A couple of observations:
First, a tip of the ol' chapeau to chergh, who in addition to helping out here also went over to the MS newsgroup and helped to explain the problem there. There still doesn't seem to be an answer to James's problem, but it certainly isn't due to lack of effort.
The other thing is an observation about database construction. Part of the problem here is that data fields have wildcard characters in them, which should never happen. It does happen because there are no standards, or there is insufficient discipline, for what's permissible. Once a database starts to grow, the importance of front-end control over data entry becomes extremely important. People who need information must be able to have some confidence that properly-constructed queries will have the expected results. Failing to establish rational conventions, and then enforcing them is a recipe for disaster.
First, a tip of the ol' chapeau to chergh, who in addition to helping out here also went over to the MS newsgroup and helped to explain the problem there. There still doesn't seem to be an answer to James's problem, but it certainly isn't due to lack of effort.
The other thing is an observation about database construction. Part of the problem here is that data fields have wildcard characters in them, which should never happen. It does happen because there are no standards, or there is insufficient discipline, for what's permissible. Once a database starts to grow, the importance of front-end control over data entry becomes extremely important. People who need information must be able to have some confidence that properly-constructed queries will have the expected results. Failing to establish rational conventions, and then enforcing them is a recipe for disaster.
