Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Pivot Tables and Data Access Pages

Learning ObjectivesThis chapter covers features that allow you to use the more specialized objects of Access

2003. At the completion of this chapter, you should have acquired the knowledge and skills to:

Understand the relationship between pivot tables and data cubes.

Understand the process to design a pivot table

Create a pivot table and view a pivot table as a pivot chart.

Understand conceptual issues important to the development of Data Access Pages.

Use the Page Wizard, the Auto Page, and the Design view to create Data Access Pages.

Understand the importance of relative links to Data Access Pages.

OverviewIn other lab chapters you learned how to create the objects of a database application

system. You created tables, queries, forms, and reports. This chapter shows you how to build

and customize a few specialized database objects. You will create a pivot table to demonstrate

how Access supports decision making with multidimensional data. Pivot tables provide a more

flexible interface for multidimensional data than crosstab queries presented in Chapter 6. Next,

you will gain experience with creating Data Access Pages, a tool for publishing live data on the

Web. You will learn how to create a Data Access Page using the Page Wizard, the Design view,

and the Auto Page features of Access. You will gain experience with Data Access Pages for both

data retrieval and update.

4/22/2023 Chapter 7: Pivot Tables and Data Access Pages Page 2

7.1 Pivot TablesData warehouse processing requires a multidimensional data representation that is

convenient to business analysts. Data cubes, a widely accepted representation of

multidimensional data, support operations for decision support processing by business analysts.

In a data cube, cells contain numeric data called measures while rows and columns contain

dimensions to organize the cells. Textbook Chapter 16 provides detailed conceptual material

about data cubes and other aspects of data warehouses.

In Access, pivot tables and pivot charts provide a convenient and flexible interface for

manipulating data cubes. Pivot tables display data in rows and columns and allow convenient

rearrangement of the row and column headings. Pivot charts display numerical data graphically

to provide insights to business analysts. Pivot tables support dynamic manipulation of the row

and column headings as compared to the static representation of crosstab queries presented in

Chapter 6. Pivot tables were first available in Access 2000, but Excel 2000 was needed to use

them. In Access 2002 and 2003, Excel is not needed to use pivot tables. Pivot charts were new in

Access 2002.

This section provides practice with pivot tables and pivot charts. Because the

terminology of pivot tables is somewhat different than the terminology of data cubes in textbook

Chapter 16, the first section presents background on pivot tables and pivot charts. The second

section provides practice with creating pivot tables and viewing a pivot table as a pivot chart.

The third section extends the pivot table presented in the second section and discusses additional

pivot table features.


7.1.1 Background about Pivot TablesTo explain the Access terminology, Figure 1 presents a pivot table for parts used data

along with annotations to depict the terminology. Table 1 provides explanations for the

annotated parts of Figure 1 along with some additional terms.

Figure 1: Example Pivot Table


Table 1: Access Terminology for Pivot TablesTerm Meaning

Filter Field (1) Restricts data that appears in the pivot table. City is a filter field. The user can choose to display pivot table data for selected cities by choosing a value for the City filter field.

Row Field (2) A field appearing in the row area of a pivot table. PartDesc and TimeRecvd are row fields.

Column Field (3) A field appearing in the column area of a pivot table. Make and Model are column fields.

Detail Field (4) A field appearing in the cell area of a pivot table. The numeric values in the cells are the sum of the parts used for the combination of the row and the column values. For example, $50 is the sales for gear boxes repaired in BMWs.

Field drop-down arrow (5) The arrow at the right side of each field. The user can select values to display or hide by clicking the arrow.

Item A data value within a field. Expanding a field displays its items, while collapsing a field hides its items. In Figure 1, PartDesc and Make are expanded, while TimeRecvd and Model are collapsed.

Beyond understanding the Access terminology, you should understand the

correspondence between data cubes as presented in textbook Chapter 16 and pivot tables. Table

2 summarizes the correspondence between the terminologies. If you are unfamiliar with the data

cube terminology, you should review textbook Section 16.2.

Table 2: Terminology Correspodence between Data Cubes and Pivot TablesData Cube Term Pivot Table Term

Dimension Row field, Column field

Measure, Measure value Detail field, Detail item

Dimension hierarchy Custom groups of a row field or column field. Date/Time fields have predefined groups. Dimension hierarchies can also be implemented using adjacent row or column fields.

Member Row item, Column item

Before creating a pivot table, you should carefully plan its components and formulate a

query to retrieve the data contained in the pivot table. In date cube terminology, you should

determine the dimensions, dimension hierarchies, and measures. For each measure, you should


determine whether it is a basic or a derived measure. For each derived measure, you should

determine whether it is a summary value (computed from groups of rows) or a row value

(computed from individual rows). Pivot tables containing row data are more flexible that pivot

tables with only summary data although row data consumes more space than summary data.

After determining the components of a pivot table, you should formulate the query to derive the

data used in the pivot table. The query should contain all fields of the pivot table although

derived measures can be calculated by either the pivot table or by the query. Beyond these

general guidelines, here are some specific points to consider when designing pivot tables:

With pivot tables, an important way to represent dimension hierarchies is using adjacent

row or column fields. Typically, geographic dimension hierarchies such as

country/region/state/city can be represented as adjacent fields.

If the pivot table only contains summary measures, the underlying query can contain a

GROUP BY clause and aggregate functions to compute the summary measures.

However, defining the underlying query to retrieve row data instead of summary data

provides more flexibility for modifications to the pivot table.

If the pivot table contains at least one row measure, the underlying query should not have

a GROUP BY clause. In addition, summary measures are computed by the pivot table,

not by the query.

7.1.2 Creating Pivot TablesBefore discussing the steps to create pivot tables, the design of the pivot table example is

presented. The pivot table should contain part descriptions and the makes and models of vehicles

as dimensions. For measures, the amount paid for the repair along with the sum of the amount

paid are the measures. For comparison purposes with the crosstab query in Chapter 6, we use

RptQuery4 (shown in Figures 2 and 3) as the underlying query for the pivot table. The next


section extends this simple pivot table design with additional fields and other pivot table

features.

