20 min read
Grouping, Sorting, and Totals in Reports
Grouping clusters related rows under a shared heading with a subtotal — the difference between a plain printed list and a genuine report.
You will learn: grouping and count totals on a report. You will do: group MembersByCityReport by City. count members in each city.
Group by City
Goal
Put members in city sections.
Each city gets a header band with its members underneath.
Open report in Layout View
Do this
Verification
Check your work
You are correct if all of these are true:
- London header with Sophie and Amelia. Then Bristol, Manchester, Leeds.
SOURCE DATA
| Members | |||
|---|---|---|---|
REPORT DESIGN
| Report design settings | |
|---|---|
RESULT (grouped layout)
| Members grouped by City | ||
|---|---|---|
Print Preview
Members by city
Riverside Public Library
| FullName | Phone |
|---|---|
| — London — | |
| Sophie Walsh | 0771234567 |
| Amelia Jones | 0775678901 |
| Count: 2 | |
| — Manchester — | |
| Emily Brooks | 0773456789 |
| Count: 1 |
Count Members per City
Goal
Add a count in each city footer.
Count answers how many members — not Sum on text fields.
Open the City footer
Where
Do this
Verification
Check your work
You are correct if all of these are true:
- London footer: Count = 2. Manchester footer: Count = 1.
Practice
Swipe or use the arrows to move between questions.
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Field Notes: Clusters, Not Just Rows
Goal
Group a report's rows and add a subtotal for each group.
Grouping is what elevates a report above a plain printed list — a sales report grouped by region, with each region's orders clustered under its own heading and subtotal.
Open Group & Sort
Do this
Verification
Check your work
You are correct if all of these are true:
- Add a Text Box control inside the new group footer, and set its Control Source to something like =Sum([OrderTotal]) to display a running subtotal for just that group, recalculated automatically for each one.
More lessons in Microsoft Access · Next: Designing a Report in Design View · Previous: Creating a Report with the Report Wizard