MS Access Lesson 4

Lesson 4: Sorting, Filtering, and Creating Relationships

You can sort Access data so you can view records in the order you want to view them, and you can filter data so you only see the records you want to see. This lesson teaches you how to sort and filter an Access table.

Access data is stored in multiple tables. Relationships join tables together so you can work with the data from multiple tables. This lesson also teaches you how to create relationships.

Sort a Table

By sorting, you can put a column of information in alphabetical, numerical, or date order. You can sort in ascending order (alphabetical from A to Z, lowest number to highest number, earliest date to latest date) or descending order (alphabetical from Z to A, highest number to lowest number, latest date to earliest date). You can also sort within a sort. For example, you can sort by state and then sort within each state by city. When sorting within a sort, perform the innermost sort first. For example, if you are sorting by state and then city, sort the city first and then sort by state.

To add a sort:

1. Click the column label for the column you want to sort.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the Ascending  or Descending  button in the Sort & Filter group. Access sorts the column in ascending or descending order.

To remove a sort:

1. Activate the Home tab.
2. Click the Clear All Sorts  button in the Sort & Filter group. Access clears all of the sorts you have applied.

Filter a Table

You can apply a filter to see only the records you want to see. For example, perhaps your database contains students from the states of DE, NJ, and PA and you only want to see the students from DE. You can filter your data so only DE students display.

Each time you apply a filter to a column, it replaces any previous filter you applied to that column. For example, if you apply a filter so you only see students in DE, and later you apply a filter so you only see students in NJ, Access clears the DE filter and then applies the NJ filter.

You can apply filters to multiple columns in the same table. For example, by applying a filter first to the State field and then to the Last Name field, you can see all of the students in the state of DE whose last names are Adams.

To apply a filter:

1. Click the column label for the column you want to filter.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the Filter button. A menu appears.
4. Uncheck the items you do not want to appear, making sure only the items you want are checked.
5. Click OK. Access filters your data and displays the word Filtered at the bottom of the window.

To remove a filter:

1. Activate the Home tab.
2. Click Advanced in the Sort & Filter group. A menu appears.
3. Click Clear All Filters. Access clears all the filters you have applied.

 Tip: After you apply a filter, you can use the Toggle Filter button to toggle the application of the filter on and off.

Apply a Specialized Filter

In addition to simply searching for a specific value, you can apply several specialized filters. For example, you can find all of the records that do not equal the value you specify or you can find all of the records that fall between two dates. The following are lists of specialized filters.

Text Filters
Equals	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value equals the value you enter.
Does Not Equal	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value does not equal the value you enter.
Begins With	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value begins with the value you enter.
Does Not Begin With	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value does not begin with the value you enter.
Contains	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value contains the value you enter.
Does Not Contain	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value does not contain the value you enter.
Ends With	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value ends with the value you enter.
Does Not End With	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value does not end with the value you enter.

Number Filters
Equals	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value equals the value you enter.
Does Not Equal	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value does not equal the value you enter.
Less Than	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value is less than the value you enter.
Greater Than	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value is greater than the value you enter.
Between	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value is between the values you enter.

Date Filters
Equals	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value equals the date you enter.
Does Not Equal	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value does not equal the date you enter.
Before	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value is before the date you enter.
Greater Than	Finds every record in the table where the field’s value is greater than (comes after) the date you enter.
Between	Finds every record in the table where the field’s date is between the dates you enter.
All Dates in a Period	Finds every record in the table where the field’s date is in the period you enter.

To apply a specialized filter:

1. Click the Last Name column label.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the Filter button. A menu appears.
4. Click the Text Filters option. A menu appears.
5. Click the option you want. A Custom Filter dialog box appears.

6. Enter the appropriate information.
7. Click OK. Access filters your data and displays the word Filtered at the bottom of the window.

Hide Columns

There may be times when you may not want to display a certain column or set of columns. In such cases, you can temporarily hide the column or columns from view. Later, if you want to display them column again, you can unhide them.

To hide columns:

1. Select the columns you want to hide.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the More button in the Records group. A menu appears.
4. Click Hide Columns. Access hides the columns you selected.

In the figure, the Birth Date, Street Address, City, State, and Zip fields are hidden.

