Access 2016 - Reports & Queries

Table of Contents:

Introduction to Microsoft Access 2016 Reports & Queries
Creating Reports in Access
Adding and Formatting Report Elements
Printing and Saving Reports
Creating and Using Queries
Including Queries in Reports
Working with Calculations on Reports
Creating Mailing Labels in Access
Importing Excel Files into Access
Additional Help and Resources

Overview

This practical guide teaches how to transform raw tables into clear, print-ready reports and targeted query results using Microsoft Access 2016. Focused on hands-on, task-oriented instructions, the material walks you through report design in Design View, using queries as dynamic record sources, adding calculated fields via the Expression Builder, and preparing label-style and printable outputs. The goal is to give you repeatable techniques for producing professional reports that support decision-making, mailings, and routine administrative tasks.

What you will learn

Report design fundamentals: layout strategies, section placement (header, detail, footer), and using the Property Sheet to control formatting and behavior.
Query-driven reporting: build and reuse saved queries as report Record Sources to filter, sort, and aggregate data before presentation.
Calculated fields and aggregations: use the Expression Builder to create totals, averages, conditional expressions, and derived metrics shown directly on reports.
Label and printable output: design label-style reports for mailings and format page elements such as page numbers, headers, and footers for consistent printed materials.
Excel integration: import Excel data into Access, map columns to table fields, and validate data to avoid common import pitfalls when preparing sources for reports.

Skills and techniques highlighted

The guide emphasizes practical techniques you can apply immediately: configuring controls and data bindings with the Property Sheet, aligning and resizing fields for readable output, linking queries so reports update automatically with new criteria, and using indexes and query design tips to improve performance. It also covers validation and formatting best practices to keep imported Excel data consistent for reliable reporting.

Practical applications

Business reporting: Create sales summaries, monthly rollups, and comparative period reports by combining queries and calculated fields to surface trends.
Mailing and outreach: Produce label-formatted outputs from contact tables for campaigns, events, and member communications.
Research and analysis: Segment and summarize survey or experimental datasets using queries and present clear aggregates and subtotals on reports.
Administrative tasks: Generate invoices, rosters, and printable lists with consistent headers, footers, and pagination for distribution or recordkeeping.

Who should use this guide

Designed for beginners through intermediate users, this guide suits office professionals, small business owners, students, and anyone who manages data in Excel and wants to leverage Access for relational reporting. It prioritizes non-programmatic, design-driven methods—no advanced VBA required—so users can focus on layout, queries, and calculations rather than coding.

How to get the most from this guide

Work alongside the examples in Access 2016: recreate a simple report, swap in a saved query as the record source, then add calculated text boxes and page elements. Practice importing a small Excel file to see how data types and headers affect results. Progress incrementally—use the Expression Builder for one calculation at a time and adjust Property Sheet settings to refine appearance and behavior.

Quick FAQ

Q: Can queries be used directly as report sources? A: Yes. Assign a saved query to a report's Record Source so the report reflects filtered or aggregated results dynamically.

Q: How do I add calculations to a report? A: Insert a text box in Design View and build expressions with the Expression Builder, using functions like Sum, Avg, and Count to show totals and derived values.

Q: Is importing Excel covered? A: Yes. The guide explains the External Data import workflow and offers tips to prepare Excel worksheets for smooth mapping into Access tables.

Suggested next steps

Apply the guide by building a small project: import a sample spreadsheet, design queries to clean and segment the data, then create a summary report and a label-style output for contacts. These exercises reinforce report design, query integration, and calculation workflows so you can adopt them for real-world tasks.