Presenting Data on Reports

Learning Outcomes

  • Present data on reports

The best way to think of forms and reports is this: forms are for input and reports for output. Reports are the primary way that users consume information. Luckily, Access wizards guide us through the process of designing reports.

In the example below, we are creating a report on inventory.

A Report Wizard Dialog Box. Under Tables/Queries Query: Inventory is selected.

Select the fields that need to be in the report

A Report Wizard Dialog Box. Under Tables/Queries Query: Inventory is selected. The Selected Fields box has been filled with the following: "Qty Purchased, Qty On Hand, Qty Available, Qty on Order, Reorder Level, Qty Below Target Level, Current Level, and Qty to Reorder"

The wizard provides several options for the display of the information, such as sorting.

A Report Wizard Dialog Box. It asks "What sort order do you want for your records?" Product ID will be sorted by Ascending order.

Here is the quick Inventory report for sake of example. The report has been sorted according to Product ID as was specified in the wizard.

Inventory datasheet. The previously selected fields are the heading rows of the table.

There is a rich set of formatting options for reports. There is also a robust “Print Preview” capability where professional-looking touches can be added to the appearance of the report.

Practice Question

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