Skip to content

Handling Emails and Phones in Access

Q:  Arne Johnston writes that he has four phone number fields in a table, but that is not enough.  How can he handle this better?

A:  For phone numbers, emails and other IDs, a separate linked table is best.  I have one with just three fields: CompanyID (links to the main table), Description, and IDOrPhone.  This technique is more flexible, since you can add info for any type of ID, phone, etc., even new ones that weren’t foreseen when you created the table, such as Twitter handles or URLs.  Here is a typical example, with the linked IDs and Phones displayed in a subform:

About this author

Office-Watch.com

Office Watch is the independent source of Microsoft Office news, tips and help since 1996. Don't miss our famous free newsletter.