Question

How to store a field value that is calculated in Access 2003

Asked by: bobrossi56

I have 3 form fields, Qty, UnitCost and TotalCost. In the control property for TotalCost I have:
=[Qty]*[UnitCost] and it works great, however I want to ALSO store in the table the value of TotaalCost. Since the control property is already populated with the calculation, where do I put the table field I want to store the value in. Can both the calculation and table field name be put on the control line, and if so what is the syntax. or does it go somewhere else?
thx experts...-Bob

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2009-03-25 at 18:11:12ID24265796
Topics

Microsoft Applications

,

Microsoft Office Suite

,

Microsoft Access Database

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
25

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. calculated field
    How can I get the sum of a calculated field ? Andrew
  2. Calculated Fields in a Query
    Hi I have a series of queries where I populate the SQL at runtime so I do not have lots of Query components on my form. I need to add calculated fields at runtime, but I cannot work out how to do it. I cannot just add to my SQL something like "Qty*UnitPrice AS Amou...
  3. Forms 9i: How to populate calculated fields?
    I have a form with three blocks in it. The first block is Trials, the second block is Samples, and the third block is Staples. All blocks are data blocks, not custom blocks. The Samples block needs two extra fields placed in it, which are not bound to the database and serve o...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: flavoPosted on 2009-03-25 at 18:23:52ID: 23986526

There's no (or very minimal reasons) need to store a calculated fields in a table - that's what queries and calculated controls are for.

Why would you need to store this value, I'm sure queries will be the solution to your problems.

Dave

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-25 at 18:25:52ID: 23986536

Mu user wants to query the access DB with Excel, and he wants to be able to bring all the field values into Excel. Can what he wants be done?
thx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-25 at 18:26:47ID: 23986544

Also, when I go to create a report based on a form, it only auto populates the report with form fields that are bound to something.

 

by: flavoPosted on 2009-03-25 at 18:28:27ID: 23986549

Yup. In both cases, instead of basing the Export or Report on the table, base it on a query instead.

This query would look something like:
SELECT *, [Qty]*[UnitCost] AS "TotalCost"
FROM tblMyTableNameHere

Do you know how to make a query?

Dave

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-25 at 18:36:19ID: 23986590

I guess not because I just created a query using the wizard, and I told it to take ALL the fields in the table, but when the query displays it shows the totals as blanks. Then I created a report based on the query, and same thing, totals are all blank. I'm missing something.

 

by: flavoPosted on 2009-03-25 at 18:45:20ID: 23986639

Ok, create a new query:
 Create a new query in design view -> Design View (OK) -> highlight the table and press Add. Then close the dialog box.  Now double click the * from the top of the box that represents your table. Now, below,  in the row names "Field" goto the 2nd column from the left (first blank one) and type:  TotalCost: [Qty]*[UnitCost]

save the query and there we go :-)

Dave

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-25 at 18:55:17ID: 23986690



Private Sub Form_BeforeUpdate(Cancel As Integer)
Me![TotalCost] = Me.txtTotalCost
End Sub

I assuming the Name of the calculated control is txtTotalCost

If not ... change it to that name.

mx

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-25 at 18:56:03ID: 23986696

I forgot to hit Submit about 30 minutes ago!

mx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-25 at 18:59:45ID: 23986711

Ok, actually my field names were not exactly as I said, but I modified the examole you gave me and I followed your instructions to a T, but here is what I got. See screen shots attached of the query design and query being run. What did I do wrong? Thanks so much for your help with this Dave.
-Bob

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-25 at 19:02:49ID: 23986729

Bob ...

Adjust the field and control name as required ...

Me![TotalCost] = Me.txtTotalCost

and use the BeforeUpdate event ... which is where this is normally done - if you really need to store the calculated value.

mx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-25 at 19:13:32ID: 23986784

mx, I did adjust the names and put it in the right place, but no go. I attached the DB for you to point out my error. :-)
thx...Bob

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-25 at 20:32:03ID: 23987097

Close .... but put that in the Form BeforeUpdate - not the control's before update:

Private Sub Form_BeforeUpdate(Cancel As Integer)
    Me![Total] = Me.txtTotalCost
End Sub

Remove this code:

Private Sub txtTotalCost_BeforeUpdate(Cancel As Integer)
Me![Total] = Me.txtTotalCost
End Sub


mx

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-25 at 20:33:59ID: 23987107

Just note - as already pointed out by Flavo - you have to be careful storing calculated values - because, unless you take special care, the calculated value can get out of sync relative to the values used to calculate it.

mx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-26 at 03:24:07ID: 23988735

Thx mx, got it and now it works. I have not closed the question yet because I'd also like to know how to do the calc in a query like flavo:was talking about. Hopefully he sees this and can further assist.
-Bob

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-26 at 10:01:49ID: 23992657

Sure ... but it's pretty much what Dave posted here:

http:#a23986549

mx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-26 at 10:12:14ID: 23992776

Yes, but I followed it and it was not working so I suspect I did yet another stupid thing. I posted my 2 screen shots in a prior reply in hopes that somebody couild spot my error.

