7. Lookup
When a field contains a limited list of items then a lookup list can help reduce errors.
For example:
- a shop might put the dress sizes into a lookup list
- a car showroom might put the car models into a lookup list
- a vet might list the most popular types of animals that they deal with.
For example a database storing film information wants to record the type of film it is, so for convenience a 'lookup' drop down list is provided on the data entry form.
The benefits of a lookup list are that they:
- speed up data entry because it is usually much faster to pick from a list than to type each individual entry
- improved accuracy because they reduce the risk of spelling mistakes
- limit the options to choose from by only presenting the required options
However, using a lookup validation technique does not prevent someone from still entering data into the field and so mistakes can still be made.
Challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you
Click on this link: Database Validation