Datasheet

they often include the date, reports provide a permanent record of the

information.

It’s not

strictly true that forms can display only a single record at a time.

As you find out in later chapters (such as Chapter 10), some forms that

are based on multiple tables can include a section called a

subform that

can display multiple records from the second table in Datasheet view.

 Both forms and reports depend on a table (or a query, as discussed

in the next section) to provide the information that they display.

You

can’t create a form or a report unless you first have a table or query to

use as a basis for the form or report. One important result of this fact

is that Access forms and reports can exist only within an Access data-

base file.

Access forms and reports are usually tied to an Access table (but they

can also get their data from a query). When you create a form or a

report, the name of the table is saved along with the form or report. If

you (or someone else) delete the table, you can’t open the form or

report associated with it unless you have associated the form or report

with a different table.

Understanding the Value of Queries

I know, the title of this book doesn’t mention queries, but queries are a funda-

mental and vital part of making your Access forms and reports really useful.

Queries are nothing to be afraid of, and they might end up being your favorite

part of Access!

Introducing the query concept

So just what is a query? In its simplest form, a query acts like a filter; you can

use a query to choose specific information that you want to see from a table. A

more complex query takes you well beyond the scope of a filter (see Chapter 5).

Figure 1-5 shows an example of a basic query, known as a

select query.

When you run a query, Access displays the results in Datasheet view, as

shown in Figure 1-6. In this example, I set the criteria value in the State field

to Nevada, and this is reflected in the results shown in Figure 1-6.

The query results in Figure 1-6 are shown in a Datasheet view that looks

almost identical to the Datasheet view of an ordinary Access table, with only

the title bar as a tip-off that this is really a query. You can, indeed, use a

query as a substitute for a table as the basis for a form or a report . . . or for

another query!

Part I: Accessing Both Ends: Getting Data In and Info Out

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