This might be a REAL newbie question (being a newbie) but is there a way to do a simple find across multiple files? Suppose I have several clone database files and I want to create a master file that would search all of the others for similar info. Thanks in advance for any help.

You could script such a thing, but the better solution is to have like-data combined into the same file (table). It's generally a bad idea to use multiple 'clone databases'.

Really? I want to use it as a shelf system, like a library where each file will represent a shelf. The main file will link to all the separate files. I would like to try it first if anyone has any suggestion on how to do it.

That would not be a good structure.

One table per entity. Use a "Shelf" field to differenciate shelves if you need to.

I had thought of doing that at first. But each "shelf" would have to have a number of different entries too. i.e. a bunch of different books per shelf per row. And then instead of each book being a record, each book would have to be a field. It became too complicated that way

This is what relationships are for. A Library has many Sections, a Section has many Shelves, a Shelf has many Books, a Book has many Chapters, etc, etc. Each of those is a table, related to the others as needed.

Yeah, but that sounds complicated. The simpler the better for me right now. I would like to try it. Are you saying that there isn't really a way to search multiple files or that a system like that would not work? By the way, thanks for the many replies.

It would be MUCH more complicated to use multiple files. In addition to the complex scripting of this multi-file search (and figuring out how to show the found sets,) there are other problems, like having to add a new field to EVERY file, or change the same print script in EVERY file.

Using one file with the appropriate tables, changes are made in one place, and finds are simple.

I think if you study up on relational design, you'll see why the relational approach is better.

No, there is not a simple way to search across multiple files (or tables), unless you mean typing your request into related fields and getting the resulting found set of records in the original table that match all the criteria. And that simple method is not fast, though it is much faster in 7.

There is another way to search multiple tables (files) and return the result of the last table. But it is not simple. And it implies that your tables are defined correctly; otherwise the results will not be meaningful.

It is likely easier to set up the tables than you think; but more difficult to do a fast and effective multi-table Find. Alternatively, it may be that relationships can filter the data very quickly with no Find needed. But we don't really know what you have or what you're trying to do.

Ok, ok. I am convinced. I'll try the relational route first! Thanks guys!