Hey Leith,

I have a question about the advisability of adding 20-50 new columns
just for 5 customers out of 2000? It seems like such a waste.

I was considering adding a validation drop down menu to the 4
fields(columns) that have additions (each row will be directed to
customer specific sub lists').

I guess I'm looking for a philosophical discussion as to the merits of
the various options.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

-Minitman


On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 11:19:45 -0600, Leith Ross
wrote:


Hello Minitman,

When a worksheet is set up with Column and/or Row headers, it is in
fact a database, often referred to as a list. A Row represents a record
and the Columns the fields. You have 256 Columns (fields) per record and
65536 records per worksheet. So, you have plenty of space to work in.
This layout can be easily imported to an Access database, when the time
comes.

Excel provides a builtin tool to help you manage lists like yours. Its
the Data Form. To use it, your list must have column headers (and you
do). On the main Excel Toolbar, click Data and in the list click Form.
You will see a window that controls to move through and modify your
data. There is a limit to the number of columns it can handle, but I am
not certain what that limit is. I don't think you will exceed it with
your list. For best results, you should alphabetize your list by name.
You can do this manually with Excel or add a command button to automate
the process.

Back to your question. Add the additional fields for those special
customers. Then alphabetize your list by contact name. Then it's an
easy matter to scan the properties associated with that customer using
the builtin data form.

Sincerely,
Leith Ross