To start a report click on the Reports tab and click the Create report by using wizard option.
The wizard displays a number of dialogue box, the first of which asks for the Table or Query on which the report will be based and the fields it will contain. Choose the default Table cds and move the fields required on the report from the Available Fields list to the Selected Fields list.
The second screen of the wizard asks whether the report will be grouped in any way. In the example below the Artist field has been selected so the report will list the CDs under the heading of the Artist. Alternative grouping might be by Label or Category.
In the third stage of the wizard you can choose how items should be sorted within their groups - in this case the CDs will be sorted alphabetically by title in ascending order.
The Summary Options button opens another dialogue box where you can specify calculated values on numeric fields.
The next step in the wizard allows you to choose the layout for the report (experiment in your own time).
The next stage lets you choose a style for the report.
The last stage of the report lets you choose a name for the report and also gives you the options of previewing or modifying it.
Here is a small section of the output of the report, including summary information:
Further summary information is provided at the end of the report.
Note that the title of the report is what you entered at the last step of the Wizard. To include your name in a report, therefore, include it in the title.
A report can be edited in design view in the same way as a Form. Click on the Set Square icon and tweak properties like field width and layout to produce a better result than the default Access produced.
Reports can be printed and they can also be output as HTML so they could form a web page, for example to display a summary report from a company or club, or some examination results in a school.