Figure 2: Design View of RptQuery4

Figure 3: Datasheet of RptQuery4

The following steps demonstrate how to create a pivot table using the PivotTable

Wizard. After creating the pivot table, you will be instructed to modify it and manipulate its

data.


1. Open the PivotTable Wizard : Return to the Forms section in the Database window and click

the New button to begin. Select “PivotTable Wizard” in the New Form window. Then select

“RptQuery4” in response to choosing a table or query. Click OK to continue.

An alternative method is the “AutoForm: PivotTable” choice in the New Form window.

The wizard is the preferred approach as the autoform tool does not allow the choice of

fields from the chosen data source.

2. The First Wizard Window : The first window (Figure 4) gives a description of a pivot table.

When you are finished viewing the remarks, click the Next button to continue.

3. Select Fields to Include : Click the > button to move the PartDesc, Model, Make, and

Amount fields shown in the left side (Available Fields) to the right side (Fields Chosen for

Pivoting). Uncheck the Show Introductory Page box. Figure 5 shows the selected fields.

Click Finish to continue and a PivotTable design window opens along with a Field List

window containing the fields necessary for laying out your pivot table (Figure 6). Notice on

the PivotTable design window that the top and left sides are already divided and labeled to

assist with the field layout.

4. Place Fields on the Diagram : To place the fields onto the diagram, you may drag them from

the Field List window into the designated areas of the design window. Alternatively, you

may select them in the Field List window and choose the area where they belong from the

drop down menu at the bottom of the dialog box by clicking the Add to button (Figure 7).

Until you are familiar with the design window’s labeled areas, it is suggested that you use

the drop down menu choices as follows: place the PartDesc field in the row area (Figure 8),


the Make and Model fields in the column area (Figure 9), and the Amount field in the data

area1 (Figure 10).

Figure 4: Introductory Window of the PivotTable Wizard

1 The difference between the detail area and the data area is not explained in the Access help

documentation. From my experimentation, it appears that the data area should be used for summary measures and

the detail area for row measures.


Figure 5: Window to Choose Fields in the PivotTable Wizard

Figure 6: Window to Arrange Fields in the PivotTable Wizard


Figure 7: Pivot Table Field Box

Figure 8: PartDesc Field after Adding it in the Row Area


Figure 9: Make and Model Fields after Adding them in the Column Area


Figure 10: Amount Field after Adding it in the Data Area

5. Format Sum of Amount field : To change the properties for the Sum of Amount field,

right click on the field title (“Sum of Amount”). Then, choose the Properties item to open

the Properties window (Figure 11). In the Captions tab, change the name to “Parts Used

Sales” (Figure 12). In the Format tab, change the Number area of the window to “Currency”

in the drop down menu (Figure 11) if there is another format specified. In the diagram, the

Sum of Amount field has changed to Parts Used Sales (Figure 13).


Figure 11: Field Properties Window

Figure 12: Changed Title Field Name


Figure 13: Title Changed in the Pivot Table DesignWindow

6. Modify the Pivot Table Properties : To modify the pivot table properties such as the

Record Source and Caption, you need to use Design view. You can select Design view using

the View toolbar or the View menu. In Properties window for the form, select either the

Format tab or the All tab and locate the Caption property. Change the caption to “Parts

Used Pivot Table” (Figure 14) and close the Properties window. Although the title on the

form will be unchanged until it is saved, you can return to the PivotTable view and see that

the title is changed. Now, return to the Design view and close it. When prompted to save

changes, click Yes and type in the Form Name “PartsUsedPivotTable”.

7. View the Pivot Table as a Pivot Chart: To view the pivot table as a pivot chart, you need

to use the PivotChart view available in the View menu or View toolbar. Switch to

PivotChart view to see the pivot table displayed graphically as a pivot chart (Figure 15). You


can use the drop down arrows to restrict the items summarized in the pivot chart. After

experimenting with the pivot chart, return to the PivotTable view. Note that changes made in

PivotChart view may affect the PivotTable view. For more details about pivot charts, you are

encouraged to study the Access help documentation.

Figure 14: The Pivot Table in Form Design View

Figure 15: The Pivot Table in PivotChart View


7.1.3 Extending the Pivot TableThe pivot table in the previous section is somewhat limited because it lacks a time

dimension, an important element of most data cubes. In addition, the pivot table lacks a filter

field to restrict the data displayed. In this section, we add these elements to the previous pivot

table and then demonstrate some additional features of pivot tables.

To extend the pivot table of the previous section, we first extend the underlying query

and then create another pivot table with the additional fields. Follow these steps to create the

new query and the pivot table.

1. Modify the Underlying Query : Add the Customer table to the Query Design window as

shown in Figure 16. Then, add the RepairOrder.TimeRecvd field and the Customer.City

field to the query result. Save the query as “RptQuery4Revised” when you finish with the

changes.

2. Define a New Pivot Table : Use the PivotTable Wizard to create a new pivot table with

RptQuery4Revised as the underlying query.

3. Choose Fields : In the first wizard window, choose the fields shown in Figure 17. Note the

addition of the City and TimeRecvd fields to the ones chosen for the previous pivot table.

Click the Finish button to see the skeletal pivot table.

4. Create Pivot Table Fields : Drag PartDesc and then TimeRecvd from the field list to the row

area of the pivot table. Then, drag Make and Model from the field list to the column area.

Finally, drag City to the filter area. Figure 18 shows the resulting pivot table.

5. Create the Detail Fields : Drag Amount from the field list to the detail area. Then right-click

on the “Amount” field heading and select AutoCalcSum from the menu. Figure 19 shows

the resulting pivot table.


6. Rename the Calculated Field : Change the name of the calculated field from “Sum of

amount” to “Parts Used Sales” by using the Caption tab of the Property window for the

field. Then, right-click the Amount field heading and select Hide Details from the menu.

