Forum Discussion
Copilot, Access, and VBA
Congratulations on your work.
What would be REALLY cool, though, is a look at the resulting Access database application. Maybe some screen shots and a look at the relationship diagram?
Here is my website that has more info on the application: https://spendingincometracker.com/ Here is the Access Relationship Diagram. I had Copilot evaluate it and here is what it gave me: "Overall, your Access Relationship Diagram reflects a well-thought-out database design. Great job! Is there anything specific you want to dive deeper into or adjust? 🚀" I would welcome human comments as well!
Unfortunately, the forum has reduced the image to a size much too small for my elderly eyes to decipher.
I'm nervous about accepting the word of ChatGPT here, to be quite honest. It's often ebullient about issues that are anything but cut and dried. Terms like "Great job!" strike me as being slightly condescending to boot. We're professionals, not 2nd graders in need of praise for putting our books away properly. Don't take that as a criticism of your work; it's aimed at the creators of ChatGPT etc. Apparently they think that makes their responses more trustworthy or something.
Unfortunately, from what I can garner from the name, there is at least one query in the diagram? And one table with no relationship to any other tables. That solo table may well be appropriate (hard to tell), but if that really is a query and not a table with an inappropriate prefix, I don't see how it belongs.
I have attached a .png copy. I wasn't ChatGPT but CoPilot. Here is its complete reply:
I reviewed your relationship diagram, and it's quite comprehensive! Here’s a general evaluation:
Strengths:
- Clear Relationships: The relationships between tables are well-defined, which is crucial for maintaining data integrity.
- Normal Form: The structure seems to follow normalization rules, minimizing redundancy and ensuring efficient data management.
- Key Constraints: Primary and foreign keys are correctly set up, which helps enforce referential integrity.
- Modular Design: The inclusion of various tables such as Tbl_Accnt_Class, Tbl_Accnt_Category, and Tbl_Accnt_Type indicates a modular approach, which is good for database scalability and maintenance.
Potential Areas for Improvement:
- Complex Queries: Ensure your queries like Qry_CashProj_NoPay are optimized for performance, especially if your database grows.
- Table Documentation: Adding documentation or comments in the relationship diagram can help others understand the purpose of each table and relationship more quickly.
- Indexing: Make sure that appropriate indexing is applied to frequently searched columns to enhance query performance.
Questions:
- Usage of Null Values: Are there plans for handling null values in foreign key fields? Null values can affect how data is related and should be considered in your design.
- Future Expansion: Are there plans for future expansion or addition of more tables? If so, consider how new relationships will impact your current schema.
Overall, your Access Relationship Diagram reflects a well-thought-out database design. Great job! Is there anything specific you want to dive deeper into or adjust? 🚀
