my first data base... need your help please../

[axis]

FMP 5.5.v2 Mac OS X.

i have also bought almost $100. in books to try to learn some of this... but i want to go "relational" right away and though the books are huge they often don't just GIVE me the direct answer i need without a struggle to find it in some weird section.

ok, here's what i want to do -that is kinda of important to my self-esteem -

i have a file of people -names, room number, email (for now let's say i have no "IDs" for them) just their full name in one field. ok that's one file.

i have a second file that contains:

Desktop Macs... their ID number, a notes field, serviced by field and one of those automatic "last modified" fields that shows when the record was last modified.

i have a third file which the same as above for Laptop macs.

i want to be able to find my computers by basically two means: 1) check the person's name to see what computers they have; or, 2) check the computer ID to see who has it (where it is).

but what i'd like is be able to "tamper" with what information is returned.. that is... yes i may just want the person and the computer(s) they have and/or i would want various fields of information or all of the information returned, e.g., notes field, last modified the whole shebang.

some of the early questions i have are:

1) must "create" ID fields for files that don't contain them simply to make relationships occur?

2) is the file that search results are returned into the same as, say, the "people" file? which ever file the results are returned to, do i need to create a field for ever return i expect? and wouldn't that look funny... all these empty fields that are only for returned search info?

i guess that's enough for now.

if there is anyone who wouldn't mind of email help just on the one little project that will be just enough to really get me going? write to: (no spaces) t h e a x i s a t m a c d o t c o m

thank you all so much, already.

[LiveOak]

First, I would reduce your structure to two files: 1) people and 2) computers. Laptops are just a type of computer.

You don't need an ID number to connect two files (you don't need a full amount of good quality motor oil in your engine), but it's a VERY good idea. If you use something like full name to connect the files AND you change a first name from "Robert" to "Bob", you will disconnect Robert's computer records. You can use a number field with an auto entered serial number set to not allow modification. Just as design practice, we usually include in each file we create:

Record ID (number, auto entered, can't modify)

Creation Date (date, creation date, can't modify)

Creation Time (time, creation time, can't modify)

Modification Date (date, modificaiton date, can't modify)

Modification Time (time, modificaiton time, can't modify)

The key thing to remeber about FM files is that they consist of "Records" each with one or more "Fields". Searches are called "Finds" and isolate some subset of records in a file in what is called a "Found Set".

-bd

[axis]

are all of those separate fields? (5 fields).

now, remember (i'm sure you do, it is i who doesn;t yet understand ...

i want to be able to bring up a list of all desktops OR a list of all laptops OR a list of all computers AND in any of those cases the connected people and all their information in one giant list (layout?) -each for web and for printing.

i would like to ba able to search by computer ID (our computers have IDs) or by individual to see who has a particular computer OR to see what computers (more than one) a particular person has.

i would also like to be able to serach by IP (IP will be a field in my computer records.

what would REALLY help me is to reverse engineer a database that worked exactly like that.

ones that comes on these CDs i have are too large for this beginner.

but all other helpful comments and tips are welcomed -i'm still kinda dazed and at a loss.

Thanks