Duplicating Table with in a file

[projay]

I have my invoice_order information all set and now i have decided to incorporate a quote that is setup like my invoices that i give to customers. My invoice items i would like to duplicate it and turn it into a quote system with in the same fields and link it to my customer_info. When i open define database and click on tables it doesnt allow me to duplicate a table. Is there a way to do this? or any other suggestions would be great. Thanks Jay. I am using fm pro 8.5

[bruceR]

FileMaker Advanced allows you to copy/paste tables. If you're going to be developing and maintaining a FileMaker system you really need FileMaker Advanced; and you may as well get the latest version.

[comment]

Import the invoices table into a new table in the same file.

[bcooney]

Consider sharing the Line Items table between Quotes and Invoices. Just populate two keys per line item (kFQuoteID, kFInvoiceID).

[projay]

Just wondering, What does the "kf" stand for?

[projay]

Thanks for the reply. So if the estimate is approved, whats the best way to take the data estimate and convert it to an invoice with out having to re-enter everything. Thansk again

[bcooney]

_kF is the prefix I use for a foreign key field.

[bcooney]

How you go about it depends on the whether or not all estimate or just some end up on the invoice.

If you have a New Invoice button on an Estimate form, your script will capture the Estimate ID, go to an Invoice layout, create a new record, capture the InvoiceID and then find all the estimate line items and add the InvoiceID to each estimate line item record.

If only some items go on an invoice, or an estimate can become more than one invoice, you might want a user to pick from uninvoiced estimate items. I would still populate the estimate line item with the invoice ID, but it would happen one line item at a time, when the user selects the line item.

If you invoice has a _kF_EstimateID, then you can build a relationship to show the estimate line items in a portal, for the use to "add" to the invoice.

[projay]

Hi I am attaching an imaage so you can see my relationship with the different tables. The way I have it set when i do an estimate it tends to pull customer and their info out of workorder table which I don't want. Any advice would be appreciated. Jay.

[bcooney]

I don't see a line items table. When you specify multiple items on a work order, where are they stored? I see fields in Estimate, "imprint_color1, imprint_color2, etc." and this is a bad sign. These look like the line items. You should have a relationship from estimate to LineItems by EstimateID.