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Updating App - Suggestions on table/form design best practice?

  • October 14, 2020
  • 0 replies
  • 52 views

I am updating an app I previously created and trying to implement some better "best practices".
One of the areas I am focusing on is better use of intermediate tables, aka Many-to-Many.

My previous app had a part of it set up as follows:
  • Tables
    • Work Orders
    • Clients
    • Contacts
  • Relationships
    • Clients < Contacts
    • Clients < Work Orders
    • Contacts < Work Orders (x8)
In my contacts table, there are several different types of contacts, e.g. VP, AVP, Supervisor, Manager, Specialist, etc.
In the main Work Orders form, I have 8 drop downs, each stemming from one of the 8 Contacts<Work Orders relationships, and each representing one of the different contact types. Each dropdown is conditionally reliant upon the client selected in the Work Orders form.

I was curious if there was a better way to do this, perhaps using a M:M relationship, maybe a table between Contacts and Work Orders, .... however thinking through this, I would still need to have 8 dropdowns, one for each contact type .... would it really add any benefit using a M:M table in that scenario, or should I leave it as I previously had it ????

Thanks for your input and suggestions ... I appreciate them ...

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Andrew
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This topic has been closed for replies.

MarkShnierYou
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When you select a contact #1 (of the 8) for a work order, are they being slotted into a named relationship like Key Contact, or Building Manager?

If they are, then  if you go to a Many to Many Relationship, you would need to label the child records as they are being created as to the Role that Contact plays in the Work Order.

The factor to consider is sending automated emails. The brute force method you have in place now with eight relationships is in fact quite convenient if you want to send emails to update the contacts as the work order status changes. ​

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Mark Shnier (YQC)
Quick Base Solution Provider
Your Quick Base Coach
http://QuickBaseCoach.com
mark.shnier@gmail.com
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