There has got to be a simple way - that I have overlooked or missed - that allows one to create a record in a related db from the master db ...

I have a (master) NAME db that is related to a GATHERING db. The NAME db has all the names in our mail list along with addresses, phone numbers & the like. The GATHERING db has data for each of our annual Gatherings for each member of the NAME db. The NAME db includes an ID field unique for each record and the GATHERING db has a Name ID field which is related to the NAME db's ID field to create the relationship.

We mail registration forms to members of our organization (not all members of the mail list are organization members). I would like to be able to enter the data we get back from the registration forms into the GATHERING db.

As we have Gatherings each year, I would like to be able to enter a Reg. Form Rcvd. Date field and use the year from that field as a Gathering Year field ... I'm using a calculation for that all right. The Reg. Form Date and Gathering Year fields are in the related GATHERING db.

I can do a Find on a name on a registration form and being in the NAME db, all its layout fields are filled in with the current NAME db field data. I then fill in the related GATHERING db fields from the registration form which creates a new GATHERING db record.

The problem I have run into is I want to be able to simply enter a new Reg. Form Rcvd. Date, for each subsequent year and have that create a new record in the GATHERING db. What happens is the existing record is changed to reflect the new Reg. Form Rcvd. Date and Gathering Year, rather than creating a new record.

I suspect this isn't enough info to help ... what else can I tell you folks that would help you help me. What simple solution have I overlooked?

Thanks in Advance - (???

I suggest that you consider set up your database as a many to many relationship. Name or people, which has info about the people, i.e., address, phone number, etc. Gathering, which has info about the gathering, i.e., date, time, location, cost, etc. Attendance, a join file which records the Name ID, Gathering ID and other data.

A portal in Name to Attendance will show all the gatherings a person has attended. A portal in Gathering will show all the people attending.

The easy way to add new records to attendance is to set up the relationship to allow creation of related records. I prefer to do this with scripts.

Thanks for the suggestion Ralphl...

I was hoping that I could use a simpler method ... a one-to-many relationship was what I thought would be the way to go as each record of the NAME db could have more than one GATHERING db record, but not the other way around. I'll have to look into this option s'more.

Thanks again - (???

You could still use your one-to-many setup by duplicating the Gathering record for the new year. I like Ralph's suggestion, though.