title: Look-up vs relationship Microsoft Access
body: <p>I'm developing a Microsoft Access 2013 based information system.
  One of the client's demands was to simplify the data entry process by using combo box with available values.</p>
  
  <p>For example, instead of entering <code>agentID</code> the client asked to let the user choose agent name from the combo box, the same logic with other similar fields.</p>
  
  <p><strong>In brief:</strong><br>
  I need to avoid as much as possible the need to enter the values ID and let to user choose them from the combo box.</p>
  
  <p>Microsoft Access has a built-in lookup wizard that allows to user to bind the table field with specific field from another table, e.g. to link <code>cityID</code> from <code>tblVoyage</code> with <code>tblCities</code>/<code>cityID</code> by lookup wizard, and let user choose the city from the combo box and not by typing specific city ID into the field.</p>
  
  <p>Everything looks great, but there one confusing moment.
  During DB course I learnt, that in order to build a database and work with it, we have to define relationships between the tables (1:1, 1:M, M:N), but if I do it I can't use lookup wizard, because I've already defined relationships between tables. And, as a result, the user has to type all IDs manually, instead of choose them from the combo box.</p>
  
  <p>So, I want:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>To understand when exactly should I use Access lookup wizard and when define a relationship between the tables.</li>
  <li>How to correctly minimize the number of times when the user has to type the data instead of choose the wanted item from the combo box.</li>
  </ol>