Displaying the Recordset
Click the Run button or the Datasheet View button on the Design tab to view the query’s results (see Figure 36-10).
Working with records in Datasheet view is covered in detail in Chapter 36. As you can see in that chapter, filtering, sorting, rearranging, and searching within a datasheet is quite easy. Our simple select query did not transform the data in any way, so the data shown in Figure 36-10 is completely editable. We can modify existing data, delete rows, and even add new records to this data set, if we want.
When you’re working with data in the datasheet, all the table and field properties defined at the table level are in effect. Therefore, validation rules, default values, and other properties assert themselves even though the datasheet is the result of a query.
Earlier versions of Access referred to an updatable datasheet as a Dynaset. This expression emphasized the fact that the datasheet was dynamically linked to its underlying data sources. However, this expression has fallen by the wayside because very often the data in a query’s datasheet is not updatable. For instance, transforming the data in any way, such as combining first and last names as a single field, makes the datasheet non-updatable. You’ll see data transformations later in this chapter.
At any time, clicking the Design View button on the Home tab of the Ribbon returns you to Query Design mode.