Reports and Returns in Forms (Newbie needs help)

[Gunnerman6875]

Hi everyone,
Well I'm a newbie to Access and your site so forgive me if my terminology is a little out. I'm currently trying to create what i thought would be a simple database for work. I'm in the British RAF and I'm currently in charge of the training cell at our Training Depot. Heres my problem, one of the tasks within my job role is to manage 3000+ training publications. These are signed out to instructors in various numbers, however i receive updates for the publications on a regular interval and at present i have to trawl through hundreds of pieces of paper to establish who has the required publication, and how many they have. At present the publications are on an excel spreadsheet, this allows me to work out how many i have in store, and how many are issued.
What i would like to do is get the database i am working on to provide me with is the following:

• The ability to add new contact (Customer) via a form - Achieved!
• A form that allows me to add / remove publications to the publications table - Achieved!
• A form that will allow me to establish who has a particular publication including there contact details
• A form that allows me to search for a publication and update information
• A form that allows me to view what a contact (Customer) has signed out
• And finally a form that will tell me how many of a particular publication i have signed out and how many i have in store.

The tables I have and the fields they contain are as follows:
Customers - Service Number (Key), Name, and contact information
Inventory - Publication Number (Key), Title, Amendment Number, Quantity Held
Publication Issues - Publication Issues, Customer Service Number, Quantity Issued (No Key)
I have a relationship set up between the tables which seems to work.

Could anyone advise me on how to resolve any of problems I'm having. I have been scouring the internet for weeks now but I'm getting lost in it all.

If anyone can help I'm more than willing to send you the database to look at if it will help.

Many thanks Gunnerman6875

[Gunnerman6875]

NeoPa!!
You are one very Clever Guy!
That does exactly what I want, I've just hidden some of the fields in the query so it only shows what i want. One question! the query asks me for the Publication Number twice , is there a way to prevent that from happening?

NeoPa,
Question? Where do you learn all this? Do you go to collage or something? I need to learn more on acces big style!! I've just found another problem! I've just tried doing a return ie Removing the publications from someone, as though they had returned them to me, then run the query and it gives me with the headings but no info!! The Inventory table still tells me I have a set amount though! How do I learn about all this? I've got books and CD Roms, but they are'nt much help on the specifics.

[Gunnerman6875]

NeoPa,
Question? Where do you learn all this? Do you go to collage or something? I need to learn more on acces big style!! I've just found another problem! I've just tried doing a return ie Removing the publications from someone, as though they had returned them to me, then run the query and it gives me with the headings but no info!! The Inventory table still tells me I have a set amount though! How do I learn about all this? I've got books and CD Roms, but they are'nt much help on the specifics.

P.S. Do you work on Databases for a living, or do you do this for fun? I'm intrigued ?

[NeoPa]

NeoPa,
Question? Where do you learn all this? Do you go to college or something? I need to learn more on acces big style!! I've just found another problem! I've just tried doing a return ie Removing the publications from someone, as though they had returned them to me, then run the query and it gives me with the headings but no info!! The Inventory table still tells me I have a set amount though! How do I learn about all this? I've got books and CD Roms, but they are'nt much help on the specifics.
P.S. Do you work on Databases for a living, or do you do this for fun? I'm intrigued ?

I'm a little past college age I'm afraid.
I've done various work in IT since the late seventies (all my working life) and done a couple of tasks in Access in previous (work) posts. My current job has me working in Access a lot of the time, as well as in Excel and Networking and O/S and Server builds and maintenance. I seem to enjoy the Access stuff most though (with Excel).
So, yes. I do it for a living.

As far as extra learning help goes, we are trying to build up the section giving tips for starters but I basically learnt it by reading the help topics, on top of the understanding I'd built up over the years of various related topics. Not forgetting Practice; Trial-&-Error; Experience; etc.

[NeoPa]

I've just found another problem! I've just tried doing a return ie Removing the publications from someone, as though they had returned them to me, then run the query and it gives me with the headings but no info!! The Inventory table still tells me I have a set amount though!

Sorry, I forgot this bit.
An empty query dataset means there were no matching records found that fit all the criteria.
This is probably correct, but I would have to understand exactly what you did to be able to interpret the results (or lack thereof) correctly.