asked on

Microsoft Access

In Excel, there is a feature that allows you to convert data in a column into multiple columns by using the Text to Column feature.
Is there a similar feature in Access? My table currently includes a column with account numbers. Unfortunately the column also has a preceding 0 on each row that I would like to remove.

Patrick Matthews

ArisaAnsar,

Access has no automated Text to Columns feature, but one can (mostly) replicate the functionality with queries and code.

As for eliminating a leading zero, this will remove a single leading zero on a text field:

SELECT IIf(AcctNum Like "0*", Mid(AcctNum, 2), AcctNum) AS xAcctNum
FROM SomeTable

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UPDATE SomeTable
SET AcctNum = Mid(AcctNum, 2)
WHERE AcctNum Like "0*"

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Patrick

Patrick Matthews

If you have multiple leading zeroes and need to eliminate all of them, you need code.

For example, add this to your VBA project:

Function RegExpReplace(LookIn As String, PatternStr As String, Optional ReplaceWith As String = "", _
    Optional ReplaceAll As Boolean = True, Optional MatchCase As Boolean = True, _
    Optional MultiLine As Boolean = False)
    
    ' Function written by Patrick G. Matthews.  You may use and distribute this code freely,
    ' as long as you properly credit and attribute authorship and the URL of where you
    ' found the code
    
    ' For more info, please see:
    ' http://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/Programming/Languages/Visual_Basic/Using-Regular-Expressions-in-Visual-Basic-for-Applications-and-Visual-Basic-6.html
    
    ' This function relies on the VBScript version of Regular Expressions, and thus some of
    ' the functionality available in Perl and/or .Net may not be available.  The full extent
    ' of what functionality will be available on any given computer is based on which version
    ' of the VBScript runtime is installed on that computer
    
    ' This function uses Regular Expressions to parse a string, and replace parts of the string
    ' matching the specified pattern with another string.  The optional argument ReplaceAll
    ' controls whether all instances of the matched string are replaced (True) or just the first
    ' instance (False)
    
    ' If you need to replace the Nth match, or a range of matches, then use RegExpReplaceRange
    ' instead
    
    ' By default, RegExp is case-sensitive in pattern-matching.  To keep this, omit MatchCase or
    ' set it to True
    
    ' If you use this function from Excel, you may substitute range references for all the arguments
    
    ' Normally as an object variable I would set the RegX variable to Nothing; however, in cases
    ' where a large number of calls to this function are made, making RegX a static variable that
    ' preserves its state in between calls significantly improves performance
    
    Static RegX As Object
    
    If RegX Is Nothing Then Set RegX = CreateObject("VBScript.RegExp")
    With RegX
        .Pattern = PatternStr
        .Global = ReplaceAll
        .IgnoreCase = Not MatchCase
        .MultiLine = MultiLine
    End With
    
    RegExpReplace = RegX.Replace(LookIn, ReplaceWith)
    
End Function

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Then use it like this:

SELECT RegExpReplace(AcctNum, "^0+") AS xAcctNum
FROM SomeTable

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UPDATE SomeTable
SET AcctNum = RegExpReplace(AcctNum, "^0+")
WHERE AcctNum Like "0*"

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That approach uses Regular Expressions, as explained here: https://www.experts-exchange.com/Programming/Languages/Visual_Basic/A_1336-Using-Regular-Expressions-in-Visual-Basic-for-Applications-and-Visual-Basic-6.html

ArisaAnsar

ASKER

Thanks for helping. I appreciate it.
I don't know how to use VBA in access. Is there a way to extract the zero using the right or left function?

Patrick Matthews

ArisaAnsar,

Please see my first post, which explains how to trim a single leading zero without any VBA at all.

Patrick

ArisaAnsar

ASKER

Sorry - Please be a little patient with me. Can you advise where I should add the codes? I'm a new user to Access. Do I post in the criteria of the account column or in the Field row and replace AcctNum with my column name?

UPDATE SomeTable
SET AcctNum = Mid(AcctNum, 2)
WHERE AcctNum Like "0*"

ArisaAnsar

ASKER

Here is a sample of the database. Thanks again.
Relationship-Database.mdb

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Patrick Matthews

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ArisaAnsar

ASKER

Thank you! This worked.