Opinions on a DB field(s) layout

[barcelona]

Hi,

I have completely hit a creative brickwall, and I'd like to get some opinions about how any of you would layout this particular field(s).

The idea revolves around "100%". If any of us work 40hrs/wk, it can be considered 100% time (also, 30hrs = 75% time, 20hrs = 50% time, and so on). Basically, there are people that work on projects here; however, some could work from 5% time to 100% time on any one or more projects. The thing is that--no matter what--their hours have to equal 100% (aka 40hrs). Basically, I thought about creating two fields: one with the name of the project and another field with the % of time doing it. The thing is how many fields do I make, if everyone has varied time percentages. I would like to create a link to that says please click here for more fields, but that is impossible.

Do any of you out there have any ideas about what would be a good layout for this problem?

[Lee Smith]

I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly.

Are you saying that a person has to work 40 hours.

That a person can work on several projects but the total needs to be 40.

Project A = 20

Project B = 10

Project C = 10

Total        = 40

Or is this way off of what you need.

Lee

[barcelona]

Lee,

Hi, yeah that about sums it up. I mean, percentage-wise your example is analogous to this one:

Project A = 20 or 50% time

Project B = 10 or 25% time

Project C = 10 or 25% time

Total = 40 or 100% time (40hrs will equal 100%)

The thing is that any one person could be on one project at 100% time or twenty projects at 5% time each project. I don't think 20 fields would look good for my worst case scenario. :

--

[comment]

I am not too sure I follow this either. What exactly is the problem here? It seems to me that each worker needs to enter only this information: I have worked X hours on project Y.

More precisely, on [color:blue]Date, [color:blue]EmployeeID has worked from [color:blue]StartTime to [color:blue]EndTime on [color:blue]ProjectID. Each such entry would be a separate record, entered in a portal.

All the rest should be a matter of processing the entered data.

[sbg2]

I think the basic stumbling block here is that barcelona may not realize how to work with relational databases. Most of us have been there at some point, not realizing there was a much more efficient way of storing and retrieving data.

Attached for barcelona is a very, very basic file for tracking Projects, Employees and Hours worked on a Project (Project_Hours). This doesn't even begin to tackle the "100%" problem but should serve as a primer into the world of relation databases.

Project.zip

[barcelona]

sbg2, jeeeeeez, you've made my weekend a little less chaotic. I can really build off of your example. When I get better at this FM stuff, I hope I can help a novice out like you've helped me.

Thanks and cheers,

--

[jessebSF]

I think I am about where Barcelona is, and I would love to be able to view sbg's example, but I only have FMP 5. Is there anyone who would be willing to save this to a version 5 file so I can open it? (I have 6.0 on a mac at work, so I could do it there if that is possible but 5 isn't.)