U.M. (Windows)

Creating a database file 2-7
For To Do this
Auto Enter Turn off automatically entered data Select Nothing.
Enter the date, time, or user name when the record was last
created or changed
Choose an option from the drop-down list.
Assign a unique, sequential number to the field in each
record
Select Serial number, and then type a starting value (for
example, 1001) and the number to increment by.
Enter the value from the previously accessed record Select Value from previous record.
Enter data you specify Select Data, and then type the data you want, up to 255
characters.
Enter the result of a calculation in the field Select Calculated value, and then define the formula. (See the
note at the end of this section and “Understanding
formulas” on page 2-13.)
Enter a value that’s copied from a field in the same or a
different file
Select Looked-up value, and then define the lookup. (See
“Defining lookups between files” on page 10-11.)
Prevent users from changing an automatically entered
value
Select Prohibit modification of value.
Validation Check that the data is a number, date, or time Select Of type and then choose a type from the drop-down
list.
Check that the field is not empty, or that the value is unique
or already existing in the file
Select Not empty, Unique, or Existing.
Check that the value is in the value list you specify Select Member of value list, and then choose a value list from
the drop-down list, or define a value list. (See “Defining
value lists” on page 3-74.)
Check that the value falls within the range you specify Select In range, and then type a starting value and ending
value for the range.
Check that the value matches the result of a calculation Select Validation by calculation, click Specify, and then define
a formula. The result must be Boolean—“true” or “false,”
“yes” or “no,” and so on. (See “Understanding formulas”
on page 2-13.) The result is false when the result is 0 or null
(empty); otherwise the result is true.
Prevent users from entering invalid data Select Strict: Do not allow user to override validation.
Display a message you specify when the data doesn’t meet
the validation requirements
Select Display custom message if validation fails, and then type
a message (up to 255 characters).