Decoding a part number Vs. Read/Write from DB file

I have a program I made, which allows users to go through a series of drop down menus, creating a part number, then clicking a button which brings up the build of materials for that part number.

I now need to add an option where the user can just paste in a part number, and it gives them the BOM. I thought of two ways to do this:

1. Create code the will "decode" the part number, piece by piece. The issue here is that there are about 10 different formats the part numbers can follow.

2. Loop my code I already have with a bunch of nested loops, going through each part number option, and creating every single part number there is. Being that there will be millions or part numbers, I will have to export them to a database, and then the user will use a Userform front end, to dump in the file, and find it in the DB file.

I am thinking about programming it using option 2, but I'm worried that the lookup time will take a while? Any thoughts on this?

hockeyadc,

I would say that decoding the part number is probably the best way to do it. Even if there are 10 different formats, each part number should be unique, so decoding shouldn't be much of a problem. The macro can check for the different format styles and then decode the part number accordingly.

Is there any reason they are so different? Implementing data normalization would make this a much easier task.

Your post does not comply with Rule 1 of our Forum RULES. Your post title should accurately and concisely describe your problem, not your anticipated solution.

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Originally Posted by Richard Buttrey

Your post does not comply with Rule 1 of our Forum RULES. Your post title should accurately and concisely describe your problem, not your anticipated solution.

Use terms appropriate to a Google search. Poor thread titles, like Please Help, Urgent, Need Help, Formula Problem, Code Problem, and Need Advice will be addressed according to the OP's experience in the forum: If you have less than 10 posts, expect (and respond to) a request to change your thread title. If you have 10 or more posts, expect your post to be locked, so you can start a new thread with an appropriate title.

To change a Title on your post, click EDIT then Go Advanced and change your title, if 2 days have passed ask a moderator to do it for you.

Where is Edit?

Edit: I got it.