In most cases, if there is an option in a drop-down field that no longer needs to be used, the best choice is to simply deactivate it in the dictionary that controls that drop-down field's options. If an option is deactivated, the dictionary entry itself will remain in the database, still appearing in all records in which that value has been previously selected, but it will no longer be presented as an option when selecting a value in the associated drop-down field in the future.

If you wish to completely remove the use of a particular dictionary entry from the database, you will first need to change all of the records in the database where that value has been selected so that no instances of that option occur. Then, see Deleting an Item from a Dictionary for instructions on how to delete the option from the dictionary. Such action, of course, can be very time consuming and is usually unnecessary.

To mark a dictionary value as inactive:

1. Start the appropriate CCR dictionary manager — see Starting the Dictionary Manager or Starting the Pathology Dictionary Manager for instructions on how to do this.

2. Select the dictionary in which you want to mark an entry inactive in the Dictionaries drop-down field on the Dictionaries window. The window will expand to display the current list of entries in the selected dictionary.

3. Double-click on the entry that you want to make inactive in the Dictionary grid on the tab. The Dictionary Editor window will open displaying the entry's current settings.

4. Select No in the Active ? drop-down field.

5. Click the Save button to save your changes. The window will close and the changes will be saved. The entry will no longer show up as an option when selecting a value in the drop-down field associated with this dictionary.

To close the window without making any changes to the dictionary entry (including making it inactive), click the Close button.