Or

1. Select the columns you want to hide.
2. Right-click. A menu appears.
3. Click Hide Columns.

To unhide columns:

1. Activate the Home tab.
2. Click the More button in the Records group. A menu appears.
3. Click Unhide Columns. The Unique Columns dialog box appears.
4. Select the column you want to display.
5. Click Close. Access displays the columns you chose.

or

1. Right-click any column label. A menu appears.
2. Click Unhide columns.
3. Select the columns you want to display.
4. Click the Close button. Access displays the columns you selected.

Freeze Columns

If your table has a large number of columns, you may want to freeze columns so the frozen columns stay in view as you scroll across the page.  For example, if you have a Students table and you want the Student Number, First Name, and Last Name to remain onscreen as you scroll across the table, you can freeze the Student Number, First Name, and Last Name fields. When you freeze a column, Access moves it to the far left side of your table. If you want it to remain there, you must save the table.

To freeze columns:

1. Select the columns you want to freeze.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the More button in the Records group. A menu appears.
4. Click Freeze. Access freezes the columns. As you scroll, the frozen columns remain stationary.

To unfreeze columns:

1. Activate the Home tab.
2. Click the More button in the Records group. A menu appears.
3. Click Unfreeze. Access unfreezes the columns.

Format a Table

You can use the features in the Font group on the Home tab to apply a variety of formats to your table.

Format a Table
Button	Function
	Apply a font to all of the data in a table.
	Apply a font size to all of the data in a table.
	Bold all of the data in a table.
	Italicize all of the data in a table.
	Underline all of the data in a table.
	Left-align a column.
	Right-align a column.
	Center a column.
	Change the font color.
	Change the background color. By default, the background color is white.
	Change the gridlines. Gridlines separate columns and rows. This option allows you to display gridlines for columns only (vertical), gridlines for rows only (horizontal), gridlines for both columns and rows, or no gridlines at all.
	Change the alternating color. For example, on a datasheet you can have every other row appear in an alternating color.

To bold, italicize, or underline:

1. Place the cursor anywhere within the table.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the button for the format you want to apply. Access applies the format.

To left-align, right-align, or center:

1. Place the cursor anywhere within the column you want to left-align, right-align, or center.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the button for the format you want to apply. Access applies the format.

To change the font, font size, or gridlines:

1. Place the cursor anywhere within the table.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the down-arrow to the right of the option you want to apply. A menu appears.
4. Select the option you want. Access changes the font, font size, or gridlines.

To change the font color, background color, or alternating color:

1. Place the cursor anywhere within the table.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the down-arrow to the right of the option you want to apply. A menu of colors appears.
4. Select the color you want. Access changes the font color or the alternating color.

Compute Totals

On the Home tab, you can use the Total button in the Records group to compute the sum, average, count, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, or variance of a number field; the count, average, maximum, or minimum of a date field; or the count of a text field.

To compute totals:

1. Open the table or query for which you want to compute totals.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the Totals button in the Records group. A Total line appears at the bottom of the table or query.
4. Click on the Total line under the column you want to total. A down-arrow appears on the left side of the field.
5. Click the down-arrow and then choose the function you want to perform. Access performs the calculation and displays the results in the proper column on the Totals row.

Find and Replace

If you need to find a sequence of characters, a word, or a phrase in a table or field, you can use the Find command. In Access, the Find command has three options: You can find all instances in a table or field that match a sequence of characters, all instances that begin with a sequence of characters, or all instances that contain a sequence of characters. For example, you can find all students with the last name Smith, all students whose last name begins with S, or all instances of 08 anywhere in the field.

After you find the word, phrase, or sequence of characters you are searching for, you can replace it with a new sequence of characters by executing the Replace command.

To do a Find:

1. Place your cursor in the column you want to search.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click the Find button in the Find group. The Find and Replace dialog box appears.

4. Activate the Find tab.
5. Type what you want to find in the Find What field.
6. Choose the name of the table you want to search in the Look In field if you want to search the entire table or select the field you selected in step 1 if you want to search that field. If you want to search another field, click in that field and then select it in the Look In field.
7. Choose Any Part Of Field if you want to search for your entry anywhere within a field, choose Whole Field if you want the field to match the sequence of characters you entered, or choose Start Of Field if you want the field to begin with a sequence of characters you entered.
8. Choose All in the Search field if you want to search the entire table, Up to search upward from your current location, or Down to search downward from your current location.
9. Click Find Next to begin your search. Access finds the first entry that matches your find criteria. Continue clicking Find Next to find additional matches.

