Reports, the easy way

The parts of a report

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. For example, if you need to use charts or graphs, you use a report. Reports are also the best way to format and print your data, and they're a good way to summarize data. For example, you can group your assets by supplier and calculate a subtotal for each group, as well as a grand total for all groups.

In Access, a report is made up of sections.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

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

  4. 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.

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.

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