How to Filter Records in a Microsoft Access Table

Filtering allows you to retrieve specific information from a table. For example, in your recipe collection, you might run a filter to locate all of your breakfast recipes that contain eggs. Filtering by selection is easiest, but filtering with a form is quicker if you want to use multiple criteria to filter. Input filtering is the most precise. These instructions are for Access 97.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Microsoft Access

Filtering by Selection

1. Open the table containing the records that you want to filter.

2. Locate a field that contains an instance of the value you want the records to contain. Using the recipe example, you might select a field containing the word "breakfast."

3. Click the Filter by Selection icon in the toolbar or right-click on the selected field to produce a shortcut menu. Select Filter by Selection. Access displays a table containing all incidents of the field you selected.

4. To further refine your search, select a second field from the filtered table and continue. For example, if your goal is to find all breakfast items containing eggs, you would next select "eggs" from the filtered table.

Filtering by Form

5. Open a table or form in Datasheet view.

6. Click Filter by Form on the toolbar. The Filter by Form window will appear.

7. Click the field that specifies the criteria that the records must meet. In the recipe example, if you're looking for breakfast items, click the Meal Type field. A list will appear.

8. Select the value you're searching for ("breakfast"), or type the value into the field.

9. Click the Apply Filter icon on the toolbar or use the Apply/Filter Sort command found on the Filter menu. You will receive a list of the records that match your specified criteria.

Filtering by Input

10. Open a table, query or form in Datasheet view.

11. Right-click in a field containing the value that you want to filter.

12. In the Filter For box, type the value that you want to find. If you're looking for all breakfast items containing eggs, you would right-click on Breakfast, then enter "eggs" in the Filter For box.

13. If you want to filter for only one value, press Enter.

14. If you want to filter for more than one value, press the Tab key. This will allow you to keep on refining your filter until you have the set of records you want.

Tips & Warnings

• You can do very complex filtering using the Input method. Consult your user manual for more details.