Kate
A guess, but I have a hunch you are referring to the lookup wizard in TABLE
definition. A search through the tablesdbdesign 'group will show a strong
consensus against using it.
You've (re-)discovered one of the reasons against ... the value that is
displayed in the table is a "looked up" value, but that is NOT what is
stored in the table. So when you try to do a join in your query, the odds
are good you'll have a type mismatch.
To overcome the immediate issue, try joining the "lookup" field in your
primary table with the "key" (i.e., NOT the display) field in your lookup
table. (and it gets more complex/confusing if you are using criteria on this
field!)
The downside is that you will ALWAYS have to remember to do this
"cross-wiring", as will anyone else who ever tries to use your database.
The solution is to convert the datatype of the lookup field in your primary
table to match that of the key field in the lookup table. For example, if
your lookup table uses an Autonumber as a key, your primary table will need
to have a LongInt type as its Foreign Key to match up.
Good luck!
Jeff Boyce
<Access MVP>
