Field List not letting me add existing field

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joan
  • Start date Start date
J

Joan

In Access 2007, I need to add an existing field from another table to current
table opened in datasheet view. When I select the field that I want to add,
and attempt to drag and drop onto the datasheet, there is a circle with a
line thru it and the insertion point of the current table doesn't appear -
just this circle with line thru it as in "no can do" - this happens
regardless of what table or field I select. Category I need to use is Fields
in other tables. Followed directions outlined in the Access help and seems
like a simple action, but the Lookup Wizard never starts. New to Access, but
not new to Office.
 
Joan,

You would need to create a query based on the two (or more) tables you want
to be together and then draw upon the fields. You cannot just open a table
and open another table and try to add the fields that is not the way Access
works. By the sound of your question it sounds as if you are new to Access.
I suggest you review the following...

Jeff Conrad's resources page...
http://www.accessmvp.com/JConrad/accessjunkie/resources.html

The Access Web resources page...
http://www.mvps.org/access/resources/index.html

A free tutorial written by Crystal (MS Access MVP)... (especially the part
on Queries)
http://allenbrowne.com/casu-22.html

MVP Allen Browne's tutorials...
http://allenbrowne.com/links.html#Tutorials

Sample data models...
http://www.databasedev.co.uk/table-of-contents.html

--
Gina Whipp
2010 Microsoft MVP (Access)

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm
 
Thanks Gina for the references - am a new Access user, but I was following
directions from the Access Help regarding this issue. It mentions "Add an
existing field from another table
If your database contains multiple tables, you can add a field from another
table in the database by using the Field List. When you work with a table in
Datasheet view, the Field List pane shows all of the other tables in your
database, grouped into two categories."
It goes on to explain how to do this, but the problem I have is when I
select the field in the Field List, instead of being able to drag and drop,
as the directions state, I get a circle with a line thru it.

Check out by going to Access Help and drilling down to Database Design, then
to Add a field to a table, then to Add an existing field from another table.
All I was trying to do was what the Access Help said is possible. I may not
have communicated what I was attempting to do. It will be easier to just add
the field to the table and complete the properties than writing a query.
Since the Field List sounds like it is a useful tool, I'm concerned that I'll
not be able to do anything with the fields when I design my forms, if I keep
getting that circle with the line thru it.

A appreciate your time in helping me,
Joan
 
You can in fact do as you are trying to do, Never felt the need to attemp to
do it. However, you can drag a field from an existing table into a table you
have open. (Didn't even know that a field list existed for tables.)

At least, the above is true for Access 2007. The field you drop from the
field list becomes a new relationship and then a look up field in the parent
table. (Or that is what happened here)

I have performed the operation here, I don't like this method of addidng a
field due to historic problems with look up fields in tables.

What version of Access are you using?
 
Thanks, Ken, for all the info. I think I was just being lazy and what was
described in Access Help seemed like an easy solution. I had two unrelated
tables (no relationship established between the tables) and had decided that
a field in one of the tables needed to be in the other table, so I thought I
could just drag & drop the field from the table in the Field List into the
table opened in the datasheet, then I was going to delete the field from the
table that I had taken it from (open table in the design view and delete the
field). I am just beginning to build a database and was actually using
tables and fields from Alison Balter's Mastering MS Office Access
2007Development book as a basis of a prototype mini db for learning purposes.
This experience has taught me that there apparently aren't any short cuts in
Access, especially if you are new to it.
Thanks for your time and thoughts.
joan
 
MikeJohn, thanks for your input. I am just beginning to build a database and
was actually using tables and fields from Alison Balter's Mastering MS Office
Access 2007Development book as a basis of a prototype mini db for learning
purposes. Obviously, I didn't understand the consequences of what I was
attempting to do, so it was good that I didn't succeed. Building a db from
scratch is very tedious and I, foolishly thought, I could take some short
cuts (without really knowing what I was doing, duh).
Thanks for your time.
Joan
 
This experience has taught me that there apparently aren't any short cuts in
Access
Click to expand...

Oh, there are *plenty* of shortcuts...

unfortunately some of them lead you into the swamp or off the edge of a cliff!
<g>
 
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