  Note: If you want to find and replace, open the Find and Replace dialog box (follow steps 1 through 3) and then activate the Replace tab. In the Replace With field, enter the sequence of characters you want to use to replace what you find. Complete the other fields on the tab the same as you would if you were doing a Find. Click Find Next to find the first instance for which you are searching. Click Replace to replace that instance. Click Replace All to replace every instance.

Create Relationships

In Access, you store data in multiple tables and then use relationships to join the tables. After you have created relationships, you can use data from all of the related tables in a query, form, or report.

A primary key is a field or combination of fields that uniquely identify each record in a table. A foreign key is a value in one table that must match the primary key in another table. You use primary keys and foreign keys to join tables together—in other words, you use primary keys and foreign keys to create relationships.

There are two valid types of relationships: one-to-one and one-to-many. In a one-to-one relationship, for every occurrence of a value in table A, there can only be one matching occurrence of that value in table B, and for every occurrence of a value in table B, there can only be one matching occurrence of that value in table A. One-to-one relationships are rare because if there is a one-to-one relationship, the data is usually stored in a single table. However, a one-to-one relationship can occur when you want to store the information in a separate table for security reasons, when tables have a large number of fields, or for other reasons. In a one-to-many relationship, for every occurrence of a value in table A, there can be zero or more matching occurrences in table B, and for every one occurrence in table B, there can only be one matching occurrence in table A.

When tables have a one-to-many relationship, the table with the one value is called the primary table and the table with the many values is called the related table. Referential integrity ensures that the validity of the relationship between two tables remains intact. It prohibits changes to the primary table that would invalidate an entry in the related table. For example, a school has students. Each student can make several payments, but each payment can only be from one student. The Students table is the primary table and the Payments table is the related table.

Students
Student ID	Last Name	First Name
Primary Key
1	John	Smith
2	Mark	Adams
3	Valerie	Kilm

       

Payments
Payment ID	Student ID	Amount Due	Amount Paid
Primary key	Foreign key
1	1	500	500
2	2	700	300
3	3	500	250
4	2	400	300
5	3	250	250

If you delete Student ID 1 from the Students table, Student ID 1 is no longer valid in the Payments table. Referential integrity prevents you from deleting Student ID 1 from the Students table. Also, if the only valid Student IDs are 1, 2, and 3, referential integrity prevents you from entering a value of 4 in the Student ID field in the Payments table. A foreign key without a primary key reference is called an orphan. Referential integrity prevents you from creating orphans.

To create relationships:

1. Close all tables and forms. (Right-click on the tab of any Object. A menu appears. Click Close All.)

2. Activate the Database Tools tab.
3. Click the Relationships button in the Show/Hide group. The Relationships window appears.

4. If anything appears in the relationships window, click the Clear Layout button in the Tools group. If you are prompted, click Yes.
5. Click the Show Table button in the Relationships group. The Show Table dialog box appears.

6. Activate the Tables tab if your relationships will be based on tables, activate the Queries tab if your relationships will be based on queries, or activate the Both tab if your relationships will be based on both.
7. Double-click each table or query you want to use to build a relationship. The tables appear in the Relationships window.
8. Click the Close button to close the Show Table dialog box.

9. Drag the Primary table’s primary key over the related table’s foreign key. After you drag the primary key to the related table’s box, the cursor changes to an arrow. Make sure the arrow points to the foreign key. The Edit Relationships Dialog box appears.

10. Click the Enforce Referential Integrity checkbox.
11. Click Create. Access creates a one-to-many relationship between the tables.

12. Click the Save button on the Quick Access toolbar to save the relationship.

 Tip: When you create a relationship, you can view the related table as a subdatasheet of the primary table. Open the primary table and click the plus (+) in the far left column. The plus sign turns into a minus (-) sign. If the Insert Subdatasheet dialog box opens, click the table you want to view as a subdatasheet and then click OK. Access displays the subdatasheet each time you click the plus sign in the far left column. Click the minus sign to hide the subdatasheet.

 Tip: After a relationship has been created between two tables, you must delete the relationship before you can make modifications to the fields on which the relationship is based. To delete a relationship:

1. Click the line that connects the tables.
2. Press the Delete key.

 Tip: When you create a lookup column, Access creates a relationship between the tables.

