Creating a Simple Query in Access

How to make a user-friendly query in Access

This post: Creating a Simple Query in Access

What to Know
In a database, go to Create and select Query Wizard. Choose a query type, such as Simple Query Wizard, and select OK.
Select an appropriate table from the pull-down menu and choose the fields to appear in the query results. Select Next.
Choose the type of results you want and select Next. Add a title and select Finish.

This article explains how to create a simple query in Microsoft Access. The instructions apply to Access for Microsoft 365, Access 2019, Access 2016, and Access 2013.

Create a Simple Query in Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access offers a powerful query function with an easy-to-learn interface that makes it a snap to extract exactly the information you need from your database.

The goal in this example tutorial is to create a query listing the names of all of our company’s products, our desired target inventory levels and the list price for each item. Using the Query Wizard simplifies the process.

If you haven’t already installed the Northwind sample database, be sure to do so before proceeding. Open that database or another database you want to use.

Select the Create tab.

Select Query Wizard in the Queries group. The New Query window will open.

The alternative is to use the Query Design view, which facilitates the creation of more sophisticated queries but is more complicated to use.

Select a query type. For our purposes, we will use the Simple Query Wizard. Choose OK to continue.

Select the appropriate table from the pull-down menu. These are the valid data sources for your new query. In this example, we want to first select the Products table which contains information about the products we keep in our inventory.

Choose the fields you wish to appear in the query results. You can do this by double-clicking them or by selecting the field name and then on the > icon. As you do this, the fields will move from the Available Fields listing to the Selected Fields listing. In this example, we want to select the Product Name, List Price, and Target Level from the Product table.

Notice that there are three other icons offered. The >> icon will select all available fields. The < icon allows you to remove the highlighted field from the Selected Fields list while the << icon removes all selected fields.

Repeat steps 5 and 6 to add information from additional tables, as desired. In our example, we’re pulling information from a single table.

You can combine information from multiple tables and easily show relationships. All you have to do is select the fields. This works because the Northwind database has predefined relationships between tables. If you’re creating a new database, you’ll need to establish these relationships yourself.

When you’re finished adding fields to your query, select Next to continue.

Choose the type of results you would like to produce. We want to produce a full listing of products and their suppliers, so select the Detail option here and choose the Next button to continue.

Give your query a title. Select something descriptive that will help you recognize this query later. We’ll call this query Product Supplier Listing.

Select Finish. You’ll be presented with the query results shown in the illustration above. It contains a list of our company products, desired target inventory levels, and list prices. Notice that the tab presenting the results contains the name of your query.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created your first query using Microsoft Access! Now you’re armed with a powerful tool to apply to your database needs.

If you use an earlier version of Access, there are instructions for creating queries using Access 2010 as well as older versions of Access.

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