When I exit Access, my records are mixed up. Why?

  • Thread starter Odd Duck needs help
  • Start date
O

Odd Duck needs help

I enter my records in the table, but when I close Access, the records are
mixed up. It doesn't look like they're being sorted alphabetically or
numerically - all records are correct but not as how I entered them (by
department & room). I need to know what I'm doing wrong and how to correct my
problem without losing the work I've already done since I'm 300 records into
the database. Do I need a primary key?
 
D

Douglas J. Steele

Never assume anything about the order of records in tables: they're
essential "sacks of data", where the records will exist wherever they fit.

If the order is important, create an query with an appropriate ORDER BY
clause, and use the query wherever you would otherwise have used the table.
 
R

rowiga

If you always want the table to display data sorted by Department then by
Room...

Open the table and select the entire Department column by clicking on the
column heading. Pull the column all the way over to the left so that it's the
first column. Do the same with the Room column but make it the second column
from the left. Once they're both there, select both columns (click on the
heading for the Department column, hold down the mouse button and move over
to the Room column). With both of the columns selected right-click in the
blackened data area and select "Sort Ascending". When you exit from the table
Access will ask if you want to save the changes to the design of your table.
Tell it that you do.
 
R

Roger Carlson

I've heard them described as a "bag of marbles". Very descriptive to me and
quite accurate.
 
D

Douglas J. Steele

I've heard the contents of the bags being something else with certain
people's databases. <g>
 
R

Rick Brandt

Douglas J. Steele said:
I've heard the contents of the bags being something else with certain
people's databases. <g>
Click to expand...

That would more accurately be "Sacks" then wouldn't it?
 
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