Access 2010: The Missing Manual

Append Queries

An append query selects records from a table and then inserts them into another table. (Technically speaking, appending is the process of adding records to the end of a table.)

You may create an append query for a number of reasons, but usually you do it to transfer records from one table to another. You may want to use an append query to transfer records from one database to another. This technique is handy if you have duplicate tables in different databases (perhaps because different people need to use the database on different computers).

Tip

Once you’ve finished copying records to a new table, you may want to follow up with a delete query (Delete Queries) to remove the old versions.

Troubleshooting Moment: When Access Blocks Your Update

Consider this bit of Access existential philosophy: What happens if you click Run, and nothing happens? There’s no warning, no message box, and no error to explain what went wrong. All you get is a cryptic message in the status bar at the bottom of the Access window, which blandly advises you, “The action or event has been blocked by Disabled Mode”. What does it all mean?

Access is a truly paranoid program. It’s just not ready to let you perform some actions unless you explicitly say it’s OK. As you learned on Opening Databases, when you open a new database, Access shows a message bar with a security warning. It’s up to you what you do about that security warning. You can click the X in the top-right corner to hide the message bar altogether. ...