I'm having a bit of a problem setting up database with dynamically calculating dates. Please bear with me while I try to explain my problem.

I've got a Master file handling Job Information. This record will contain a Promise Date. I want to setup a portal where someone can create multiple unlimited Tasks for the Job and assign a length of time for that Task. That Task will then calculate a Start Date for that task by subtracting from the Promise Date. As a new Task is created it needs to calculate from the previous Task. The idea is to create a timeline report listing all of the Tasks and the days that they need to begin. Of course, as things change, they want to adjust the schedules.

I won't go through everything I've tried because it hasn't worked, but I would appreciate any thoughts anyone has on setting this up.

Thanks so much for your help.

Set up a field in the Master file that contains the end date of the latest task. Then set up a relationship from the Tasks file that auto-enters that date as the beginning date of the task, and resets the date based on the length of the task.

What about tasks that can run in parallel? Or will that never happen?

I don't think it will work using the date of the last task in the master record because they'll need to go in a change the dates later on. I was thinking about somehow setting up a relationship in the Tasks DB to the previous record, but I couldn't get it to work.

Tasks shouldn't run parallel because each task needs the previous one to finish before it can start.

The dates can still be changed manually. Try it in a "dummy" file first.