helpful. For a question like this the foundation for you explaining the situation and for any solution is going to be in the structure of your real world data and the structure of your tables. There was little or nothing on this in your posts and so there is not enough there to even understand what is going on much less how to fix it. As a side note, if I had to take a guess from your choice of what you did and didn't discuss in your posts, it would be that you would benefit from a lot more focus and attention on thre structure of your data and tables. If you imagine your application as a 3 story building, these items are the foundation and the first floor. Getting those right makes everything else easier, and getting those wrong or not-so-good will make everything else difficult and sometimes impossible. This is probably not what you were expecting, but hope that that helps a little! Sincerely, Fred |
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