Forms using fields or records?

[Charity]

Okay so I have forms which must go to head office and they have combination of text fields and checkboxes and these questions are all over the form sometimes in 3 columns sometimes 2 or 1.  I have scanned the form and matched my text to it but I am worried to make records for each questions or make fields.  If I make records then I have to put each answer from join table in an individual portal changing portal row for each answer.  I think.

HQ may also change there form and send new one which is mostly same but few different questions or wordings of same question probably because their legal eeked them.  I can scan again and rearrange layout but each employee must answer so I will have join table making it have employeeID and well this is where I get stuck. Do I have single id from question form

 or multiple questions.

How to do this when prior answers form must be kept for each staff also?  Print and store their complete response as pdf or store records.  See? help if you can please and Thank you. for reading.

[Charity]

I could maybe overlay text block with object name onto the questions and identify that object name as the question that is answered in the join table.  Oh everything will take a lot of work for sure.  

Edited January 24, 2016 by Charity
bad sentence

[Kris M]

table for tests

1 field for each question

 each record contains the answers for one person taking the test

Edited January 25, 2016 by Kris M

[webko]

Do you need to send back the form looking exactly like the form, or a data export with the questions / answers data? Do you need to do any data work on the answers after it's filled out (i.e., do you care what Gender or Address they put in, for your own purposes?)

[Charity]

Kris, thank you. i was thinking fields for questions also but how could we use the info?  It would be just as worthless to us as the forms will be to HQ if I do not make records.  And Webko made me realize it and I asked my manager just now.

Hello Webko, thank you for helping

Do I need to send back form looking exactly like the form:  Yes.  They want their form back.

Do we need to do any data work on answers:  Well, manager wants to keep it to see which staff have completed the question and whether they answered all questions.  He also thinks it would be valuable since HQ thinks it is valuable so he wants to know what all staff answered to question 3 for instance which is "Do you feel listened to by your manager."  so I guess you can say we want to track it but gender is not even a question.  I do not know if we track gender in our employee records.  I would think that might be sexist or something.  I stay out of human resources stuff but I put the question out to them this morning but have not heard back.  It would be good idea.

I think our manager would like to know how many guys like him compared to how many girls tho.  our FileMaker database only has their names and email and position titles and stuff.  Reports would ideally show the question and all the answers to it but not their names.  I think HQ is blowing it because they can't get any real info because they don't have FM and when I told our manager I could give him good info from it, he was excited.  

so i have to type the questions myself.  And create a true database with multiple questions and join table for answers.  Don't I?  We still need to send back their antwacky forms also. Maybe they can manually answer then I can type them into our database.  Bla.  otherwise how can I do both with only one set of data?  I know staff would prefer answering in FM.

Thank you all for listening and helping me.

[Fitch]

There are times when it's best to use an answer table -- it depends on how you want to summarize and report on your data.

For this situation, I'd probably not bother. Just make fields in the form/test table as @Kris said. Why do you say it would be worthless? You could certainly tally responses.

Also, sounds like you'd want separate layouts for data entry vs. form printing.