Figure 20 shows the resulting pivot table.

7. Compact the Pivot Table : Remove the members of the TimeRecvd and Make fields using

the Collapse menu item. To remove the TimeRecvd items, right-click the PartDesc field

heading and select Collapse from the menu. Similarly, to remove the Model items, right-

click the Make field heading and select Collapse from the menu. Figure 21 shows the

compressed pivot table after collapsing both fields.

8. Filter the Pivot Table : To see the effect of filtering, use the drop-down arrow of the City

field. Uncheck all members except “Seattle”. Figure 22 shows the pivot table after filtering

for Seattle customers.

9. Save the Pivot Table : Change the caption of the pivot table to “Part Used Pivot Table 2”

using Form Properties window in Design view. Then save the pivot table as

“PartsUsedPivotTable2”. Close the pivot table when you are finished.

Figure 16: Revised Query for the Modified Pivot Table


Figure 17: Window to Choose Fields for the Modified Pivot Table

Figure 18: Pivot Table after Dragging Fields to the Row, Column, and Filter Areas


Figure 19: Pivot Table after Dragging Amount to the Detail Area

Figure 20: Pivot Table after Hiding the Amount Field


Figure 21: Pivot Table after Collapsing Fields


Figure 22: Pivot Table after Filtering on Seattle

Access also provides the ability to group row and column fields. For date/time fields,

Access provides predefined grouping levels using the Filter and Group tab of the Properties

window. For the TimeRecvd field, you can group on predefined intervals such as year, quarter,

and month. Grouping to a finer or coarser level is comparable to drilling down or up as

described in textbook Chapter 16. You can determine groups for fields without predefined

groups by selecting items and using the Group menu item.

7.2 Data Access PagesData Access Pages (DAPs) are Web pages that dynamically interact with an Access

database. DAPs can also interact with other data sources such as SQL Server databases although

this topic is outside the scope of this lab book. DAPs were first available in Access 2000


although there were many limitations on the available database objects and actions supported.

The most significant limitation in Access 2000 was no update operations in DAPs. Access 2002

provided support for DAPs with update capabilities and provides powerful tools for creating

DAPs and saving tables, queries, forms, and reports as DAPs. Access 2003 continues with the

DAP support provided in Access 2002.

Although DAPs are easy to create in Access 2003, publishing them on a server is a

challenge. On the client side, DAPs require the Internet Explorer 5 (SP2) or higher and the

Microsoft Office XP Web Components. Because of these client requirements, DAPs are suited

primarily for intranets. On the server side, DAPs require the Microsft Internet Information

Server 4 or higher along with the Microsoft Data Access Components. In addition to these

requirements, there are a number of other complicating issues about publishing DAPs. If you

intend to publish DAPs, you should review details on the Microsoft Developer Network site

(MSDN) in the topic “Deploying Data Access Pages over the Internet or an intranet”.

If you can live with pages containing static data instead of dynamic data, you can use the

FileExport… command to convert database objects into eXtensible Markup Language (XML)

pages. To export to XML, you need to choose “XML Document” as the file type in the Export

Form window. Database objects exported as XML can be viewed by most browsers used on the

Internet. Access 2003 provides a number of enhancements for exporting, importing, and

transforming XML data. For more information about the new Access 2003 XML features, you

should search the MSDN website in the topic “New XML Features in Microsoft Office Access

2003”.

In this section, you will create Data Access Pages (web pages) for the Auto Repair

database using the Page Wizard and the Design View window. Both tools support grouped data


similar to the reports presented in Chapter 6. As shown in Chapter 6, grouping improves the

visual appearance of the data for decision making. You will also create DAPs using the

AutoPage feature that does not support grouping of data. The tools for DAP creation are similar

to the Form Wizard and the Report Wizard described in Chapters 4 through 6.

As an alternative to using the DAP creation tools presented in this section, you can

convert existing database objects into DAPs. To save a database object as a DAP, you should

select the database object and then use the FileSave As… command selecting Data Access

Page as the type. This conversion feature works well on simple database objects such as forms

without subforms. However, this method does not provide satisfactory results on complex

objects such as hierarchical forms and reports with many grouping levels. You are encouraged to

experiment with the conversion feature to see when you should use the DAP creation tools

directly rather than use other creation tools and convert them to DAPs.

7.2.1 Creating a Data Access Page Using the Page WizardThe Page Wizard enables you to create a DAP from single table or multiple tables. It also

allows you to utilize a grouping process for viewing data similar to the Report Wizard. Your

goal for this exercise is to generate a Data Access Page similar to the repair order reports that

you created in Chapter 6. The steps are as follows:

1. Open the Page Wizard : Select the Pages section on the left side of the Database window.

Then, click the New button at the top of the Database window and select “Page Wizard” in

the New Data Access Page window. You may also click on the sentence in the database

window that says, “create data access page by using page wizard” to activate the page

wizard. Select PartsUsed from the drop-down menu at the bottom (Figure 23). Click OK to

continue.


2. Select Fields to Include : Click the >> button to move all of the fields shown in the left side

(Available Fields) to the right side (Selected Fields).

In the same wizard window, go up to the Tables/Queries selection box where the

PartsUsed table name appears and select Customer. Select the LastName field and click

the > button to move it to the right side (Selected Fields).

In the same wizard window, again go up to the Tables/Queries selection box and select

the Part table. Select the PartDesc field and click the > button to move it to the right side

(Selected Fields).

For the final time, go up to the Tables/Queries selection box and select the RepairOrder

table. From the RepairOrder table select the TimeRecvd and the TimeFinish fields and

move them to the right side. Figure 24 shows all of the selected fields on the right side.

Click the Next button when finished.

3. Add Grouping Levels : Select and add OrdNo, LastName, and then TimeRecvd using the >

button. However, TimeRecvd must be changed because it defaults to TimeRecvd by Month

instead of “by Day”. To correct this, perform the following:

Click the Grouping Options button at the lower left of the window (Figure 25). Note

that the Grouping intervals column for the TimeRecvd field is set to “Month”. Change the

grouping interval to “Day” for the TimeRecvd field. Before clicking the OK button, the

Grouping window appears as in Figure 25. Click the Next button to continue.


