Access Reports

[Niralica]

I have an excel spreadsheet that I am trying to transfer into access, because
at some point I will run out of room to add more sheets. The main page has a
summary sheet showing our current jobs, and costs, each job has its own sheet
to show materials and labor on a weekly basis then totals it, that total
column is then linked to on the summary page. Is there a way to make the
same summary sheet in access? Basically I need the job info, a field that
shows the total accumulated labor charges, and the total accumulated
materials cost for each job. I would like the report to also show every job
at once.

 

[Mikal via AccessMonster.com]

I have an excel spreadsheet that I am trying to transfer into access, because
at some point I will run out of room to add more sheets.

Hi Niralica:

Excel 2000 Help says the number of worksheets in a workbook is limited by
available memory so you probably have quite a way to go before you can't add
any more of them to your workbook. That being said, the short answer to your
question is "yes." Access can do what you require and more, but there is a
steep learning curve. If you have a whole lot of time and energy to devote
to the project then search this forum for 'Data Normalization' for an
indication of how a relational database is different from a spreadsheet.
That will get you started so that you can design the basic structure of your
database.

Spend plenty of time in the learning and planning phase. I made a number of
fundamental blunders in my own application that I wouldn't make now. Some of
them I corrected, some of them I'm still living with because it is more
trouble than it is worth at this point to properly correct them since I have
developed work-arounds for most of them. Some of them I have plans to
correct when time allows. I'm living with them because nobody's job depends
on me correcting them, I'll never have to look an IRS auditor in the face
while defending an obviously flawed system, and nobody's life depends on it.

Don't let me scare you off, but don't plan on doing this in just a few days
either. The other problem with Access is that it gets to be fun to play with
once you stop feeling like you have stepped through the looking-glass and you
might develop a tendency to tweak this or that form or query just because you
can instead of doing something more directly productive on your job Of
course, that's a lot easier to justify to the boss than, say a session of
Quake on your computer.

HTH
Mike

 

[Duane Hookom]

Yes, this is possible with grouping and summarizing in either the report's
record source or directly in the report and its sections.