How to Fix Your SQL INSERT INTO Statement to Properly Append Combo Box Selections in MS Access

Learn how to resolve issues with SQL `INSERT INTO` statements when appending records from combo boxes in MS Access forms, ensuring correct field values are captured.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/70866799/ asked by the user 'Kevin Brothers' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/18039738/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/70869300/ provided by the user 'Olivier Jacot-Descombes' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/880990/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Getting the Right Values into Your SQL INSERT INTO Statement

When working with Microsoft Access to manage databases, one common challenge can arise when using combo boxes in forms to append records to tables. This is especially true when you want to correctly record the ID values from your selections instead of the positioning from a query. If you've encountered a problem where the wrong ID is being appended to your database, you're in the right place! Let’s delve into this issue and how to resolve it effectively.

The Problem

In your case, you are trying to append three values (Patient ID, Treatment ID, and Category ID) to the tblPatientReport table from a form that utilizes combo boxes. The combo boxes pull information from different tables:

The Category combo box pulls values from tblCategories.

The Patient combo box pulls from tblPatients.

The Treatment combo box is sourced from a filtered query qryTreatmentsByCategory based on the selected category.

While the PatientID and CategoryID values append without issue, you're experiencing an unexpected result when trying to store the TreatmentID. Instead of the actual ID (for example, 106 for "Bladder Scan"), it appends the position of the selected treatment record in the query (such as 15). This is a common pitfall in MS Access when using combo boxes.

Break Down of the Solution

Let’s go through the steps you need to take to correct this issue effectively.

1. Validate Your Combo Box Configuration

Ensure that the bound column of your Treatment combo box is set correctly:

Bound Column: This should be set to 1, which refers to the first column of your query (qryTreatmentsByCategory) that contains the TreatmentID. This setting ensures that the combo box uses the actual IDs and not their positions.

2. Update Your SQL Statement

You need to construct your SQL string accurately within the button's click event that handles the appending of these values. The key here is to ensure that you reference the selected values of each combo box correctly:

Use .Value property to ensure you are pulling the actual data from the controls.

Here is how your INSERT INTO statement should look:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

3. Important Notes

RunSQL Behavior: It’s important to note that RunSQL will not automatically interpret the combo box references inside the string for their associated values. That is why constructing the SQL string in this way is crucial to ensure that the correct data is being input into your database.

Debugging Steps: If you continue to face issues:

Ensure that you are accessing the correct values in your combo boxes.

Use debugging techniques like message boxes to display what values are being passed to the SQL statement before execution. This can help identify if the combo boxes are set correctly.

Conclusion

By ensuring the proper configuration of your combo box and accurately constructing your SQL statements, you'll be able to successfully append the intended values to your tblPatientReport table. This adjustment not only resolves the issue but also enhances the integrity and functionality of your database when handling user inputs from forms.

If you have more questions or need further assistance with your MS Access projects, don't hesitate to reach out for support! You’re on your way to creating an efficient medical records database.