Lesson 10 - More Query Design Options

Modifying queries
Access offers several options for making your queries work better for you. In addition to
modifying your query criteria and joins after you build them, you can choose to sort and
hide fields in your query results.

To modify your query:

When you open an existing query in Access, it is displayed in Datasheet view, meaning
you will see your query results in a table. To modify your query, you must enter Design
view, the view you used when creating it. There are two ways to switch to Design view:
 On the Home tab of the Ribbon, click the View command. Select Design View
from the drop-down menu that appears.

 In the bottom-right corner of your Access window, locate the small view icons.
Click the Design View icon, which is the icon farthest to the right.

Once in Design view, make the desired changes, then select the Run command to view
your updated results.

Sorting queries
Access allows you to apply multiple sorts simultaneously while designing your query.
This allows you to view your data exactly the way you want.
A sort that includes more than one sorted field is called a multilevel sort. A multilevel
sort allows you to apply an initial sort, then further organize data with additional
sorts. For instance, if you had a table filled with customers and their addresses, you
might choose to first sort the records by city, then alphabetically by last name.

When more than one sort is included in a query, Access reads the sorts from left to
right. This means the leftmost sort will be applied first. In the example below,
customers will be sorted first by the City where they live and then by the Zip Code
within that city.

To apply a multilevel sort:

1. Open the query and switch to Design view.
2. Locate the field you want to sort first. In the Sort: row, click the drop-down
arrow to select either an Ascending or Descending sort.

3. Repeat the process in the other fields to add additional sorts. Remember, the
sorts are applied from left to right, so any additional sorts must be applied to
fields located to the right of your primary sort. If necessary, you can rearrange
the fields by clicking the top of a field and dragging it to a new location.
 4. To apply the sort, click the Run command.

5. Your query results will appear with the desired sort.

 You can also apply multilevel sorts to tables that don't have queries applied to
them. On the Home tab on the Ribbon, select the Advanced drop-down
command in the Sort & Filter group. From the menu that appears, select
Advanced Filter/Sort and create the multilevel sort as you normally would. When
you're finished, click the Toggle Filter command to apply your sort.

Hiding fields within queries

Sometimes you might have fields that contain important criteria, but you might not need
to actually see the information from that field in the final results. For example, take one
of the queries we built in our last lesson: a query to find the names and contact
information of customers who had placed orders. We included order ID numbers in our
query because we wanted to make sure we only pulled customers who had placed
orders.

However, we really didn't need to see this information in our final query results. In fact, if
we were just looking for customer names and addresses, seeing the order number
mixed in there might have been distracting. Fortunately, Access makes it easy to hide
fields while still including any criteria they contain.

To hide a field within a query:

1. Open the query and switch to Design view.
2. Locate the field you want to hide.
3. Click the checkbox in the Show: row to uncheck it.

4. To see the updated query, select the Run command. The field will be hidden.

 To unhide a hidden field, simply return to Design view and click the checkbox in
the field's Show: row again.

More types of queries

By this point, you should understand how to create a simple one-table or multi-table
query using multiple criteria. Additional queries offer you the ability to perform even
more complex actions with your database. One of these is the totals query, which lets
you perform calculations with your data.

Totals queries
Sometimes setting simple criteria won't give you the results you need, especially when
you're working with numerical values. You may want to see your query results grouped
or counted in some way. For example, let's say we want to find out how many of each
menu item at our bakery has been ordered—how many Almond Croissants, Apple Pies,
and so on. To do this, we could create a totals query to find the sum of the quantities for
each item.

First, the totals query will group all similar menu items from separate orders (for
example, Almond Croissants). Then, the Sum function will add the values in the
Quantity field to calculate the total number sold for that item.

The Sum function helped us find the desired information in this example, but in other
situations you may need to use a different function to find the answer you need. There
are several functions you can choose from:
 Count: Counts the total number of each item

 Sum: Adds the values together

 Average: Finds the average of the values

 Maximum: Returns the highest value

 Minimum: Returns the lowest value

 First: Returns the first, or earliest, value

 Last: Returns the last, or most recent, value

In our example above, we created a subtotal for each menu item in our query. If you
wanted to create a grand total for all of the items, you would need to add a totals row.
Review our lesson on Modifying Tables to learn how

To create a totals query:

For our example, we want to find the total number we've sold of each of our menu
items, so we'll use a query showing us all of the menu items we've sold. If you want to
follow along in our database, open the Menu Items Ordered query.
1. Create or open a query you want to use as a totals query.
2. From the Design tab, locate the Show/Hide group, then select the Totals
command.

