22 min read
Adding Criteria to Filter Results
Type a condition into the Criteria row beneath a field, and combine several with AND (same row) or OR (a row below).
You will learn: text, date, and null criteria on the grid. You will do: build LondonMembers. build OpenLoans with Is Null.
Exact Match
Goal
List members in London.
Text criteria need double quotes.
Create a new query on Members
Where
Do this
Verification
Check your work
You are correct if all of these are true:
- Only London members appear in the result.
If something looks wrong
Fix
Type "London" with double quotes for a text match.SOURCE DATA
| Members | |||
|---|---|---|---|
QUERY DESIGN
| Grid — LondonMembers | |
|---|---|
CRITERIA
| Criteria examples | |
|---|---|
RESULT
| Result: LondonMembers | ||
|---|---|---|
Is Null — Open Loans
Goal
List loans still out (no return date).
An empty ReturnDate is Null in Access.
Add Loans table
Where
Do this
Verification
Check your work
You are correct if all of these are true:
- Only rows with an empty ReturnDate appear.
SOURCE DATA — Loans
| Loans | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
QUERY DESIGN — OpenLoans
| Grid — OpenLoans | |
|---|---|
RESULT
| Result: OpenLoans | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Practice
Swipe or use the arrows to move between questions.
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You will learn: how AND and OR work on the design grid. You will do: combine city and name filters. filter open loans by date.
AND on the Same Row
Criteria on different columns of the same row combine with AND.
Example: Manchester members whose name starts with E.
SOURCE DATA
| Members | |||
|---|---|---|---|
QUERY DESIGN
| Grid — Manchester E names | |
|---|---|
CRITERIA
FullName Like "E*" AND City = "Manchester" — both must be true.
RESULT
| Result | |
|---|---|
OR on the or Row
Put the second value on the or row under the same column:
| OR row example | ||
|---|---|---|
Or write in one cell: "Bristol" Or "Leeds"
QUERY DESIGN
| Grid — Bristol or Leeds | ||
|---|---|---|
RESULT
| Result | |
|---|---|
AND on Loans
Goal
List open loans taken out in May 2026 or later.
Two criteria on one row = both must match (AND).
Start with Loans only
Where
Do this
Verification
Check your work
You are correct if all of these are true:
- Only open loans from May 2026 or later appear.
SOURCE DATA
| Loans | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
QUERY DESIGN
| Grid — RecentOpenLoans | |
|---|---|
RESULT
| Result: RecentOpenLoans | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Practice
Swipe or use the arrows to move between questions.
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Field Notes: Common Criteria Patterns
In the query design grid, the Criteria row beneath a field lets you type a condition that field's values must meet for a record to be included:
- "London" — matches exactly that text (Access adds the quotation marks automatically if you leave them off). - >100 — matches numbers greater than 100. <, >=, <=, and <> (not equal to) all work the same way. - Between 1 And 100 — matches numbers or dates within a range, inclusive of both ends. - Like "S*" — matches text starting with the letter S, using an asterisk as a wildcard for "anything." - Is Null — matches records where that field has been left completely empty. - "North" Or "South" — matches either one of two specific values.
AND vs. OR in the design grid
| AND — same row | OR — a row below |
|---|---|
| Typing criteria into two different fields on the same Criteria row | Typing a second condition on the row directly beneath the first |
| Both conditions must be true for a record to show | Either condition being true is enough for a record to show |
More lessons in Microsoft Access · Next: Sorting and Calculated Fields in Queries · Previous: Building a Select Query in Design View