Figure 23: New Data Access Page Window

Figure 24: Initial Page Wizard Window Showing All Selected Fields


Figure 25: Grouping Window and Grouping Interval Window

4. Sort Order : Select “None” and click Next.

5. Title the Page : Type “Part Report”, choose “Modify the page’s design”, check “Do you want

to apply a theme to your page?” (Figure 26), and click Finish.

6. Choose a Theme : In the Theme choice box (Figure 27), choose “Blends” and click OK.

7. View the Page : The new page opens in page design view (Figure 28), but you can toggle to

page view on the left side of the toolbar as you would do for viewing forms and reports.

Page view lets you see how the page will appear in the Internet Explorer (5 or higher).

How Data Are Grouped : The data are grouped by OrdNo, LastName, and TimeRevcd by

Day.

Navigation Bars : At the bottom of the page are navigation bars to locate the appropriate

records within a given group. Using the navigation bar follows a pattern similar to its use

for Access datasheets.


Figures 29 through 31 show the page in its group modes. Just keep clicking the + or -

symbols to expand or hide the grouped items. Then use the arrows on the navigation bars

to locate a particular record.

8. Modify the Page : As you can see, some modification remains to be done on this page.

Proceed to the next section and follow the directions given. If you must close the page, it

will be saved automatically and if you get a connection string message box, just click OK.

More about how DAP files are saved is discussed at the end of the next section in case you

want to read ahead.

Figure 26: Final Wizard Window


Figure 27: Theme Selection Window


Figure 28: Design View of the Part Report Data Access Page

Figure 29: Page View of the Part Report Data Access Page (First Group)


Figure 30: Page View of the Part Report Data Access Page (Second Group)

Figure 31: Page View of the Part Report Data Access Page (Third Group)

7.2.2 Modifying the Part Report Data Access PageThe previous section demonstrated two views for DAPs that are somewhat different than

the views of other database objects. You worked with Design view (Figure 28) and Page view

(Figures 29 to 31). A third view, Web Preview view, is the same as page view, but it is viewed

in Microsoft Explorer. Take a few minutes and toggle through these views using the icons/arrow

at the left corner of the toolbar as you have already done for the form and report chapters.


Return to design view, and notice that a DAP is divided into a number of sections similar

to a report (Figure 32). As you can see from Figure 32, the header sections are named according

to the grouping priorities you assigned in the Page Wizard. Under the gray header sections are

the individual items in that group. Following the header sections are the navigation bars that are

used for locating and sorting records to be viewed in the related header section. Next, notice that

the gray headers have arrows. When the arrows are clicked, you will see a selection of options

that may appear on the page with that particular header, along with a choice for Group Level

Properties that concern how the items grouped with the header will appear on the page.

Figure 32: Sections of a Data Access Page

In this section, you will make text changes to the header section items and the navigation

bars, and add some captions above the headings. So, open the page in design view, and let’s get

started.

1. Type a Page Title : Scroll to the top of the page (Figure 33). Replace “Click here and type

title text” with “Part Report”.


2. Changes to Header : RepairOrder - OrdNo : Slowly double-click the label under the header

that says “OrdNo” and the cursor point will appear inside (Figures 34 and 35). Delete the

current caption and type “Repair Order Number”. Do not worry about the text flowing onto

two lines or the position of the label.

3. Changes to Header : RepairOrder - LastName : Slowly double-click the label under the header

and the cursor point will appear inside. Delete the current caption and type “Customer’s Last

Name”. Do not worry about the text flowing onto two lines or the position of the label.

4. Changes to Header : RepairOrder - TimeRecvd by Day : Slowly double-click the label under

the header and the cursor point will appear inside. Delete the current caption and type “Day

Vehicle Received”. Do not worry about the text flowing onto two lines or the position of the

label.

5. Changes to Header : PartsUsedWiz : Slowly double-click each label inside the header and

make the changes shown in Table 3.

6. Add Caption: PartsUsedWiz : Click the arrow on the gray header and click Caption and a

caption section appears above the header. Place a label in the caption section and type “Parts

Information”. After typing it, select it and make it Bold. Figure 36 shows the completed text

changes and additions to the labels in design view.

Table 3: Label ChangesOld Label Text New Label Text

PartNo Part Number

QtyUsed Quantity Used

PartDesc Part Desciption

TimeRecvd Time Received

TimeFinish Time Finished


Figure 33: Design View Showing Where to Type Title Text

Figure 34: Design View Showing a Selected Label Control (Single Mouse Click)

Figure 35: Design View Showing a Selected Label Control (Double Mouse Click)

Figure 36: Design View of Completed Text Changes


7. Changes to the Navigation Bars : Each navigation bar on a page corresponds to a particular

field on the page. Navigation bars allows a user access to a field’s data while toggling

through records by clicking on the directional arrows on the bar. Therefore, deleting a

navigation bar keeps the user from acccessing records by means of that particular field. The

instructions below will guide you to delete two navigation bars and make text changes to the

remaining two navigation bars.

PartsUsedWiz Bar : Under the navigation bar, right-click the field label and then select

Object Properties from the menu. Select the Data tab containing the RecordSetLabel

property. Delete “PartsUsedWiz” (leaving in “0 of …”) and replace it with “Parts per

Vehicle” (Figure 37). Note that the label on the design view page may not reflect this

change immediatley.

RepairOrder - TimeRecvd by Day Bar : Delete this navigation bar since it will not be used.

To do this, go up to the section header titled “RepairOrder-TimeRecvd by Day” and

click the arrow and then click on Record Navigation to unselect it (box is no longer

checked, Figure 38), and this navigation bar will disappear.

RepairOrder - LastName Bar : Delete this navigation bar since it will not be used. Go to

the section header titled “RepairOrder-LastName” and click the arrow and then click on

“Record Navigation”, and this navigation bar will disappear.

