Databases

Unit 2: Manipulating the Data in a Database

Lesson 4: Sorting and Filtering Records

How do you filter records by form?

Filtering records by form is a bit harder than filtering records by selection but you have more control over which records are selected by the filter. Filter by Form is more powerful because:

1. you can filter on values in non-contiguous fields.
2. you can use the logical operator OR between conditions. For example, you can specify a filter that lists all books that are paperback or fiction.
3. you can use comparison operators. For example, you can specify a filter that lists all books that retail for less than $20.00.

When you filter by form you specify the filter criteria on a separate form. The following animation shows an example of a filter that lists all books that are paperback or have a price less than $20.00.

Some things to note from the above animation:

1. The toolbar button is used to switch from Datasheet view to a mode that allows you to define the filter.
2. The toolbar button erases the old filter.
3. You can specify a value for more than one field on each line when defining the filter. If you do, records must match both values to be selected. (Note: In the animation above, we specified a value for only one field on each line.)