Calculated fields in MS Access???

[klamerus]

Is it possible for one field in an MS Access table to be calculated from other fields in that same table (in the same row) like it is possible to have a field in an Excel spreadsheet be calculated from another field in the same row?

We want/need to upgrade/uplift an Excel application that has simply gotten too large to MS Access. At least we think we do, but we don't know if we can do this or some of the other things we can do in Excel (like filters, etc.). We can probably find ways around the filters with queries, etc., but we do need to have fields in the tables to be created based on data from other fields.

 

[fneily]

First, please post Access questions in the Access forums where you will get more responses.

Second, please learn Normalization and the protocols of a RELATIONAL database such as Access. You do not keep "totals" or any calculated fields in tables. IT IS NOT NECESSARY. They are created in the forms, reports and through queries.

DO NOT COPY an Excel spreadsheet into an Access table and then stop. You must normalize the table. This will probably create more then two more tables. Access is a RELATIONAL database, not a list like Excel. You should have NO DUPLICATE DATA, unlike Excel.

Before you approach Access, I highly suggest you take courses in Access. It is not intuitive, has definitive rules like normalization and relationships, and may include programming in DAO/ADO and SQL.

You cannot learn Access in a couple of days, weeks, or months. And, having taught over 4000 people in both private and government positions, I've only met 2 that even approached understanding and learning Access on their own.

Be forewarned, if those tables aren't create correctly, your ability to retrieve and analyze will be sharply limited.