RepairOrder - OrdNo : Under the navigation bar, right-click the field label and then select

Object Properties from the menu. Select the Data tab containing the RecordSetLabel

property. Delete “RepairOrderNo” (leaving in “0 of …”) and replace it with “Repair

Order Number”. Note that the label on the design view page may not reflect this change

immediatley.


Align Remaining Navigation Bars Together: Click once on the light gray “Repair Order

Number” bar to select it while holding the mouse button and drag the bar to the right so

it is aligned under the “Parts per Vehicle” bar (Figure 39). This action will make the two

bars more attractive on the page

8. Set Group Level Properties : So far when you view the DAP in Page view or Web Preview

view you must click on the + symbol to display the next lower group items. Since this may

be tedious for a user, you can set a property that allows all of the groups to be displayed at

once on the page. To make this modification, click the arrow on each section heading,

beginning with the first heading RepairOrder-OrdNo, and at the bottom of the menu, choose

Group Level Properties →ExpandedByDefault. Click in the property box and use the

arrow to change the value from “False” to “True” (Figure 40). Continue doing the same to

the other headings. However, on the lowest heading group (PartsUsedWiz), you cannot

change the value because it is already the lowest group on the page.

9. View the Part Report Data Access Page : Toggle to page view. Your completed page should

resemble Figure 41. Try clicking on a field to activate its corresponding navigation bar at the

bottom of the pate. Click on the bar’s bold directional arrows to scroll through the records.

When you are finished, close your page and Access will prompt you for the file name and

the location. The file will be saved with the “.htm” extension, the standard extension for web

pages. Access automatically creates a subdirectory in the My Documents folder named

according to your DAP. In this case, the file name will be “Part Report_ Files” when you

save your Part Report. Later, if you want to open the file outside of the Database window,

remember the file name and the location.


Figure 37: Design View Showing a Selected Navigation Bar and RecordsetLabel Property

Figure 38: Design View Showing Unselected Navigation Section

Figure 39: Design View Showing the Aligned Navigation Section


Figure 40: Group Level Property ExpandedByDefault

Figure 41: View of the Completed Part Report Data Access Page in Page View

7.2.3 Creating a Data Access Page in Design ViewDesign view provides another way to creating DAPs with grouped data. You will create

a Customer Repair Report in Design view to familiarize yourself with the features of DAP

Design view.


1. Open Design View: Open Design view by choosing it in the New Data Access Page

window (Figure 23) or you may click on the sentence in the database window that says,

“create data access page by using Design view”. Using either method, the Design view

window will open with a field list pane on the right side (Figure 42). From here you may

select fields from a table or query from the drop-down list by clicking the “+” signs”. Note

that the related tables are also listed with each table. If the field list does not appear, click

View Field List.

2. Draging Fields to the Page: When you drag fields to the page, the table name will become

the heading group with the desired fields located underneath. Each time you drag a field

from another table, the page will create a blue square and ask you if you want that table’s

group to be above or under the current heading group. After you create each group as

instructed below, you can check Figure 44.

Create the First Heading Group: Click the + symbol next to the Customer table to

display the fields. Since we want all of the fields in that table, select the Customer

table name and drag it to the left side of page. When you release the mouse, a

Layout Wizard window will appear and choose “Columnar” (Figure 43). The fields

will appear on the page under the Customer heading, along with a corresponding

navigation bar.

Create the Second Heading Group: Since the Vehicle table is listed as related to the

Customer table, the next fields will come from that table, so click the “+” to display

its fields (or do this with the Vehicle table already listed at the end of the filed list

pane). Select the fields: Year, Make, and Model (select each one while holding down

the shift key) and drag them to the page. Before releasing the mouse, notice the blue


square that appears saying, “create new section below Customer”. Continue draging

the fields until you are in that area below the Customer section, towards the left side,

and then release the mouse. When the Layout Wizard window appears, again

choose “Columnar”. Now you have a second heading group called Vehicle along

with its fields and navigation bar.

Create the Next Lower Heading Groups: Repeat the procedures described above

with the following tables and fields. Each time, drag the fields to the lowest level,

towards the left side, and choose “Columnar” from the Layout Wizard window:

From RepairOrder table : OrdNo, TimeRecvd, and TimeFinsh (select each

one while holding down the Ctrl key)

From PartsUsed table : QtyUsed (drag over to far left side)

From Part table : PartDesc (since the PartsUsed table and the Part table

are related, you can drag the PartDesc field just to the right of the QtyUsed

field in the same section.

When you are finished with the above additions, your page should appear as Figure 44

below. You may close and save this page as “Customer Repair Report”, or keep it open and

perform modifications to the page as instructed below.


Figure 42: DAP Empty Design View Page with Field List Displayed

Figure 43: Layout Wizard Window


Figure 44: Individual Controls and Groups Dragged from the Field List Pane

7.2.4 Modifying the Customer Repair Report Data Access PageA few simple modifications to this page still need to be made, so have the Customer

Repair Report page open in Design view:

1. Set Group Level Properties : For each group heading, click the arrow and choose Group

Level Properties. For each group level, set the DataPageSize to “1”, and the

ExpandedByDefault to “True” except for the lowest, PartsUsed, level. With this

modification, each level will appear in page view once for each record.


2. Add Page Title : At the top of the page, click in the title area and type the title “Customer

Repair Report”. At the end of the title, hit the delete key once or twice to decrease the space

between the title and first group level heading. To center the title, select it ,

View→Properties→Format Tab→TextAlign Property, and set it to “left”. Next, place

the cursor at the beginning of the title and space the title toward the middle until it is

centered over the report.

3. Add Section Captions : For each group level, starting with the first one, click the arrow next

to the heading and choose Caption. The caption area appears above the heading. Click the

label tool on the toolbox and drag a label control to the caption area. Type caption texts in

the label controls as follows, then select it and make bold.

