Date Parameters In Microsoft Query Wizard
On my Contextures website, the focus in on Excel tips and tutorials. Behind the scenes, I use Microsoft Access too, for time tracking, website statistics and a few other key tasks. This week, I wanted to find files that hadn’t been updated for a long time, so I created a query that selects records older than X – Access asks what X is each time the query runs. Here’s what I built, and a few other Access query date criteria examples.
A way around this is to create a generic Microsoft Query, then add parameters, then paste your parametorized query in the connection's properties. Here are the detailed steps for Excel 2010: Open Excel; Goto Data tab; From the From Other Sources button choose From Microsoft Query; The 'Choose Data Source' window will appear. Work directly in Microsoft Query for other types of queries If you want to create a more complex query than the Query Wizard allows, you can work directly in Microsoft Query. You can use Microsoft Query to view and to change queries that you start creating in the Query Wizard, or you can create new queries without using the wizard.
Access Query With Simple Date Criteria
If there is a date field in a table, it’s easy to build a simple query that selects record before or after a specific date. For example, use this criterion in the date field, to select records that were revised on or before January 1, 2017.
<= 1/1/2017
Access automatically puts number signs before and after the date, when you press Enter, or click away from the criteria cell
<= #1/1/2017#
Access Query Criteria for Specific Date Range
To select records within a specific date range, with two dates with the AND operator, in the query criteria. Here’s the criteria string that selects records from January 1, 2017 to May 31, 2017 (including those dates).
Between #1/1/2017# And #5/31/2017#
Query With Changeable Dates
Just like an Excel date formula, it’s usually better to have a variable in an Access query, instead of hard coding a specific date. In Excel, a formula could refer to a worksheet cell, and a date could be entered there, and changed easily.
In Access, you could have a text box on a form, and enter a date there. Then, refer to that text box in the Access query date criteria.
Date Parameters In Microsoft Query Wizard Download
Here is a form where I can enter the start and end dates, and then run a series of reports based on those dates. It’s easy to change the dates before running the reports, and very efficient for doing month end summaries.
In the queries that the reports are based on, the date criteria refer to those text boxes.
Between [forms]![Menu].[txtStart] And [forms]![Menu].[txtEnd]
Query With Empty Date Boxes
[Update] In the comments, someone asked how to show all the data, if the date text boxes are left empty.
To do that, add 2 more fields in your query, with the text box names in them.
- [forms]![Menu].[txtStart]
- [forms]![Menu].[txtEnd]
Access automatically adds a name for each field – Expr1 and Expr2
Then, in the 2nd Criteria Row (OR), type Is Null in each of the new columns.
- Don’t put the new criteria in the same row as the existing criteria, or you won’t get any results when you run the query.
Query With Prompt for Dates
If you’re not running a series of reports from an Access form, it’s easier to use parameters in your query criteria. The parameters will prompt you to enter the start and end dates, or other criteria that you want to have as variables.
So, to select old records with a query, I can put a parameter in my original query, replacing the date. The Parameter is enclosed in square brackets.
<= [Before what date?]
When the query runs, the parameter will appear in a pop up message. Type a date in the input box, and click OK, to see the results.
More Access Query Date Criteria Examples
If you don’t want to enter the entire date (that can get tiring!), use a parameter as part of a date. In the next example, the DateSerial function is used in the criteria, and the parameter prompts you for the year.
The month (1) and day (1) are hard coded – the query will select everything before January 1st of the year that you enter. Reigns: game of thrones for mac.
<DateSerial([Before what year?],1,1)
How Many Years Old?
Maybe you would rather focus on the record age, instead of a specific year. In this example, I used the DateAdd function, with year as the interval, then a minus sign, and a prompt for how old the files should be. The Date function at the end will base the calculation on the current date.
<=DateAdd(“yyyy”,-[How many years old?],Date())
When you run the query, enter a number in the input box, and the query will select records that are on or before that date – X years before the current date.
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This MSAccess tutorial explains how to create a query that accepts a start date and an end date as parameters in Access 2003 (with screenshots and step-by-step instructions).
Question: In Microsoft Access 2003/XP/2000/97, I'm trying to run a query based on a date. When the query opens, I would like some type of window prompting for the user to enter a 'start' date and an 'end' date. How can I do this?
Answer: You can create a parameter query that prompts for both a 'start' date and an 'end' date.
To do this, first create your query.
Then enter your 'start' date and 'end' date parameters. Parameters should be enclosed in square brackets as follows:
This will create a parameter called [Start Date] and a parameter called [End Date]. So that only those records from the Orders table will be returned where the OrderDate field is between these two dates.
Next, you probably want to ensure that the user enters a valid date in these two parameters. To do this, select Parameters under the Query menu.
Microsoft Query Wizard
When the Query Parameters window appears, enter the two parameters [Start Date] and [End Date], and select Date/Time as the data type. Click on the OK button.
Now, when you run the query, you will be prompted to enter the 'start' date.
Then prompted to enter the 'end' date.
Your query will then only return the records where the OrderDate is between these two values.