Adding Criteria to Queries in MOS Access

Key Concepts

1. Criteria in Queries

Criteria in queries are conditions that filter the data returned by the query. They allow you to specify exactly what data you want to retrieve from your database. Criteria can be based on text, numbers, dates, and more.

2. Logical Operators

Logical operators such as AND, OR, and NOT are used to combine multiple criteria. These operators help in creating complex conditions to filter data more precisely.

3. Wildcards

Wildcards are special characters used in criteria to represent one or more characters. Common wildcards include the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?). They are useful for searching for patterns in text data.

4. Date Criteria

Date criteria allow you to filter data based on specific dates or date ranges. You can use functions like BETWEEN, <, >, and = to specify date conditions.

5. Text Criteria

Text criteria are used to filter data based on specific text patterns. You can use exact matches, partial matches, and wildcards to define text criteria.

Detailed Explanation

Adding Criteria to Queries

To add criteria to a query in MOS Access, follow these steps:

1. Open your MOS Access database.
2. Go to the "Create" tab on the Ribbon and click "Query Design."
3. Add the tables or queries you want to use in your new query.
4. In the query design grid, click on the "Criteria" row for the field you want to filter.
5. Enter the criteria you want to apply. For example, to filter records where the "LastName" field is "Smith," enter "Smith" in the Criteria row.
6. Run the query to see the filtered results.

Using Logical Operators

To use logical operators in criteria, follow these steps:

1. In the query design grid, enter the first criterion in the Criteria row.
2. In the next cell, enter the logical operator (e.g., AND, OR) followed by the second criterion.
3. For example, to filter records where "LastName" is "Smith" AND "City" is "New York," enter "Smith" in the first cell and "New York" in the second cell with "AND" between them.
4. Run the query to see the results that meet both conditions.

Using Wildcards

To use wildcards in criteria, follow these steps:

1. In the query design grid, enter the wildcard in the Criteria row.
2. For example, to filter records where "LastName" starts with "Sm," enter "Sm*" in the Criteria row.
3. Run the query to see the results that match the pattern.

Using Date Criteria

To use date criteria in queries, follow these steps:

1. In the query design grid, enter the date condition in the Criteria row.
2. For example, to filter records where the "OrderDate" is between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, enter "Between #01/01/2023# And #12/31/2023#" in the Criteria row.
3. Run the query to see the results within the specified date range.

Using Text Criteria

To use text criteria in queries, follow these steps:

1. In the query design grid, enter the text condition in the Criteria row.
2. For example, to filter records where the "ProductName" contains "Laptop," enter "*Laptop*" in the Criteria row.
3. Run the query to see the results that match the text pattern.

Examples and Analogies

Think of criteria in queries as filters on a water purifier. Just as you can filter out impurities to get clean water, you can filter out unwanted data to get precise results.

Logical operators are like traffic lights. The AND operator is like a red light, where both conditions must be true. The OR operator is like a green light, where either condition can be true. The NOT operator is like a stop sign, where the condition must not be true.

Wildcards are like jigsaw puzzle pieces. The asterisk (*) is like a piece that can fit anywhere, and the question mark (?) is like a piece that fits exactly one spot. They help you find patterns in your data.

Date criteria are like calendars. You can filter data based on specific dates or date ranges, just as you can mark important dates on a calendar.

Text criteria are like word searches. You can find specific words or patterns in a text, just as you can find hidden words in a word search puzzle.

By mastering the concepts of adding criteria to queries, you can efficiently filter and retrieve the exact data you need from your MOS Access database.