I witnessed a cardinal sin of one person manually editing the same value across multiple records instead of using one of Microsoft Access queries well known action query; the update query.
Take a quick look at this preview video which is seven minutes long and covers the essentials (and ignore the title with reference to programming in 2013 – not applicable here).
In this video, the author mentions the exact match (in double quotations marks) when setting the criteria as well as using similar matches using the ‘Like’ operator that most users tend to either not be aware or even know.
Microsoft Access Queries: An Action Query
You use this type of query to change data in tables, saving the need to manually edit records or use any of the manual tools namely, Find and Replace. Examples for this action could be to reset data, change prices, increase volume and correct data migration and population issues.
One of the more commonly used examples is to carry out some sort of calculation and change prices for a range of products.
The above example increases all products for UK suppliers by 10% using the [Unit Price] field containing the original price value multiplied by 1.1 (an increase by 110%).
Just remember, this is an action query which means changes to any data values cannot be reversed once actioned which is why you should normally see a warning first.
However, it is always a good idea to take a copy or back up of your data files before running Microsoft Access queries of this nature.
There are many other types of queries too and the more you know about Access queries, the more flexible your database will be and produce more effective reports.
I have a couple eBooks about MS Access queries which may be of interest – why not check these and other Microsoft Access database eBooks out!
Tags: how to change values using queries, microsoft access queries, MS Access Query, ms access update query, working with update queries in access