If your process is complex enough that you have multiple tabs / forms setup to allow for proper data entry, I would definitely suggest against switching this process to a show/hide setup with Form Rules. To me, controlling a process using Form Rules is entry-level development. You're getting started, your process isn't terribly robust, etc. Controlling your process using a combination of multiple forms for different Roles or functions (Add/Edit/View) is the next level up. Combining this with the use of buttons to allow the user to navigate to various forms within the same Table/Record would be the next logical progression. This allows for an even more complex business process, but can have its' drawbacks with regards to maintenance.
I would suggest looking really hard at your processes and see if there are natural breaks where you might be able to separate these into different Tables altogether. Using "Sales" as a general process, many companies can further break this down into Business Development, Customer Management, Accounting, etc. From your post, it sounds like you may want to consider breaking your setup into something like a Pre-close and Post-close structure that would then allow you to streamline each of those and make for a better user experience.
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Blake Harrison
bharrison@datablender.io
DataBlender - Quickbase Solution Provider
Atlanta GA
404.800.1702 /
http://datablender.io/------------------------------