For the Customer Caption : Type “Customer Information”;

For the Vehicle Caption : Type: “Vehicle Information”;

For the RepairOrder Caption : Type: “Vehicle Received and Finished Times”;

For the PartsUsed Caption: Type: “Part Information”.

Decrease and Align Caption Area: The area surrounding the captions is too large (Figure

45). Select each section caption area (handle bars appear) and point the cursor at the

bottom, middle bar until a double arrow appears. At this point, hold the mouse button

down and drag the caption area up to the bottom of the label to decrease the caption area

space. While the bars are still showing, click the bar on the left side and when the double

arrows appear, drag the caption area so it is lined-up with the section above it. Then, drag

the bar on the right side so it is in-line with the section above it (Figure 47). Next, select

the label and center it, along with aligning it in the center of the vertical and horizontal

area of the caption space (Figure 46).


4. Align Fields to Center of Page: Using skills already acquired in previous lab chapters, select

the fields in each group level section and drag to align them evenly under the caption, except

for the last, PartsUsed, section (Figure 47). Also at this time, make adjustments to any fields

where the label or textbox overlap, or the space between fields are uneven.

5. Change Label Text : In the Customer section, change the label saying CustNo to “Customer

Number”, and add a space where needed between the other field names. In the RepairOrder

section, change the three labels to: “Order Number”, “Time Received”, and “Time

Finished”. In the Part section, change the two labels to: “Quantity Used”, and “Part

Description” (Figure 44).

Figure 45: Caption Area before Modification

Figure 46: Modified Caption Area and Centered Label Control


Figure 47: Modified Caption Areas in Design View


Figure 48: Modified Report in Page View

6. Modifications to the Navigation Bars : The navigation bars need the text changed to

correspond with the caption names above them (Figure 49). You can accomplish this change

the same way as when the Part Report was modified.

PartsUsedWiz Bar : Under the navigation bar, click the label on the light gray bar and

then right-click Object Properties and select the Data tab containing the

RecordSetLabel property. Delete “PartsUsedWiz” (leaving in “0 of …”) and replace it


with “Part Information”. Next, go to the Format Tab and and change the TextAlign

property to “right” so the text aligns to the right side.

Change Text on the Remaining Navigation Bars: Following the instructions given above,

change the following navigation bars as follows, (leaving in “0 of …”, and changing

the TextAlign property to “right”): RepairOrder to “Vehicle Received and Finished

Times”, Vehicle to “Vehicle Information”, and Customer to “Customer Information”.

Figure 50 shows the navigation bars after the text changes.

7. Create Background : You will use the “Blends” background the same as the other DAP and

other objects of the Auto Repair database: Format→Theme→Blends→OK. Figure 51

shows the completed Customer Repair Report in Page view.

Figure 49: Navigation Bars, Text before Changes


Figure 50: Selected Navigation Bar and Text after Changes


Figure 51: Completed Customer Repair Report in Page View

7.2.5 Creating a Data Access Page Using the AutoPage FeatureUsing the AutoPage feature to create a DAP is very simple compared to the Page Wizard

and Design view. However, AutoPage only supports columnar-style pages from tables and

queries that display one record at a time. Also, AutoPage has no grouping features. However,


AutoPage will create an updatable page. You will use AutoPage to create a simple page for the

Customer table.

1. Open the AutoPage Feature: After selecting the Pages section in the Database window,

click the New button and select “AutoPage: Columnar” in the New Data Access Page

window. Select Customer in response to the table question and click OK.

2. View the Customer Page: The page opens on the screen in Page view (Figure 52). The

AutoPage feature created a columnar view of the Customer table similar to the Customer

form you created in Chapter 4.

3. Modify the Page : Toggle to Design view and notice that although AutoPage does not have

grouping capabilities, the page still appears as a grouped page, but with only one group level

and one section containing fields. There is only one navigation bar that corresponds to the

single heading. However, note that the field list pane still appears on the screen. This is

because that while in Design view, you can continue to select and drag further fields to the

page you have already created in AutoPage resulting in additional group levels as you have

done previously in Design view.

Change the Report Title : In the area indicated, type “Customer Report”.

Change Label Text : Change the CustNo field label to “Customer Number” and then for

the remainder of the fields, put spaces between the words where necessary.

Align Fields if Necessary : If the labels are not aligned or are overlapping the textboxes,

fix this also. Also, if the texboxes are not showing all of the record data in Page view,

inccrease the size.


Set the Theme : Set the theme by clicking Format Theme and choosing “Blends” in

the Theme window. Toggle back to page view and your completed page should appear as

in Figure 53.

Close the Page : When you are finished viewing, close the page. When prompted, save it

as “Customer Report”.

Figure 52: Page View of the Customer Report Created with AutoPage


Figure 53: Page View of the Completed Customer Report Data Access Page

7.2.6 Making a Data Access Page UpdatableSimilar to a form, a DAP may be updatable if its underlying queries is updatable. The

updatability of DAPs adheres to the rules for updatable queries presented in textbook Chapter

10. For a DAP with an updatable underlying query, the group level properties allow a user to set

a default sort order, edit records, delete records and add records, as well as, to protect specific

fields from editing. Also, the buttons on the navigation bars allow for adding records, deleting

records, undoing a last editing operation, and sorting/filtering records. Also similar to a form and

a report, you can add a calculated field to display a total using values in other fields in the DAP.

For the purpose of this lab, you will sort and filter records, add and delete a record, edit a

record, and protect a field from editing. When making records on a DAP updatable, you need to


set certain group level properties to “true” to activate the buttons on the corresponding

navigation bar in Page view to accomplish the desired actions. In Page view, when you put the

cursor under a navigation button, a textbox will identify the button.