3. A row will be added to the table in the design grid, with all values in that row set
to Group By. Select the cell in the Total: row of the field you want to perform a
calculation on, then click the drop-down arrow that appears.

4. Select the calculation you want to be performed in that field. In our example, we
want to add the quantities of products we've sold, so we'll select the Sum option.
 5. When you are satisfied with your query design, select the Run command on the
Query Tools Design tab to run the query.

6. The query results will be displayed in the query's Datasheet view, which looks
like a table. If you want, save your query by clicking the Save command on the
Quick Access Toolbar.

More query options

We offer smaller lessons on creating additional types of queries at the end of this
tutorial. Below is a list of the queries we currently cover:
 Parameter query
A parameter query allows you to create a query that can be updated easily to reflect a
new criterion, or search term. When you open a parameter query, Access will prompt
you for a search term and then show you query results that reflect that search.
 Find duplicates query
A find duplicates query lets you find all duplicate records in your database so you can
delete them. Duplicate records can negatively affect the integrity of your database.

Other query-building resources

  Review our Query Criteria Quick Reference Guide for a list of criteria you can
use in building queries. You can also download a printable version of the guide.

Lesson 11 – Creating Reports

To create a report:
Reports give you the ability to present components of your database in an easy-to-read,
printable format. Access lets you create reports from both tables and queries.
1. Open the table or query you want to use in your report. We want to print a list of
cookies we've sold, so we'll open the Cookies Sold query.

2. Select the Create tab on the Ribbon. Locate the Reports group, then click the
Report command.

3. Access will create a new report based on your object.

4. It's likely that some of your data will be located on the other side of the page
break. To fix this, resize your fields. Simply select a field, then click and drag its
edge until the field is the desired size. Repeat with additional fields until all of
your fields fit.
 5. To save your report, click the Save command on the Quick Access Toolbar. When
prompted, type a name for your report, then click OK.

 Just like tables and queries, reports can be sorted and filtered. Simply right-click the field
you want to sort or filter, then select the desired option from the menu.

Deleting fields
You might find that your report contains some fields you don't really need to view. For
instance, our report contains the Zip Code field, which isn't necessary in a list of orders.
Fortunately, you can delete fields in reports without affecting the table or query where
you grabbed your data.

To delete a field in a report:

1. Click any cell in the field you want to delete, then press the Delete key on your
keyboard.

2. The field will be deleted.

 When you delete a field, be sure to delete its header as well. Simply select the header and press
the Delete key.
Printing and saving reports in Print Preview
While you can print reports using commands in Backstage view, you can also use Print
Preview. Print Preview shows you how your report will appear on the printed page. It
also allows you to modify the way your report is displayed, print it, and even save it as a
different file type.

To print a report:
1. From the Home tab, click the View command, then select Print Preview from the
drop-down list. Your report will be shown as it will appear on the printed page.
 2. If necessary, modify the page size, margin width, and page orientation using the
related commands on the Ribbon.

3. Click the Print command.

4. The Print dialog box will appear. Set any desired print options, then click OK. The
report will be printed.

Saving reports
You can save reports in other formats so they'll be viewable outside of Access. This is
called exporting a file, and it allows you to view and even modify reports in other formats
and programs.

Access offers options to save your report as an Excel file, text file, PDF, and HTML
document, among other file types. Experiment with the different export options to find
the one that best suits your needs.

To export a report:
1. From the Home tab, click the View command, then select Print Preview from the
drop-down list.
2. Locate the Data group on the Ribbon.
3. Select one of the file type options, or click More to see options to save your
report as a Word or HTML file.
4. A dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to save the report.
5. Enter a file name for the report, then click Publish.

6. A dialog box will appear to notify you that your file has been successfully saved.
Click Close to return to your report.

 Some export options will cause the Export Wizard to appear. Simply follow the
instructions to export your report.