As mentioned, you may find it easier to read and edit records in a form than in a large table containing other records. One way to locate records you want to view or edit is to use the various buttons in the navigation bar, such as the Previous Record button, the Next Record button and so on. (Refer to the preceding section for help using these buttons.) This method can become time-consuming, however, if the form contains many records. An easier approach is to search for the record using Access s search functionality, also accessible from the navigation bar.

Note: If the form is not visible in the Navigation pane, click the along the top of the pane, choose Object Type and locate the desired form under the Forms heading.

Type a keyword that relates to the record you want to find (here, a person s last name).

Sorting enables you to arrange your database records in a logical order to match any criteria that you specify. For example, with a contacts database, you might sort the records alphabetically or based on the post (or ZIP) code. You can sort in ascending order or descending order. For example, if you are sorting alphabetically, you can sort from A to Z (ascending) or from Z to A (descending). You can sort records in a table or you can use a form to sort records. In this section, you learn how to do both.

Position your mouse pointer over the column header for the field by which you want to sort (the mouse pointer changes to ) and click. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon. Click a sort button. Click Ascending to sort the records in ascending order. Click Descending to sort the records in descending order. Access sorts the table records based on the field you choose.

This example sorts the records alphabetically by last name in ascending order. In the prompt box that appears when you close the table, you can click Yes to make the sort permanent or No to leave the original order intact.

Click in the field by which you want to sort. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon. Click a sort button. Click Ascending to sort the records in ascending order.

Click Descending to sort the records in descending order. Access sorts the table records based on the field you choose.

This example sorts the records alphabetically by last name in ascending order. You can use the navigation buttons to view the sorted records.

If you perform a sort on a field for which some records are missing data, those records are included in the sort. Records with empty fields are sorted first when you perform an ascending sort and last with a descending sort.

To remove a sort order, click the Remove Sort button in the Sort & Filter group on the Home tab.This returns the table to its original sort order.You can also use this technique to remove a sort from a query or report. (Queries and reports are covered later in this chapter.)

You can use an Access filter to view only records that meet criteria you set. For example, you may want to view all clients buying a particular product, anyone in a contacts database who has a birthday in June or all products within a particular category. You can also filter by exclusion that is, filter out records that do not contain the search criteria that you specify. You can apply a simple filter on one field in your database using the Selection tool or you can filter several fields using the Filter by Form command.