How do I define this situation?

[Amit]

Hi,

I'm a filemaker newbie and need a little help. I'm developing a database to input my company's purchase orders. I have looked through the filemaker templates but haven't found one that works for my particular situation:

The purchase orders are for clothing and so each item may sometime require multiples of the following fields:

- Colors

- Sizes

My question is how do i define the fields so that I can enter in these multiple values for one style number without having to repeat entering the basic fields (style #, category, description, pic, price, etc.)

Second, this P.O. may have multiple styles entered so how do I deal with defining fields for the additional styles using the same situation above. Attached is an example of what I would like my layout to look like:

thanks for any help

Amit

[Ender]

Welcome Amit,

I don't think you will be able to reproduce exactly what your form shows, but here's an idea:

Build these three tables, PO, Line Item, and Product. The Line Items are portal rows in the PO file. When you enter a Style# in a line, some of the other fields automatically fill in from a lookup into Product.

To select multiple colors for the same item, you would select the same item on multiple lines and choose different colors for each. I think you would need each Size as a separate number field in the Line Items file.

You could still get these grouped together on the printout, similar to what you have now, by using a summary layout in the Line Items file.

FileMaker Version: Dev 6

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

[Amit]

ok this works so far but what if different colors have different quantities.

[Ender]

Each color needed is specified in a separate portal row.

You might have one clothes size field and one quantity field in each portal, or you might have one color field and a quantity field for each clothes size within a portal row.

Advantage of the first option is you won't be limited to a fixed set of clothes sizes. Advantage of the second is it's easier to summarize in the format you're looking for.

[Amit]

so you mean a clothes size and quantity field in in the Line Items table? Can you draw another line chart showing this.

thanks, i really appreciate this

Amit

[Ender]

The ER Diagram a gave before works for the one quantity field, one size field situation. This ER Diagram works for the one quantity field for each size situation.

FileMaker Version: Dev 6

Platform: Mac OS X Panther