Although the Part Report you have previously created has group levels, that DAP cannot

be editable or updated since it already contains aggregate or other calculated fields as a result of

its underlying query. Therefore, to keep things simple, you will use the Customer Report DAP

that has already been created. To begin, open the Customer Report DAP in Design view:

1. Setting Group Level Properties : The first step to making a DAP editable or updatable is to

set group level properties. Click the arrow next to the heading and choose Group Level

Properties. The following properties should be already set to “true” (the default, but if not,

set them to “true”): AllowAdditions, AllowDeletions, and AllowEdits (Figure 54). As long

as these properties are set to “true”, the corresponding navigation bar buttons will be active

in Page View. Consequently, if these same properties are set to “false” the navigation bar

buttons will not be active, which protects fields from being edited, updated or records added

to the database.

2. Using a Navigation Bar : As long as the properties discussed above are set to “true”, then the

navigation bar for the Customer group will have those buttons active (Figure 55) to perform

the actions below (note that you must click in the desired field to activate certain buttons on

the navigation bar):

Adding a Record: Regardless of the location of the cursor, click the New icon on the

navigation bar and the fields change to blanks for the addition of new records. Add your

name, address, etc. to the records fields and to become the next customer number. During

the entering process, If you make a mistake and want to revert back to the original record


fields, then click the Undo icon. If you are satisfied with the entered values, then

click the Save icon.

Deleting a Record : Scroll through the records to locate the record that you want to

delete. For this example, it will be the record you just added above. Click the Delete

icon and click “Yes” to the dialog box asking if you are sure about deleting the record

since it cannot be undone. Now the record is gone!

Editing a Record : Put the cursor in any field that you want to edit or changes. When you

are finished, click the Save icon. This process does not require any buttons on the

navigation bar, but the AllowEdits group level property must be set to “true”.

3. Sorting and Filtering Records : The buttons on a navigation bar for sorting and filtering are

always active because there are no properties to set that would turn these features on or off.

Sorting Records : Change the sort order for the Customer Number field from ascending

to descending. This change is done by clicking on the navigation bar’s Sort Descending

icon (Z to A) and watch the Customer Number field change. Now when you use the

bold directional arrows on the bar to scroll through the records, they will now be in

descending order. To change the sort order back to ascending, click on the Sort

Ascending icon (A to Z) and the sort order reverts back.

Filtering Records : Use the filtering feature to locate all of the customers who live in

Seattle. Put the cursor in the State field textbox and click the filter icon (Filter by

Selection) on the navigation bar. The navigation bar changes to indicate that there are 8

customer records (1 of 8). Use the bold directional arrows to scroll through the filtered


records to see that they are the Seattle customers. When finished, click on the unfiltered

icon (Filter Toggle Button-turns white) and the records become unfiltered.

Figure 54: Group Level Editing Properties

Figure 55: Navigation Bar with Active Buttons

7.2.7 Using Relative Links for Data Access Pages and Database ConnectionsThis section closes with a discussion about links to DAPs and database connections used

in DAPs, important issues for maintaining and publishing DAPs. DAPs are stored as files

separate from the Access database file, while the other database objects are stored inside the

database file. The Pages tab of the Database window contains links to DAPs, not the actual

DAPs. In addition, each DAP contains a connection string that contains a link to the database

used by the DAP.

If you intend to relocate your database to another location (local folder or server), you

should use relative paths for links, not absolute paths. An absolute path includes the full path

starting from the drive (such as C). A relative path indicates the path relative to the current

object. Relative paths provide flexibility because you can move your database to another

location without changing the links as long as you maintain the same relative folder structure.

Assume that the root folder of your application system is “Application”, the Access database for


your application is stored in the folder “Database” under “Application”, and the DAPs are stored

in the folder “DAP” under “Application”. If you use relative links for the DAPs and the

database connection strings, you can move your application to a new computer, folder, or server

as long as you maintain the old folder structure under the new root folder.

Although Access 2003 does support relative links, you need to specify them separately

after you have created a DAP. By default, Access uses absolute links to DAPs and database

connections. You must override the default absolute paths that Access uses. The confusing point

is that relative links must be specified in two places. If you do not provide relative paths in both

places, your DAPs will fail when your database is moved.

To change the link to the DAP, you use the Page properties window for the DAP. To

open this window, right-click on the DAP in the Page tab of the Database window and choose

Properties from the menu. Figure 56 shows the Properties window for the Part Report DAP.

The path specification, “..\DAP\Part Report.htm”, is a relative path to the file containing the

DAP. The path is relative to the location of the database. The symbol “..” in a relative path

indicates the parent folder. In Figure 56, the DAP file (Part Report.htm) is located in the “DAP”

folder that is found in the parent folder of the database.


Figure 56: Page Window showing a Relative Path

Besides changing the link to the DAP, you must also change the database connection

string contained in the DAP. The database connection should be a relative path, not an absolute

path. If you understand the DAP coding details, you can edit the DAP file directly to change the

database connection string. If you do not understand the DAP coding details, you can change the

database connection string using Design view for the DAP. You can change the database

connection in the Data Link Properties window.

To open the Data Link Properties window inside Design view, right-click on the page

title bar and select the Page Connection… command from the menu. In the Connection tab,

you should change the value under the label “Select or enter a database name” as shown in

Figure 57. After you change the database connection, open the Field List (ViewField List) to


see that the database connection contains a relative path2 as shown in Figure 58. The database

connection string specifies the location of the database relative to the location of the DAP. In

Figure 57, the database file is located in the “AutoRepAccess2003LabDatabases” folder that is

found in the parent folder of the DAP file (Part Report.htm).

Figure 57: Data Link Properties Window showing a Relative Path for the Database Name

2 For some reason, the Data Link Properties window reverts to an absolute path after you specify a relative

path. The Field List displays the relative path, however. This behavior seems to be a bug in Access 2002.


Figure 58: Field List showing a Relative Path for the Database Connection

Closing ThoughtsThis chapter has covered two specialized database objects, pivot tables and Data Access

Pages (DAPs). Pivot tables provide a convenient interface for manipulating multidimensional

data, a common format for business analysis. You learned about the Access vocabulary for pivot

tables and the steps in designing a pivot table as well as you gained practice using the

PivotTable Wizard to create pivot tables. The practical material presented in Section 7.1

complements the conceptual material in textbook Chapter 16.

