AutoFilter in Microsoft Access

[Guest]

I have an Excel Spreadsheet that has AutoFilter accross the header. Very
cool. Well it's getting to big and I want to transfere all of my stuff to an
Access database. I imported all of the info, went from a 47MB excel file to
a 12MB access database, nice. I was wondering if there was any way to create
that same AutoFilter function in Access. Has anybody made a cool form that
does the trick? Just checking, thanks for your help.

-Ryan

 

[Nikos Yannacopoulos]

Ryan,

Access tables may resemble an Excel spreadsheet in datasheet view, with
the data organized in "rows" of "cells" (actually records made up of
fields), but that's where the similarities end. If you are expecting
Access to function like Excel, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, simply
because Access is not Excel. Autofilter in Excel is just trying to
replicate a tiny bit of Access's functionality on filtering data, but
the filtering and result presentation is implemented in a way which is
feasible in Excel, just because Excel cannot do it in the way Access does.

To begin with, in Access you should never work in a table directly; all
(manual) data manipulation should be done in forms. Now, in a form,
there are several ways to present and filter data: you could present in
single forms, continuous forms or datasheet view, or in a report; you
could filter by selection, through listboxes, combo boxes or through
code, in any way you can think of. The best way to do it depends on the
nature of the data, desired functionality and personal taste.
Regrettably, the only way to decide is get a good understanding of
Access and how it works first, then judge for yourself.

HTH,
Nikos

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the response.

-Ryan

Ryan,

Access tables may resemble an Excel spreadsheet in datasheet view, with
the data organized in "rows" of "cells" (actually records made up of
fields), but that's where the similarities end. If you are expecting
Access to function like Excel, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, simply
because Access is not Excel. Autofilter in Excel is just trying to
replicate a tiny bit of Access's functionality on filtering data, but
the filtering and result presentation is implemented in a way which is
feasible in Excel, just because Excel cannot do it in the way Access does.

To begin with, in Access you should never work in a table directly; all
(manual) data manipulation should be done in forms. Now, in a form,
there are several ways to present and filter data: you could present in
single forms, continuous forms or datasheet view, or in a report; you
could filter by selection, through listboxes, combo boxes or through
code, in any way you can think of. The best way to do it depends on the
nature of the data, desired functionality and personal taste.
Regrettably, the only way to decide is get a good understanding of
Access and how it works first, then judge for yourself.

HTH,
Nikos

 

[aaron.kempf]

yeah.. you can totally do some sort of autofilter form

create a form, make the fields at the top combo boxes..

you actually have a LOT more freedom to do this sort of thing in Access
than in Excel

I would basically try to have a query form and then a subform that was
a datasheet-- my gut just says that would be easiest

good luck

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