Managing Data with Microsoft® Excel

Understanding “Query”

The previous chapter compared using the Query Wizard to using the Microsoft Query window. You saw that to choose the Query Wizard over Microsoft Query is to choose a friendlier, less powerful tool over a moderately demanding tool that offers greater functionality.

There's a similar choice involved between Microsoft Query and a database manager. Microsoft Query offers you a few ways to structure a query—the selection of fields and records and sort orders, for example—but does not provide the rich array of tools you have when you use a database directly.

Still, Microsoft Query is the only means available for bringing data into an Excel worksheet automatically and without programming. And one of the best ways to move data from ...