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Table design help!



 
 
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  #11  
Old November 17th, 2009, 11:02 AM posted to microsoft.public.access.tablesdbdesign
hannah
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Posts: 66
Default Table design help!

Fred - first off thank you for being so patient with me! I really do
appreciate all your help. In answer to your questions:

1. It's a bit difficult because I have so many different types of question
(yes/nos, multiple choice, multiple choice where they can choose more than
one answer or add their own answer, and open questions where they can write
whatever they want). The questionnaire is not designed brilliantly (don't
even get me started on that) so it's pretty difficult for any question to
make a list of allowable answers as people have written a whole bunch of
things. So I suppose what I'm saying is no, it's probably very rare that I
could anticipate and tell the database what the allowable answers are for
each question.

2. I think I do want it to know the "if then" linkages if that's possible?

3. No, it doesn't have to guide the person answering them. It'll be me
inputting the data and I quite honestly have dreams/nightmares about it so
I'm pretty sure I know inside out what comes next!

4. No, the participants will only take one survey. There are several fields
with information on the person.

5. No, I don't have a real world numbering system for the people. I'm not
worried about tracking the people (beyond being able to link them to their
questionnaire) so I hadn't thought about a numbering system.

6. There isn't a naming/numbering system for the questionnaires as such.
There are eleven different types of questionnaire (so I suppose I have names
for the category of questionnaire) but I hadn't made a filing system for them
yet. Our plan had been to number and file them according to the numbers used
in Access.

7. The questions are numbered in real life but badly (some follow up
questions don't have a number). It isn't unique across all questions or even
the questionnaire itself (some questionnaires have 3 parts each with
questions 1,2,3).

I hope that's helped answer your questions and apologies if I've given long
winded/unclear answers to anything. Thanks again for all your help.

"Fred" wrote:


Also:

5. Do you already have a real-world numbering system for people (Like
PersonIDNumber)

6. Do your already have a real world naming or numbering system for the
questionaires?

7. Do you have a real world numbering system fo the questions. Is it
unique across ALL questions, oor just across the questions within on
questionaire?


  #12  
Old November 17th, 2009, 02:48 PM posted to microsoft.public.access.tablesdbdesign
Fred
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Posts: 1,451
Default Table design help!

Hannah,

Great answers.

Answering your one question on #2, anythign is possible. Now, is it
feasible for you......answer is also yes if you are just recording, printing
and displaying.....I.E. not having Access do anything fancy based on that.

I'm going to assume an answer to a question which I forgot to ask: Is a
particular question usually used just for one survey? I will assume "yes".
If you want to use it for more than one survey you will just re-enter it as
"another" questions. This avoids the complexity of databasing a many-to-many
relationship

Again, the response would be a bood rather than a post, bust here's my guess
at a framework.

Shorten my overly long explanatory table and field names. Add fields as
desired with info on the entity (with one-to-one correspondence to that
entity) which is databased in the table.

Make a table "Questionaires" with fields:

-QuestionaireNumber (Autonumber, Primary Key (PK)
-QuestionaireNameOrDescription (text)



Make a table" InstancesOfSomeoneTakingOfASurvey with fields:

-SurveyInstanceNumber (Autonumber, Primary Key (PK)
-QuestionaireNumber Integer, not autonumber, this will be a Foreign Key
(FK) Note: FK is a use, not a setting. The subject number will be put
into this field.
-Fields for name and all desired info on the person who took it

Make a table "Questions" with the following fields:

QuestionNumber (Autonumber, PK) (use these numbers in your paper forms....if
not possible, make another field to store the question number from the paper
form)
QuestionText
QuestionAireNumber (integer) This is a FK which will take record which
questionaire the question is for

Maka a table "PossibleAnswers" wiht these fields
QuestionNumber (insert the number of the question that the answer is
applicable to
AnswerNumber (Autonumber, PK)
Answer (this holds any desired answers like "a", "b", "Yes" "No" and maybe
the entire text of answers if you wish)
Answer Description Description of the answers if not contained in the
text. For example, if an answer is "a", this says that taht means "I prefer
green"
FollowUpQuestionNumber When this answer lead to a perticular next
question, record that questions number here


Make a table "InstancesOfAQuestionBeingAnswered" with these fields:

"AnswerInstanceNumber" Autonumber, PK.
"QuestionNumber"
"Answer" For now, just manually enter the answer. Later, get someone whoc
is smarter than me to tell you how to make a dropdown that shows th epossible
answers specific to that question)
"SurveyInstanceNumber"

Well, that's just shooting form the hip (but hopefull a good structure as a
foundation)



























  #13  
Old November 18th, 2009, 10:19 AM posted to microsoft.public.access.tablesdbdesign
hannah
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Posts: 66
Default Table design help!

Thanks Fred - you've given me a lot to think about and I'm feeling much more
happy about approaching it. Thanks again, can't tell you how much I
appreciate it.

"Fred" wrote:

Hannah,

Great answers.

Answering your one question on #2, anythign is possible. Now, is it
feasible for you......answer is also yes if you are just recording, printing
and displaying.....I.E. not having Access do anything fancy based on that.

I'm going to assume an answer to a question which I forgot to ask: Is a
particular question usually used just for one survey? I will assume "yes".
If you want to use it for more than one survey you will just re-enter it as
"another" questions. This avoids the complexity of databasing a many-to-many
relationship

Again, the response would be a bood rather than a post, bust here's my guess
at a framework.

Shorten my overly long explanatory table and field names. Add fields as
desired with info on the entity (with one-to-one correspondence to that
entity) which is databased in the table.

Make a table "Questionaires" with fields:

-QuestionaireNumber (Autonumber, Primary Key (PK)
-QuestionaireNameOrDescription (text)



Make a table" InstancesOfSomeoneTakingOfASurvey with fields:

-SurveyInstanceNumber (Autonumber, Primary Key (PK)
-QuestionaireNumber Integer, not autonumber, this will be a Foreign Key
(FK) Note: FK is a use, not a setting. The subject number will be put
into this field.
-Fields for name and all desired info on the person who took it

Make a table "Questions" with the following fields:

QuestionNumber (Autonumber, PK) (use these numbers in your paper forms....if
not possible, make another field to store the question number from the paper
form)
QuestionText
QuestionAireNumber (integer) This is a FK which will take record which
questionaire the question is for

Maka a table "PossibleAnswers" wiht these fields
QuestionNumber (insert the number of the question that the answer is
applicable to
AnswerNumber (Autonumber, PK)
Answer (this holds any desired answers like "a", "b", "Yes" "No" and maybe
the entire text of answers if you wish)
Answer Description Description of the answers if not contained in the
text. For example, if an answer is "a", this says that taht means "I prefer
green"
FollowUpQuestionNumber When this answer lead to a perticular next
question, record that questions number here


Make a table "InstancesOfAQuestionBeingAnswered" with these fields:

"AnswerInstanceNumber" Autonumber, PK.
"QuestionNumber"
"Answer" For now, just manually enter the answer. Later, get someone whoc
is smarter than me to tell you how to make a dropdown that shows th epossible
answers specific to that question)
"SurveyInstanceNumber"

Well, that's just shooting form the hip (but hopefull a good structure as a
foundation)



























  #14  
Old November 18th, 2009, 02:10 PM posted to microsoft.public.access.tablesdbdesign
Fred
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,451
Default Table design help!

Hello Hannah,

Happy to help.

I wrote and posted it too fast for it's size, but hopefully the numerous
typos are obvious / not obscuring anything,

Good luck on your Access adventure.

Fred


 




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