MS Access Lesson 3

Lesson 3: Working with Microsoft Access Tables

After you create an Access table, you can modify it, enter data into it manually or import data from somewhere else, such as Excel. This lesson teaches you how to modify a table and enter data.

Enter Records

After you have created a table, you can enter data into it.

To enter data into an AutoNumber field:

• Press the Tab key. When you make an entry into another field in the record, Access will automatically make an entry into the AutoNumber field.

To enter data into fields that have a lookup list:

1. Click the down-arrow that appears when you click in the field.
2. Click to select the entry you want.
3. Press the Tab key.

To enter data into a Yes/No field:

• Click the checkbox for Yes; leave the checkbox unchecked for No.

To add an attachment to an attachment field:

1. Double-click in the attachment field. The Attachments dialog box appears.
2. Click Add. The Choose File dialog box appears.

3. Click the file you want to add.
4. Click Open. The Choose File dialog box closes.

5. Click OK. Access attaches the file.

 Note: You can attach multiple files to a single attachment field.

To enter data into a date field:

• Type the date.

Or

• Select the date from the calendar that appears to the left of the field when you click in the field. You click the calendar to open it. Use the left-arrow at the top of the calendar to move to the previous month; use the right-arrow at the top of the calendar to move to the next month. When you reach the proper month, click the proper date.

To add data to an OLE Object field:

An OLE object is an object such as a Word document or an Excel Spreadsheet.

1. Right-click in the field. A menu appears.
2. Click Insert Object. The Microsoft Office Access dialog box appears.

Create New:

3. Click the Create New radio button if you want to create a new object.
   1. Click the object type you want to create.
   2. Click OK. Access opens the program for the object type you selected. You can create the object.
   3. Create the object and then close the program for the object type you selected. Access links to the object.

Create From File:

3. Click the Create From File radio button if you want to use an existing file.
   1. Type the path to the file or click the Browse button and locate the file.
   2. Click OK. Access links to the object.

To add data to other field types:

For all other fields, type your entry and then press the Tab key.

Import a Table into Access from Excel

Excel organizes data into columns and rows. If you have data in Excel that you want to use in Access, you can import those columns and rows into Access by using the Excel Spreadsheet Wizard.

To import data from Excel:

Open the Excel Spreadsheet Wizard

1. Activate the External Data tab.
2. Click the Excel button in the Import group. The Get External Data – Excel Spreadsheet Wizard appears.
3. Click the Browse button. The File Open window appears.
4. Locate the spreadsheet you want to import.
5. Click the Open button. The path to the file you selected appears in the File Name field.
6. Click OK. Access moves to the next page.

Choose the sheet or named range you want to import

When importing from Excel, you can import an entire worksheet or a named range. To import a worksheet, click the Show Worksheets radio button and then click the worksheet you want. To import a named range, click the Show Named Ranges radio button and then click the named range you want.

1. Click Show Worksheets to import a worksheet, or click Show Named Ranges to import a named range.
2. Click the worksheet or named range you want to import.
3. Click Next. Access moves to the next page.

Make the first row your field names

When you create a worksheet in Excel, the first row can contain column headings. If this is the case, click First Row Contains Column Headings, otherwise click Next.

1. Click First Row Contains Column Headings if the first row of your Excel spreadsheet contains column headings.
2. Click Next. Access moves to the next page.

Set data types

Access attempts to assign the correct data type to each column. You can view the assignment made by Access and then make changes. An Index speeds up Access’s ability to search a column. You can use the Indexed field to assign an index. The Yes (Duplicates OK) option creates an index in which duplicate values in the field are allowed; the Yes (No Duplicates) option creates an index in which duplicate values in the field are not allowed. The primary key should be indexed and you should use the Yes (No Duplicates) option. You can also skip fields you do not want to import.

1. Click a column heading to select a column.
   1. Type the Access table’s column heading in the Field Name field.
   2. Choose a Data type.
   3. Indicate if the field should be indexed and, if so, select the type of index.
   4. Check the Do Not Import Field box for any column you do not want to import.
2. Click Next. Access moves to the next page.

Choose a primary key

You can let Access assign the primary key, choose the primary key yourself, or have no primary key by selecting the correct option on this page.

