> Wouldn't it be easier to let them enter a quantity and a unit instead
> of 1 field with both items? This would also be a better database design,
> given that 1 column should store 1 type of values only.

Yeah, that's how I first considered doing it (and I do it this way
elsewhere), but it doesn't fit as nicely in this particular set of
circumstances.

I think I'll try handling it with a BEFORE INSERT OR UPDATE trigger on
the QTY_TEXT field where I can handle the exceptions and enforce entry
in the correct format. Then I can replace the (COMPUTED BY) QTY column
with a plain numeric one updated by the trigger.

Thanks,
Steve