Access Hacks

Hack #28. Separate Alphabetically Sorted Records into Letter Groups

Tap the Prefix Characters property to gain new layout possibilities.

Sorting alphabetically is nothing new; in fact, it's rather old—one of the standard practices we take for granted. When you've got dozens or hundreds of printed records, though, it can be tedious to flip through report pages looking for a particular line item, even though they're in alphabetical order.

A neat thing to do is to segregate the records on a report alphabetically. Figure 4-1 shows a page from a report in which sorted records list repeatedly with no such segregation or break. The records are sorted—no question on that score—but the layout makes it challenging to flip to the approximate area you need to find.

Figure 4-1. A report with a repetitive layout

The report's design is straightforward. The details section contains the fields that become the line items. The report in this format doesn't use groups, and that is why it is monotonous to look at. Figure 4-2 shows the design of the report.

Segregating by Letter

A way to break up the endless line-item listing is to add a group to the report. Figure 4-3 shows how the report's design has been altered to include a group.

The group is based on the ClientLastName field, which, of course, is the field being sorted on. Here are a few key points about how this group is being used:

Figure 4-2. A report ...