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MS Access Forum / Database Design / June 2007Multivalued fields - Can someone explain what they are for?
This may sound like a dumb question, but I really can't understand Microsoft's explanation of how I may use Multivalued fields in Access 2007. I think that I'm suffering from old-style Access orthodoxy. Can someone explain a simple real-world scenario where I may use this new feature in Access 2007? Where did you find this explanation? On Jun 22, 10:27 am, efandango <efanda...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: > This may sound like a dumb question, but I really can't understand > Microsoft's explanation of how I may use Multivalued fields in Access 2007. I > think that I'm suffering from old-style Access orthodoxy. Can someone explain > a simple real-world scenario where I may use this new feature in Access 2007? > > This may sound like a dumb question, but I really can't understand > > Microsoft's explanation of how I may use Multivalued fields in Access 2007. I > > think that I'm suffering from old-style Access orthodoxy. Can someone explain > > a simple real-world scenario where I may use this new feature in Access 2007? > > Where did you find this explanation? The OP probably meant this one: Using multivalued fields in queries http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA101492971033.aspx The OP may find the answers here: Multivalued datatypes considered harmful http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2006/07/18/multivalued_datatypes_access/print.html "the Access Program Manager [did] convince me that the team was fully aware of the implications of introducing this new data type. So why has Microsoft done it? ...The first is that Microsoft is keen for Access to be compatible with SharePoint...The second reason is that the company does seem to be genuinely interested in making the product easier for power users to drive. The development team feels that power users find the creation of many-to-many joins using three tables conceptually very difficult and will find multi-valued data types a much easier solution." Jamie. -- Great... Absolutely rediculous... Another evil like the Lookup Field... Cheers, Jason Lepack On Jun 22, 11:06 am, Jamie Collins <JamieColl...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: > > > This may sound like a dumb question, but I really can't understand > > > Microsoft's explanation of how I may use Multivalued fields in Access 2007. I [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > -- What's the 'Lookup Field', is that another new feature for Access 2007? > Great... Absolutely rediculous... Another evil like the Lookup > Field... [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > > > -- > > Great... Absolutely rediculous... Another evil like the Lookup > > Field... [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > What's the 'Lookup Field', is that another new feature for Access 2007? efandango, Lookup Fields were introduced in MS Access 2000. The Evils of Lookup Fields in Tables: http://www.mvps.org/access/lookupfields.htm In my opinion, multi-valued fields are much, much worse. Sincerely, Chris O. > Lookup Fields were introduced in MS Access 2000. Er, no, they've been around a lot longer than that, since at least A97 and probably since A95.  SignatureDavid W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/ usenet at dfenton dot com http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/ Without endorsing the use of these, let's assume you have a mailing list of friends and relatives with names, addresses, phone, emails,... You want to be able to track these people according to different groupings such as "Canoe Club", "Kiwanis", "Christmas Card", "Joe's Classmates", "Church Members", ... This will hopefully allow you to forward off-color email jokes to Joe's Classmates and not Church Members ;-) I have seen some newbies that would create one yes/no field in the table of people for each of the different groupings. This would be horribly un-normalized. The multivalued field would provide a fairly slick interface for creating a single field in the table of people. You could drop-down a list of all groups and check the ones that apply. If you needed to store any other information about the person's group membership, this would break. For instance if you wanted to add a status or start date for the relationship between the person and the group. You couldn't do this with a multivalue field. I think it's best to avoid multivalue fields however they are much better than creating multiple yes/no fields in a table. SignatureDuane Hookom Microsoft Access MVP > > > This may sound like a dumb question, but I really can't understand > > > Microsoft's explanation of how I may use Multivalued fields in Access 2007. I [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > -- Duanne, Thanks for taking the time to explain, appreciated. I still don't entirely get it, though I think i'm beginning to understand. Perhaps it's because it tend to be obsessive about normalisation and atomising data (with the odd unavoidable, occasional exception) that I can't imagine how this Multivalue idea works. I need to get some sleep, then re-read your explanation. > Without endorsing the use of these, let's assume you have a mailing list of > friends and relatives with names, addresses, phone, emails,... [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > > > > -- Jamie, Thanks for replying, and yes that 2nd link explained it clearly for me. I think Duanne's correct about this feature, best avoided... thanks > > > This may sound like a dumb question, but I really can't understand > > > Microsoft's explanation of how I may use Multivalued fields in Access 2007. I [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > -- I found it in the 'what's new' section of the help file that comes with Access 2007. "You can create a field that holds multiple values. Suppose that you want to store a list of categories to which you have assigned an item. In most database management systems and in earlier versions of Access, you have to model a many-to-many relationship in order to do this correctly. In Office Access 2007, the hard part is done for you when you choose a multivalued field. Multivalued fields are especially appropriate when you use Office Access 2007 to work with a SharePoint list that contains one of the multivalued field types used in Windows SharePoint Services. Office Access 2007 is compatible with these data types." I don't know why, but the more i re-read it, the less i understand it?... maybe i'm just tooooo tired (getting red-eye...) > Where did you find this explanation? > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > think that I'm suffering from old-style Access orthodoxy. Can someone explain > > a simple real-world scenario where I may use this new feature in Access 2007? >I don't know why, but the more i re-read it, the less i understand it?... >maybe i'm just tooooo tired (getting red-eye...) I believe it took Microsoft's building maintenance staff several weeks to clear the scorched paint smell from the room where this... "feature"... was announced to the Access MVP's a couple of years ago. NONE of us liked it, or like it. The only positive comment was "Hmmm... billable hours!" John W. Vinson [MVP] > Can someone explain > a simple real-world scenario where I may use this new feature in > Access 2007? It's all about Sharepoint list compatibility, seems to me. I see it as yet another example of Microsoft changing Access in ways that further MS's marketing agenda but don't do its users any good at all. SignatureDavid W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/ usenet at dfenton dot com http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/ |
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