Question

I have a requirement where there are 3 tables (Orders, details & users)

    OrderId    OrderDesc    UserId      Timestamp
   ---------   ----------  ---------    ---------------------
      1         Pencils        1          02/08/2011 9:35 pm
      2         Fruits         2          02/08/2011 8:44 am

   Order Id      DetailId    DetailDesc      UserId   Timestamp
   ----------   -----------   ----------  ----------   -----------------
      1            1           HB-1            2         04/09/2012  5:00 pm
      1            2           HB-2            2         04/09/2012  5:00 pm
    UserId       UserName
   --------     ---------
      1           john
      2           james

1. I want a user to enter details only for an order which has been entered into system,avoiding duplicates (I am thinking about converting an existing order to a detail in design view)
2. I want the user entering the orders 'john' to know about any details that may have been entered for a specific order he innitiated without introducing a field in my orders table or joining orders & details together

Thanks for any help, Damien.

Answer 1

1. To enter details for any orders that have been entered, you only allow the user to select orders that already exist either using drop downs or a checkbox

2. Your order details are already linked to the order by the Order Id field.