Tracking assetts

[Bridge]

Hi,

This is more of a general question about another portion of a database I have been designing and I am not sure how to proceed.

I have to track the location of a given item from one location to another (the item having been sometimes shipped to various locations before returned back to its place of origin). I want to create a tracking history of this item and also want the main database to only display the latest location of the item. How is that for confusing. Anyway, any pointers would be great. I was thinking relationships together with portals?

Bridge

[Søren Dyhr]

One way of solving this problem is to regard returned items as yet another location among the recievers.

Each time an item is allocated is a logging made in a history table belong to each item. All allocations are done by changing the foreignkey to the new destinations key value, as well as the previous location is logged.

Since you're on fm8 can't this be done without buttons unless you put the audit log in the items table in a deliberate violation of 1NF due to the lack of functionality. Like this:

http://www.nightwing.com.au/FileMaker/demos8/demo809.html

Where only the foreign key's values are tracked.

In order to disassemble the lumped into one field, should each line be split via an algorithm, if some sort of statistics should be made upon these item allocations, which is more than likely!

So I would suggest that you keep on the straight and narrow and normalize correctly, and make each re-allocaction scripted only.

--sd

[comment]

I believe this could be done quite simply:

LastChild.fp7.zip

[Søren Dyhr]

Ah yes it could!

--sd

[Bridge]

Hi,

Thank you for the fmp example database. I think this is totally what I am looking for. Just a question though. Since I might be moving 10 or move items on one tracking number and the next shipment to the new location might not be the exact items, I guess the best way as what I am gathering from the database, is just as there is a drop-down menu for the item iD, each log id (shipment tracking number in my case) would also be a drop-down number. That way if the 1st 10 items were sent on the same shipment to the same location, but then only 3 of those 10 get moved to the next location, I will be able to create a new record with a new LogID to track the new shipment (location). Am I getting it?

Best,

Bridge

[Bridge]

Hi,

I just worked out my own last question. Works really well. Just wondering about something else. Just wondering if for the 'current location' if there is a way of adding a 'default' location for all the other items that have not been shipped and are still sitting in the main place of origin? Would this 'default location' have to part of a calculation or can I add it in as part of the 'options' in the original 'shipping to' field?

Bridge