1. Click to choose the proper radio button. If you want Access to add the primary key, click Let Access Add Primary key. If you want to add the primary key, click Choose My Own Primary Key and then click the down-arrow and select the field you want to use as the key field. If you do not want to add a primary key, click No Primary Key.
2. Click Next. Access moves to the next page.

Name your table

1. Type the name you want to give your table.
2. Click Finish. Access moves to the next page.
3. Click Close. Access imports the table.

Modify a Table

After you create a table, you may need to modify it. You can delete columns, insert columns, or move columns.

Delete Columns

The Delete option permanently deletes columns and all the data contained in them. You cannot undo a column delete.

To delete columns:

1. Click and drag to select the columns you want to delete.
2. Activate the Datasheet tab.
3. Click Delete in the Fields & Columns group. A prompt appears.
4. Click Yes. Access deletes the columns you selected.

Insert Columns

The Insert option inserts a column before the selected column.

To insert a column:

1. Click the column head of the column before which you want to insert a column.
2. Activate the Datasheet tab.
3. Click Insert in the Fields & Columns group. Access inserts a new column.

 Tip: If you right-click a column label, you can use the menu that appears to insert or delete columns.

To delete a column:

1. Right-click the column head you want to delete. A menu appears.
2. Click Delete Column.

To insert a column:

1. Right-click the column head before which you want to insert a column. A menu appears.
2. Click Insert Column.

Move a Column
You can use the Move option to move a column from one location to another.

To move a column:

1. Move your mouse pointer over the horizontal line under the column label. Your mouse pointer turns into a four sided arrow.
2. Press your left mouse button
3. Click and drag the field to the new location. A dark line appears at the new location.
4. Release you left mouse button. Access moves the column.

Move around a Table

Access provides several methods for moving around a table. On the Home tab, there is a Go To button. When you click it, a menu of options appears. You can use the menu to go to the first, last, previous, or next record in your table. You can click the New option to add a new record. You can also use special keys and the navigation bar in Access to move around a table. The navigation bar appears at the bottom of the table.

To use the Go To button to move around a table:

1. Activate the Home tab.
2. Click the Go To button in the Find group. A menu appears.
3. Click First to go to the first record, Previous to go to the previous record, Next to go to the next record, Last to go to the last record, or New to create a new record.

  Tip: You can also create a new record by choosing the Home tab and then clicking New in the Records group.

To use keys to move around a table:

Key to Press	Action
Tab	Moves to the next field to the right. If you are in the last field in a record, moves you to the next record. If you are in the last record in a table, creates a new record.
Left-Arrow	Moves to the next field to the left. If you are in the first field in a record, moves you to the previous record.
Shift+Tab	Moves to the previous field. If you are in the first field in a record, moves you to the previous record.
Right-Arrow	Moves to the next field. If you are in the last field in a record, moves you to the next record. If you are in the last record in a table, creates a new record.
Up-Arrow	Moves you up one record.
Down-Arrow	Moves you down one record.
Ctrl++	Creates a new record.

To use the Navigation bar to move around a table:

1	Go to First Record
2	Go to Previous Record
3	The Current Record
4	Go to Next Record
5	Go to Last Record
6	Create a New (Blank) Record

Select Columns and Rows

Before you can perform an operation on a column or row, you must select it. To select a column, click the column head. To select several columns, click a column head and then drag. To select a row, click the blank area to the left of the row. To select several rows, click the blank area to the left of a row and then drag. To select the entire table, click the Select All button  in the upper-left corner of the table.

Delete a Record

If enter a record by error, you can delete it.

To delete a record:

1. Select the record you want to delete.
2. Activate the Home tab.
3. Click Delete in the Records group. A prompt appears.
4. Click the Yes button.

Or

• Select the record you want to delete.
• Right-click. A menu appears.
• Click Delete Record. A prompt appears.
• Click the Yes button.

Resize a Column or Row

If all of the information in a column or row does not display, you may want to make the column or row larger. If you want to fit more information on the screen, you may want to make a column or row smaller. In either case, you can click and drag to increase or decrease column width or row height.

To resize a column or row:

1. Place the cursor over the line that separates two columns or two rows. The cursor turns into a double-sided arrow.
2. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to increase or decrease the width of a column or the height of all of the rows.