Data Access Pages are Web pages providing dynamic interaction with Access databases.

You used the Page Wizard, the Design view, and the AutoPage to create DAPs. You learned to

manipulate grouping levels and to update and edit fields on a page. Because of the client

requirements, DAPs are suited primarily for intranets, not for use in the public Internet. If you

intend to publish DAPs to an intranet, you should consult a Web developer or read details

available in the Microsoft Developer Network site about deploying DAPs. There are a number

of details that must be carefully considered before publishing DAPs.

This chapter concludes the study of individual database objects for application

development. Chapter 8 integrates the material from other chapters in the coverage of user

interface development for Access databases.


Chapter ReferenceThe chapter reference section summarizes procedures that you practiced. For wizards

discussed in the chapter, the procedures highlight important parts of the wizards but do not list

all of the steps.

Procedure 1: Creating a Pivot Table (Section 7.1.2)1. Before creating a pivot table, you should determine the dimensions and measures of

the data cube that it supports.

2. The underlying query for the pivot table should include all fields in the pivot table except for fields that are computed in the pivot table.

3. Use the PivotTable Wizard to choose the row fields, column fields, filter fields, and detail fields from the fields in the underlying query.

4. Use PivotTable view to change the properties of individual fields in the pivot table.

5. Use Design view to change the pivot table properties such as the Caption and Record Source.

Procedure 2: Use the Page Wizard to Create a Data Access Page (Sections 7.2.1)1. Select the Pages section in the Database window. Click the New button and select

“Page Wizard” in the New Data Access Page window. Select the table or query in response to the table question. Click OK to continue.

2. Click the >> or > button to move desired fields shown in the left side to the right side (Selected Fields). Click the Next button when finished.

3. Select and add desired grouping levels by selecting the field and using the > button. Make corrections to a group option using the Grouping Options button at the lower left of the window.

4. Choose the sort order and type a title for the page. Apply a theme to the page if desired and click Finish.

5. Modify the page by slowly double-clicking labels and textboxes to change text. Single-click labels and textboxes to reveal the crosshair cursor to move or the arrow cursor to resize. Select navigation bars and change text in the RecordSetLabel property (in its Properties window).

6. You can delete navigation bars that will not be used by clicking on the arrow next to the heading, and then close their empty sections by selecting the section head and dragging it toward the next section head.

7. When you save the page, Access will create a special Pages folder for it in the My Documents folder and for any other related files.


Procedure 3: Use the Design View Feature to Create a DAP (Section 7.2.2)1. After selecting the Pages section in the Database window, click the New button and

select “Design view” in the New Data Access Page window. Select a table in response to the table question and click OK.

2. The page opens on the screen in design view along with a field list pane on the left of the screen.

3. To create a page, table names or fields to the page and place them according to the desired levels as referred to in the blue square. toggle to design view. In the area indicated, type a page title.

4. Set the theme by clicking Format Theme and choose a theme from the Theme window. Toggle back to page view to see your completed page.

5. When you are finished viewing the page, close and save the page. When you save the page, Access will create a special Pages folder for it in the My Documents folder and for any other related files.

Procedure 4: Use the Auto Page Feature to Create a DAP (Section 7.2.3)1. After selecting the Pages section in the Database window, click the New button and

select “AutoPage: Columnar” in the New Data Access Page window. Select a table in response to the table question and click OK.

2. The page opens on the screen in page view. The AutoPage feature creates a columnar view of the table similar to the forms in Chapter 4.

3. To modify a page, toggle to design view. In the area indicated, type a page title. Set the theme by clicking Format Theme and choose a theme from the Theme window. Toggle back to page view to see your completed page.

4. You can drag addition fields to the page from the field list pane. Adding these new fields give you the option to create grouped levels for data display.

5. When you are finished viewing the page, close and save the page. When you save the page, Access will create a special Pages folder for it in the My Documents folder and for any other related files.

Procedure 5: Editing Features of a DAP (Section 7.2.6)1. DAPs with updatable underlying queries can support the addition, modification, and

deletion of records. The sort and filter features still apply to updatable DAPs.

2. Set group level properties to “true” for the AllowAdditons, AllowDeletions, and Allow Edits properties. This activates the buttons on the corresponding navigation bars on the page.

3. Click the desired field and then on the navigation bar button for the action to be performed. Otherwise for adding and deleting records, just click the appropriate navigation bar button and a record may be added or deleted.


Additional PracticeThe following problems provide additional practice with the extended auto repair

database as well as the textbook databases.

Part 1: Pivot Tables for the Extended Auto Repair Database

1. Create a pivot table to support decision making about the labor costs of repairs. Your pivot

table should support a data cube with dimensions of make, model, labor code, and starting

repair date and measures for the actual labor cost, the standard labor cost, and the labor cost

difference (actual labor cost minus standard labor costs). You need to write the underlying

query and then create the pivot table.

2. Create a pivot table to support decision making about part expense for vehicles. Your pivot

table should support a data cube with dimensions of make, model, cylinders, starting repair

date and measures for the total part expense and the number of repairs. You need to write the

underlying query and then create the pivot table. The pivot table should also have the vehicle

state as a filtering field.

Part 2: Data Access Pages for the Extended Auto Repair Database

1. Create a read-only DAP for the Labor Usage Report presented in Problem (1) of Chapter 6.

You should create the DAP in two ways: (1) using Page Design view as described in Section

7.3 and (2) using the FileSave As… command (choose Data Access Page as the type) on

the report that you previously created. After creating the DAPs, experiment with them to see

which creation method produces the result that you prefer.

2. Create an updatable DAP to display customer data along with the related vehicle data. Make

the page look like a hierarchical form in which one record displays in the main form and the


related records display in the subform. You should create the DAP in Page Design view as

described in Section 7.3. Note that you cannot convert the existing Customer form using the

FileSave As… command because the conversion does not support hierarchical forms.