two databases in one?

[csbalogh]

hi all,

I have two unrelated databases named Product Type A, another one Product Type B. Via two joint files both of them have a relationship with a third dbase (Supplier - both many-to-many rel.) (jfType A Supplier, jfType B Supplier). How can I summarize both Product Type A and Product Type B so that I can view one field of both (one at a time) in ONE different database (Table view)?

I have tried the following:

I created a dbase named INTRO with the fields ProdType A ID (related to ProdType A ID of the first dbase) and ProdType B ID (related to ProdType B ID of the second dbase). In a third field of INTRO I defined the calculation:

rlIntroProdTypeA::ProdType A Name & rlIntroProdTypeB::ProdType B Name

(only one at a time can have a value)

(In a fourth field I listed the first value of the Suppliers's name from the dbases jfType A Supplier and jfType B Supplier.)

However, when I update either of the two main databases Product Type A or Product Type B, Intro is not updated. The simple reason for this is that I actually only created a relationship, but I should add a value to say :ProdType A ID placed on the layout of Product Type A in order to create a new record. But that means extra typework for the user, and even so when the ::ProdType A ID is later changed there appears only an empty record in INTRO. INTRO I only want to use to browse the summed records of the two databases, and add the new records only via either Prod Type A or Prod Type B.

There must be some way to do this, any suggestions?

Thank you.

[CobaltSky]

Your description makes it clear that you aren't sure how to do what you want to do. But it is not very clear why you want to do it or what you require out of it.

However notwithstanding that, it is possible that you do not require any records in your third file, but can simply use global fields and scripts (where the scripts retrieve the appropriate key fields from the related files and place them in the globals, thuscreating relationship connections which allow data from the other two files to be displayed on layouts in the third file. When you want to view a diffent record from one of the related files, you trigger a script which retrieves a different key field value and places it into a global for you.

With a system set-up on this basis, you don't actually require multiple records in the third file. In fact you don't require any records, just some global fields and scripts and some relationships and relationship-driven value lists to tie it all together.