Looking for programming suggestions...

[simpleton]

I have a situation where I need to compare an external text file (with one field) to an Access table. The program needs to determine two conditions: when a value exists on the text file and not in the Access table and visa versa. The values that meet either of these two conditions must be placed in two separate reports.

My question is how can this be done? My first thought was to dynamically create a temp. database and import the text file into it every time the program is run (deleting it on termination). That way I could use SQL statements to easily do the compares. But since this app will be used by many unique users at different facilities, I don't think this is the way to go. The Access DB is a constant while the text files will be unique to each location.

Any and all helpful advice or coding examples would be greatly appreciated as I am pretty stumped at this point. My VB skills are novice level. Thank you all in advance!

[christophe]

I don't know much about databases so I won't be able to give advice on this topic. One suggestion is to try your post in the 'Database development' section, if you haven't done so already.

[OneSource]

Hi simpleton,

Since your Access DB is going to be a constant, could you put copies of it in locations where the text files could access (no pun intended) it individually? That way, you could implement your idea to import the text files into a temp. DB and use SQL statements to do the comparison.

Hope this helps.

[KenX]

going a step further on OneSource's idea
(put copies of the access db...), i think
you may opt NOT to use a temp. db - you may
want to use a temp. table in the access
db itself...

[simpleton]

Thanks guys...I am going to try this one method and if it doesn't work, I will probably go with pushing my original idea. I'm not exactly sure how I would go with it (using the temp Db or not) but I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it (or jump off of it)...

Thanks for the advice folks!