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CHAPTER
Presenting Data with
Access Reports
IN THIS CHAPTER
Looking at the different types
of Access reportsCreating reports with a Report
WizardCreating a report from scratchImproving the form’s
appearanceI
t’s hard to underestimate the importance of reports in database applica-
tions. Many people who never work with an Access application in person
use reports created by Access. A lot of maintenance work on database
projects involves creating new and enhancing existing reports. Access is well
known and respected for its powerful reporting features.
Reports provide the most flexible way of viewing and printing summarized infor-
mation. They display information with the desired level of detail, while enabling
you to view or print your information in many different formats. You can add
multilevel totals, statistical comparisons, and pictures and graphics to a report.
In this chapter, you learn to use the Report Wizard as a starting point. You also
learn how to create reports and what types of reports you can create with Access.
On the CD-ROM
In this chapter, you create new reports using the Report Wizard and by creat-
ing a blank report without using a wizard. You use tables created in previous
chapters. The Chapter09.accdb database file on the book’s CD-ROM con-
tains the completed reports described in this chapter.
Introducing Reports
Reports present a customized view of your data. Report output is viewed
on-screen or printed to provide a hard copy of the data. Very often reports
provide summaries of the information contained in the database. Data can
be grouped and sorted in any order and can be used to create totals that
perform statistical operations on data. Reports can include pictures and other
graphics as well as memo fields in a report. If you can think of a report you
want, Access probably supports it.