ACC: How to Group Column Headings in a Crosstab Query

• Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

This article describes how to group values in a crosstab query by using a fixed number of headings, rather than by having a column for every value.

NOTE: A demonstration of the technique used in this article can be seen in the sample file, Qrysmp97.exe. For information about how to obtain this sample file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q182568 ACC97: Microsoft Access 97 Sample Queries Available on MSL

MORE INFORMATION

The following example demonstrates how to use the Switch() function to group non-numeric values under four fixed headings. The headings are A-F, G-O, P-Z, and Other.

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB in versions 1.x or 2.0).



2. Create the following query based on the Orders and Customers tables.
   
   NOTE: In the following sample expressions, an underscore (_) at the end of a line is used as a line-continuation character. Remove the underscore from the end of the line when re-creating these expressions.
   

   
         Query: Switch Limits Headings
         ---------------------------------------------------------------
         Type: Crosstab Query
         Join: Orders.[CustomerID] <-> Customers.[CustomerID]
   
         NOTE: In versions 1.x and 2.0, there is a space in Customer ID.
   
         Field: Country
            Table: Customers
            Total: Group By
            Crosstab: Row Heading
         Field: Expr1: Switch([CompanyName] Like "[A-Fa-f]*", "A-F", _
                [CompanyName] Like "[G-Og-o]*", "G-O", [CompanyName]_
                Like "[P-Zp-z]*", "P-Z", True, "Other")
   
         NOTE: In versions 1.x and 2.0, there is a space in Company Name.
   
            Total: Group By
            Crosstab: Column Heading
         Field: OrderID
            Table: Orders
            Total: Count
            Crosstab: Value
   
         NOTE: In versions 1.x and 2.0, there is a space in Order ID. 

   
   Note that both "A-F" and "a-f" are required in the Switch() function's argument because the argument is case sensitive. The "True" in the argument acts like an Else condition, collecting data that does not match any of the previous conditions.



3. Run the query.

REFERENCES

For more information about crosstab queries, search the Help Index for "crosstab queries," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.

For more information about the Switch() function, search the Help Index for "Switch Function."

Additional query words: partition range

Keywords          : QryCross 
Version           : 1.0 1.1 2.0 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto 

Last Reviewed: April 2, 1999