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-26 at 10:25:43ID: 23992908

ok ... in looking at your Test.mdb ... if you want to go the calculated field approach, the remove the field 'Total' from Table1 - and keep the expression you created

Total: [Qty]*[Unit]

which will always display the calculated value.  You can't have both a Field in the table called Total and an Expression called Total.

So ... you have to decide on one approach (the BeforeUpdate - save the value) OR the calculated value - which ever best fits your situation.

Give Flavo some pts here because he showed the query approach.

Note that the query approach was not intended to 'update' the Total field in your table and save the result ... but only to *display* the calculated value.

mx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-26 at 11:36:07ID: 23993712

I understand that mx, what my originl problem was, I was trying to create a report, from my data entry form, and only fields bound to a table field were showing up, and I wanted to show all the calculated fields on the report. Flavo told me to create a query first, then make the report based on the query and I wuold get my calculated fields. He gave me the following:
[ Ok, create a new query:
 Create a new query in design view -> Design View (OK) -> highlight the table and press Add. Then close the dialog box.  Now double click the * from the top of the box that represents your table. Now, below,  in the row names "Field" goto the 2nd column from the left (first blank one) and type:  TotalCost: [Qty]*[UnitCost]
save the query and there we go :-)
Dave ]

I tried it, and it wasn't working, so I posted the screen shots in the prior post (query1 / query2.jpg) showing what I did, and the query still not calculating the total. This is what I am still stuck on. I would rather not store te calculated fields, but I do need to show the on the report.
thx...Bob

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-26 at 11:41:15ID: 23993766

ok then ...

1) Remove the field called Total from Table1   '  *** very important
2) Remove the code in the Form BeforeUpdate event.
3) Base your report on this query (SQL):

SELECT Table1.*, [Qty]*[Unit] AS Total
FROM Table1;

mx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-26 at 11:48:05ID: 23993825

OK mx, I will try this shortly, but in my "real" DB, I have 12 calculted fields, how do I phrase the query, your example above is only for 1 calculated field.
-Bob

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-26 at 11:57:39ID: 23993921

Ok ... in the  query design grid ... you will have a series of 'expressions' - generically like so:

MyCalc1: [Qty]*[Unit]   MyCalc2: [Qty2]*[Unit2]   MyCalc3: [Qty3]*[Unit3] .....
 
that will result in SQL that looks like this:

SELECT Table1.*, [Qty]*[Unit] AS MyCalc1, [Qty2]*[Unit2] AS MyCalc2, [Qty3]*[Unit3] AS MyCalc3
FROM Table1;

Of course, I selected the entire Table1 (*) here - which you many not want ... and ... I'm using made up names for your various fields to be used in the calculations, etc.

MyCalc1, MyCalc2, MyCalc3 ... etc ... would be the (calculated) field names you would bring down in the report.

OR ... you could just create text boxes on the report with the same calculations ... like so:

=[Qty]*[Unit]

=[Qty2]*[Unit2]

=[Qty3]*[Unit3]

which is probably the better approach for a report .... just supply the raw data  in the table to the report ... and let the report do the work ...

mx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-26 at 12:16:19ID: 23994078

OK, I just tried to do the calc on the report and that works sweet. So if an expert were doing this would they:
A. Create a query and then model the report from the query...OR
B. Just do the calc on the report
thx mx...
-Bob

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-26 at 12:21:20ID: 23994125

Other than some extenuating circumstance, I would be doing B.

Reports do this kind of work very well.  When you can, just supply reports with the 'raw' data - which is typically going to be much faster for JET ... and let reports do Grouping, Sorting, calcs, etc.

mx

 

by: bobrossi56Posted on 2009-03-26 at 12:25:07ID: 31562784

Tons of help, tons of thanks.

 

by: DatabaseMXPosted on 2009-03-26 at 12:39:49ID: 23994314

"Grade:  A - "Tons of help, tons of thanks."  "

Always a pleasure Bob ...


mx

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...