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Reports in MS Access

Overview: The end product

Create reports for a new database

In this course, you’ll learn how to create reports. Reports present information visually, help others understand your data, and answer critical business questions.
This is the sixth and final course in a series that teaches beginners how to use Access 2010.

Reports, the easy way

Create reports for a new database

The parts of a report: Page Header, Group Header, Detail, and Footer.

Your boss likes what you’ve done with the asset-tracking database, but she needs to present some information at a meeting, and she needs it in a hurry. It’s time to build reports.

Reports are the end product of your database. They combine the raw facts in your database with enough information to give those facts meaning, and they present the results visually.

Reports, the easy way

Create reports for a new database

The parts of a report: Page Header, Group Header, Detail, and Footer.

In Access, a report is made up of sections.

Header sections can appear at the top of a report, or in the case of Page Header sections, at the top of each page in the report. Report headers usually contain titles, and images such as company logos. Page headers usually contain column headings.

Reports, the easy way

Create reports for a new database

The parts of a report: Page Header, Group Header, Detail, and Footer.

If you want to group the data in a report, you’ll see a Group Header. The section will list the fields on which you group your data. For example, if you need to see who repairs a given computer, you can group your data by repair technician.

The Detail section is the body of your report, the data your users need to see. All reports must have a detail section.

Reports, the easy way

Create reports for a new database

The parts of a report: Page Header, Group Header, Detail, and Footer.

Footer sections can appear in several places. For example, you can create group footers that display sums, counts, or averages for a group of data. You can also create page footers that appear at the bottom of each report page and display elements such as page numbers.

Reports, the easy way

Create reports for a new database

The parts of a report: Page Header, Group Header, Detail, and Footer.

The header and footer sections are optional. For example, if you don’t want to group your data, you don’t need group headers or footers. However, make sure your reports contain enough information to make them meaningful and easy to understand.

Start with a design

Create reports for a new database

Examples of basic form designs.

So how do you make your reports meaningful and easy to understand? With a design.

Start by deciding on the data you need to include in the report, and then on the sections you want in the report. For example, all reports need a detail section, but do you need a header? How about grouping? From there, you decide on a layout.

Start with a design

Create reports for a new database

Examples of basic form designs.

Access provides two basic layouts – tabular and stacked – but you can arrange your data in almost any way you want.

Tabular layouts resemble spreadsheets. Use them when you need to present your data in a simple list format.

Stacked layouts resemble the forms you fill out at a bank or when you buy something online. Use a stacked layout when your report contains too many fields to display in tabular form.

Start with a design

Create reports for a new database

Examples of basic form designs.

After you finish your design, you have several options for creating the report. We’ll start with the Report tool.

Mixed layouts use elements from tabular and stacked layouts. For example, you can place some of the fields in a record on the same row, and stack other fields from the same record. In Access 2010, you create mixed layouts manually, using either Layout view or Design view.