Author Topic: Are there any Access gurus in the house?  (Read 382 times)

Hawkmoon

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Are there any Access gurus in the house?
« on: May 13, 2022, 12:37:20 PM »
Not "access" as in the Americans with Disabilities Act -- looking for help with Microsoft Access.

I know just enough about Access to be able to start it up and create a single table with a data input form. I volunteered myself to do basically just that for the office where I'm working part-time, in order to retire an old 3-ring binder we use to log in documents that are submitted over the counter rather than through the on-line permitting system.

The boss and the office administrator like the first draft of the database, but I already know I need to make some changes. The administrator has asked of I can put a button on the input form to take users to the reports (which haven't yet been created). I'm sure there's a way to do that, but can someone direct me to some instructions that a dummy like me can follow? While we're at it, I need to create three or four different reports, for spitting out lists of entries by date range, by street address, and maybe a couple of others. I assume that gets me into queries, and I know less than nothing about queries.

All advice welcome (helpful advice more welcome).
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HeroHog

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Re: Are there any Access gurus in the house?
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2022, 11:13:59 PM »
I was, 30 years ago... (sad trombone sounds)
I might not last very long or be very effective but I'll be a real pain in the ass for a minute!
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Hawkmoon

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Re: Are there any Access gurus in the house?
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2022, 12:24:48 AM »
About 15 years ago I took a 6-week (one night per week) adult ed course on Access. At the end of six weeks, we had made an address list.

Adult ed in my town is basically worthless.
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Lennyjoe

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Re: Are there any Access gurus in the house?
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2022, 09:06:14 PM »
You’ll need to create query’s to feed the reports you want.

It’s been a while since I created a database so let me refresh my memory.

In the meantime, here’s a helpful page for Access:  https://www.guru99.com/ms-access-tutorial.html

Hawkmoon

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Re: Are there any Access gurus in the house?
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2022, 09:13:43 PM »
Thanks. I figured out that the reports have to start with queries, but that's where I run off the rails. Time to learn something new and stretch my brain a bit, I guess.

Hope it doesn't snap.
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Lennyjoe

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Re: Are there any Access gurus in the house?
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2022, 10:10:30 AM »
The Switchboard is the best place to put your report buttons but you have to create all the queries  and reports in order to set up the switchboard. 

It takes many tables and queries to populate reports so it can be confusing for sure.  I make sure I have pen and paper ready to document what I want and how I’m setting them up. 

I’m no Access guru but I pretty much self taught myself by trial and error.  Also make sure you back up your database before making any significant changes to it so you have something to fall back on if you muck it up.

Hawkmoon

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Re: Are there any Access gurus in the house?
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2022, 11:39:12 AM »

I’m no Access guru but I pretty much self taught myself by trial and error.  Also make sure you back up your database before making any significant changes to it so you have something to fall back on if when you muck it up.

Good advice -- with a minor change.
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