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Calculated fields

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    Calculated fields

    I have a database that contains some address fields (including ZIP) and some Alternate address fields (including Alt_Zip). These different addresses are used to specify a summer and winter address and are selected on labels or envelopes using rich text IF ELSE statements based upon current month.

    I have found however that I need to find a way to use one ZIP or the other based upon date to sort the records for a bulk mailing.

    I was considering having an additional field called Current_Zip that would be calculated for every record based upon the current Month. This would have to be re-calculated every day the database is run.

    How can I set up such a field? Is there a better solution?

    Thanks, Jim

    #2
    RE: Calculated fields

    Jim,

    Adding a field to the table is seldom the right method. This goes agaionst the concept of data normalization.

    I'd probably have two additional fields indicating the start and end dates for the summer and winter addresses but that's just designing for adaptability

    Assuming the date of the mailing always indicates the correct address to use, just create two queries that have a sort expression based upon one or the other field.

    Another way is to use something like this for a single query where var_date is the date of the mailing.

    IF(BETWEEN(month(var_date),7,9),IF(Isblank("summerzip"),winterzip,summerzip),IF(Isblank("winterzip"),summerzip,winterzip))

    Regards,

    Ira
    Regards,

    Ira J. Perlow
    Computer Systems Design


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    Comment


      #3
      RE: Calculated fields

      Thanks

      The code you supplied is a good idea but doesn't really solve the problem. I do indeed already have two fields that indicate the months for the primary address and logically the months for an alternative address if any. I use these fields in labels and envelopes for printing the correct information based on month(date()). The problem comes in that when I make a query, I can select the subset of records I am interested in and then sort them based upon zip. Unfortunately, at any one time, ZIP is not always correct. Sometimes it is Alt_Zip. If I use the code you provide, I get a selection of ZIP or Alt_Zip based upon the current record and not each individual record.

      That is why I proposed another field Current_Zip that is calculated just prior to the sort.

      What I need is a method to automate running something to
      1. Make the record selection I need from the database.
      2. Set the Current_Zip field based upon month(date()) and
      3. Then do the sort based pon Current_Zip.

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