need case-sensitive primary keys

<Is there anyway to force the primary keys to be case sensitive?>
afaik, this is not possible

i don't see the relevance of making things complicated when you can achieve the same goal of not allowing duplicates or having a field with unique values in a simple way.

my 2¢

that's what I said Cap

>>you're going to have to store these primary keys in a text field that allows duplicates, and index in a normal autonumber combined with that field.

j,
i am not referring about your comment.
btw, did you get any software from M$, using your mvp reward?
i got the office ultimate 2007.

I haven't had time to shop!! And I gor a copy of OU2007 through work...but haven't even had time to play with it much. I've just been buried at my new job..as you can probably tell by my lack of presence here on EE. I'm still waiting until the desktop PC demo on that link you sent me becomes affordable...that's the ultimate!! I did get the new XBox with the latest Halo3!! So I'll be busy doing THAT for a while now :o)
J

I have seen Binary data types a couple times ... and forgot how to create them.  Cool.

Leigh ... does that connect at all with what I posted?

mx

Well - that particular Help file extract relates to comparisons within the context of the VBA module who's Option Compare statement is set and so would affect, say, recordset field string value comparisons performed in that module.
AFAIK not many folks resort to changing Option Compare but just reach for StrComp as and when they need it in a given procedure.  That would certainly be my preference - I'll take the tiny performance hit of StrComp on the chin. :-)
StrComp (wrapped or otherwise) or any VBA function on the tested fields is an option for use in queries too, but you're adding overhead all the time then - and it's bye bye to any index on the field.
The extreme of that being an ASCII breakdown function as Jeff has mentioned.

Hi all -

thanks for the wonderful feedback.
I'm going to give your suggestions a try in the next week.
thanks for also pointing out that I will need carry this through to our other tables.
Tmcnab

Hi All -
Thanks for all your feedback. It allowed me to analyze my problem multiple ways.
In the end, I opted to not use the binary nor the autonumber approach.

I have created an additional field in each of the tables.
Since I am using a macro to import the multiple tables into the database, this field is updated with a value (upper/lower indicator) based on the case-sensitive field (I used the ASC function on the field) thru' this macro as each table in imported.
I've also written 2 VBA scripts - one to create primary keys on all these tables, incorporating the new 'case indicator' field as part of the fields to create the primary key; one to remove these keys prior to importing the data - to avoid any import errors.
I know this may appear convoluted, but it is a solution that my users can understand, since they work directly with the tables when creating queries/reports.

Thanks again for all your help.......TMcNab

>> "they work directly with the tables when creating queries/reports"

<Faints>

But glad you're feeling sorted though. :-)