I have two fields labeled start date and end date in a paid time off database for my company. I need to be able to search for any request that encompasses a specific date such as >StartDate and <EndDate, but when I attempt to enter the < or > symbols into the field I get an error because they're not dates is there anyway to enter these into the date fields in find mode in a calculation.

Thanks

The way I've done such things is to create another field that flags when the situation is true. In other words, lets say that I often need to search for when My_Date is greater than Start_Date. I'll create a third field called perhaps Is_Late which is a calculation field with a number result set to:

My_Date > Start_Date

If My_Date is greater than Start_Date, this field will have a value of 1. If it isn't, this field will have a value of 0. Then I can search (perhaps using checkboxes tied to a value list with a 1 in it) to search for that criteria.

Chuck

Here's a method that I've used with more complicated searches. I would appreciate it if you gurus would comment on any performance penalties, since my file tends to have relatively few records in the 100s and I don't see any real performance hits:

Add a field to each record that I call FLAG (numeric). Have a script loop thru all the records in the datafile. Set Flag = 1 if your tests are met, else set to '0'. In a script, your tests can be very complex, but easy to write. Then all you need to do is a simple find on the FLAG field where Flag = 1.