ok so here's what I have...i want to create two separate portals (cheques and invoices) to be displayed on one layout (profit overview). I had to create an aliased table for the relationship to work so that invoices and cheques are sorted out by month via a value list. however, the portal linked to the original table works, but the portal linked to the aliased table doesn't. I am so stuck, and a newbie - please be kind if i'm simply being thick!

An aliased table! What's that?

It's where FMP7 won't let you create two relationships to the same table so you have to create a copy, but the copy doesn't show up as a layout or a separate table, it is seen as a mirror. i think...

Maybe you could give us a bit more information about the structure of your database. How many tables are we talking about - one, two or three - and how are they related?

The term FileMaker uses for what you are calling a "aliased table" is a "table occurance."

This table/relationship stuff can get pretty confusing for a beginner.

You have to make sure that the matching fields in the relationship actually match, according to the operator used in the relationship definition.

The fields have to have their upper-left corners within the area of the portal to be considered protal fields, and only the part of any field that lies within the portal area will be visible at all.

The field in a portal do not have to be from the table or occurrence that the portal references, but which occurrence they're from will determine which records actually match and are shown. Make sure that the fields are from the table/occurrence you want.

ok thanks guys! have changed data structure - didnt make sense - and am now sorted! thank you