Output individual records as PDF files

Anonymous
2019-10-29T19:10:56+00:00

My organization is using MS Word form to create a client questionnaire. Each Word doc form is saved as PDF file and stored in the Client's folder. I created a form in Access to capture and parse the questions but I cannot find a way to create and output a PDF file from Access. This requires me to repeat the entry process manually into the Word document.  My IT department won't let me roll this out to other employees because of A) the double entry issue and B) they fear other users apparently will have to learn and use VBA to output individual records.

My question is: Can Access output individual records as a printable PDF format and cannot it be done without VBA?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Access | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2019-12-04T04:17:58+00:00

I can answer the one question...  You can set two Primary Keys by highlighting both rows and then pressing Primary Key.

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Anonymous
2019-11-21T22:31:42+00:00

David,

Me <--no degree in Computer Science.

I did have a great teacher who was a co-worker.  I learned a lot for her but more from the great help I received in newsgroups as there were no forums at the time.  If I were a beginner now I would start with Crystal's book which is free...

http://allenbrowne.com/casu-22.html

You can also go here for free Data models...

http://www.databaseanswers.org/data_models/

https://www.access-diva.com/tips.html#bmDataModels

Access is simple enough for non-technical Users but once you start getting *serious* you do need to do some reading.  And those hundreds of hours are over time with the help of the many Forums where free help is given including helping you create a data model.  So if you ever decide it's worth the time, we are here to help.

I also noticed you said you created a Form and tried to add fields from another table which sounded like it was unrelated to the record source of the Form.  Well, this can only be done when table is part of the record source.  You can create a query which can include multiple tables from which you need fields and build your form though most would just use a subform in a typical one-to-many scenario.

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  1. ScottGem 68,840 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2019-11-21T20:57:13+00:00

     I also recently learned that Access isn't really built for multiple users. I read that ten users are ideal. I work for a small business with nearly 200 employees so, it looks like Access won't deliver. 

    Where did you learn this false information? Access, by default, is set as a multi-user database. two hundred users is well within parameters. I've written databases that have been used by more than 100 users simultaneously. 

    You keep making false claims about what Access can or cannot do. 

    As far as your ability to work with service items. As Gail said, you should have a separate table for service items because you have a 1:many relationship. As for entering the ClientID automatically, this is a built-in feature and one of Access's most powerful Its called an embedded subform. If you create a main form bound to the Clients table and a subform bound to the service items table linked on clientID then any service item you enter into the subform will automatically populate the ClientID.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-11-21T20:41:59+00:00

    Thanks for the clarification. I'm back to using Excel for the time being until I can figure out why Access is creating the errors I'm experiencing and also crashing more than it should. I also recently learned that Access isn't really built for multiple users. I read that ten users are ideal. I work for a small business with nearly 200 employees so, it looks like Access won't deliver. 

    The company I'm with used Access before but it was prone to crashing and corruption so they switched to Excel, which is far more stable. Spreadsheets are on a shared drive. Not elegant but reliable.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-11-21T20:26:16+00:00

    Sorry it was confusing.

    1. No additional tables, just use what you have
    2. Yes, you can use a query or a table up to you.
    3. Yes, all you would need is a query that has the data you need and use that for the merge.

    Yes, Web Apps are gone but I have used ASP tied to a SQL server to access data from a website and there are other ways.  That said, the majority of the ones I write are not going to the web, at least, not in the foreseeable future.  So while Web Apps are gone Access is still viable and useful for Front ends tied to any number of *data* Servers.

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