[Year 12 IT Apps] MS Access - Calculated fields

[Robert Timmer-Arends]

Hello Damien

you may find this discussion useful

http://allenbrowne.com/casu-14.html
The update at the end covers Access 2010

Personally, the only situation I can see that might justify a value that is calculated once and then stored in a field (as Access 2010 seems to do), is where you need to squeeze every bit of performance out of the dbms that you can; for example, if you had a truck load of data that had to be pulled frequently, calculating a new value each time (either by query or on the fly like FileMaker) could slow retrieval down. But I can't see that happening on modern equip unless you have a lot of data, and/or maybe an overworked remote server?


Regards
Robert T-A
Brighton SC

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: ATKINSON-BUCK, Damien 
  To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List 
  Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2014 1:38 PM
  Subject: [Year 12 IT Apps] MS Access - Calculated fields


  Hi folks,

              Just looking into Outcome 2 and looking at the 2010 version of MS Access. I hadn't noticed before, but you can now create a calculated field  in the table definitions. This means that not only does it do the calculation (duh) but stores that value too, so you no longer have to create a query to do that. 

  Now, I always stress to my cherubs that one of the primary reasons for making a database is to reduce the amount of space the data is going to take up. This new 'feature' does the reverse. Given hard drives are so cheap and our down databases are comparatively quite small, it doesn't really affect SAC scenarios... but should we be teaching best practices or "The Way of the Access"? How do others feel about this?

  Cheers

  Damien


  Damien Atkinson-Buck
  Head of Learning Area: Technology/Arts 

        p: +61 3 9490 3848
       e: damien.atkinson-buck at ivanhoe.com.au
       
        f: +61 3 9490 3490
       w: www.ivanhoe.com.au
       


  Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.





  Privacy, Virus and Copyright Warning

  The information contained in this electronic message (e-mail), and any files transmitted with it:

  * is intended for the named recipients only. If you have received this in error, please advise the sender and delete it and any copies immediately;
  * Any personal information in this email must be used in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and this always applies even if it has been sent to you in error.
  * represents the views of the sender and does not necessarily represent the views or formal advice of Ivanhoe Grammar School;
  * may be subject to Copyright, so no further use should be made of it without the author's permission.

  The School does not represent or warrant that the email or any files attached do not contain errors or are free from computer viruses or other defects nor does it accept responsibility for any loss or damage resulting directly or indirectly from the use of the email or any attached files. 


------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  _______________________________________________
  http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
  IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported by
  http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/itapplications3-4.html - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority <br>
  http://www.vitta.org.au  - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc <br>
  http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ict/schools - Swinburne University
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.edulists.com.au/pipermail/itapps/attachments/20140213/a518f291/attachment-0001.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 51301 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.edulists.com.au/pipermail/itapps/attachments/20140213/a518f291/attachment-0001.jpe