Datasheet

18
Part I: Basic Training
Databases that require special reporting
Yet another reason to use Access is its ability to create customized reports
quickly and easily. Some database programs, especially those designed for
single-table databases (known as flat-file databases), have some canned
reports built in, and that’s all you can do — just select a report from the list
and run the same report that every other user of that software runs.
If you’re an Excel user, your reporting capabilities are far from easy or
simple, and they’re not designed for use with large databases — they’re
meant for spreadsheets and small, one-table lists. Further, you have to
dig much deeper into Excel’s tools to get at these reports. Access, on the
other hand, is a database application, so reporting is a major, up-front
feature.
An example? In Excel, to get a report that groups your data by one or more
of the fields in your list, you have to sort the database first, using the field(s)
to sort the data, and then you can create what’s known as a subtotal report.
To create it, you use a dialog box that asks you about calculations you want
to perform, where to place the results, and whether you’re basing a sort and/
or a subtotal on more than one field. The resulting report is not designed for
printing, and you have to tinker with your spreadsheet pagination (through a
specialized view of the spreadsheet) to control how the report prints out.
In Access? Just fire up the Report Wizard, and you can sort your data, choose
how to group it, decide which pieces of data to include in the report, and
pick a visual layout and color scheme — all in one simple, stream-lined pro-
cess. Without your doing anything, the report is ready for printing. Access is
built for reporting — after all, it’s a database application — and reports are
one of the most (if not the most) important ways you’ll use and share your
data.
Because reports are such an important part of Access, you can not only
create them with minimum fuss, but also customize them to create powerful
documentation of your most important data:
✓ Build a quick, simple report that just spits out whatever’s in your table
in a tidy, easy-to-read format. (See Figure 1-3 for a sample.)
✓ Create a customized report that you design step-by-step with the help of
the Report Wizard. (See Figure 1-4.) The report shown in the figure has
the volunteers grouped by the State field (note DE comes before PA),
and the records for each state are in ascending order by the City field.
These options were easily put to work with just a few clicks.
05_497470-ch01_2.indd 1805_497470-ch01_2.indd 18 6/9/10 12:06 PM6/9/10 12:06 PM