How to Change a Microsoft Access Field's Datatype

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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You can change a datatype in a Microsoft Access field at any time. These instructions are for Access 97.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Open your table in Design view.
Step 2

Locate the field that you want to change.
Step 3

Click in the DataType field to the immediate right of the field name. An arrow appears.
Step 4

Click on the arrow to produce a menu listing of datatypes.
Step 5

Select the one you want.

Tips & Warnings

In general, it's best to use the most specific datatype you can. If you're entering amounts of money, for example, use the Currency datatype, and not the Numbers datatype. This helps ensure that your information sorts in the most efficient way, as well as ensuring that appropriate calculations can be performed.
Changing datatypes could have an impact on calculations. For example, if you change a Currency field to a Text field, you can still enter numbers but Access won't perform calculations for these numbers.

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