retain search criteria?

January 9, 200818 yr

I think that what I am actually trying to do is to retain search criteria, but let me explain.

I have a DB called PDB [plant database] and I use it as the source material about plants. It's a very husky and useful databank that I've developed over the course of 20 years or so.

My workflow requires that I create conceptual plant lists as I move through a project [i am a landscape architect]. I find it most convenient to search the PDB for various criteria, generating a list that is used more as a touchstone during design than anything else. An example might be shrubs for a particular project that form a master list, excluding obvious plants that won't work and thus making the design a little easier.

But I also need to save these conceptual plant lists and I cannot figure out a way to do it. Sure, I could create another table, but my workflow would have to change.

What I want:

I want to search PDB, find the plants that I might use on a project, assign a project number to them, and then move on. I want to be able to recall any of the conceptual lists by project number.

Can I do this in the PDB table or do I need another table?

Michael

January 9, 200818 yr

If you are a single user, you could after a fashion do this in the same table - but I wouldn't recommend it. Why not add a join table between Projects and Plants (assuming you do have a Projects table)? I don't see why this would require changing your workflow in any significant way. All you would need to do, after finding your candidates, is to click a button and select a project. A script would take care of the rest.