Microsoft KB Archive/304445

= ACC97: Explanation of Data Types and Field Properties in a Microsoft Access Database =

PSS ID Number: 304445

Article Last Modified on 9/27/2003

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Access 97

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This article was previously published under Q304445



Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

This article applies only to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb).

For a Microsoft Access 2000 version of this article, see 304439.

For a Microsoft Access 2002 version of this article, see 304269.



SUMMARY
This article discusses the field data types that are available for tables in a Microsoft Access database. It also defines the field properties that are available in table design.



What Data Type Should I Use for a Field in My Table?
Decide what kind of data type to use for a field based on these considerations:
 * What kind of values do you want to allow in the field? For example, you cannot store text in a field that has a Number data type.
 * How much storage space do you want to use for values in the field? Some data types will require more storage space than others.
 * What types of operations do you want to perform on the values in the field? For example, Microsoft Access can sum values in Number or Currency fields, but not values in Text or OLE Object fields.
 * Do you want to sort or index a field? OLE Object fields cannot be sorted or indexed.
 * Do you want to use a field to group records in queries or reports? OLE Object fields cannot be used to group records.
 * How do you want to sort values in a field? In a Text field, numbers are sorted as strings of characters (1, 10, 100, 2, 20, 200, and so on), not as numeric values. Use a Number or Currency field to sort numbers as numeric values. Also, many date formats cannot be sorted properly if they are entered in a Text field. Use a Date/Time field to ensure proper sorting.

The following table summarizes all the field data types available in Microsoft Access, their uses, and their storage sizes.

About Field Properties
Each field has a set of properties that you use to customize how a field's data is stored, handled, or displayed. For example, you can control the maximum number of characters that can be entered into a Text field by setting its FieldSize property. You set a field's properties by displaying a table in Design view, selecting the field in the upper portion of the window, and then selecting the desired property in the lower portion of the window.

The properties that are available for each field are determined by the data type that you select for the field. The following table lists the available field properties in a Microsoft Access database. If a certain property does not appear in the property sheet for a field, it is not available for that field's data type.

For additional information about any field property, click in the box of that property in table Design view, and then press F1. Help will open to the topic for that property.

