Easy way to save access reports data?

  • Thread starter Thread starter juvi
  • Start date Start date
J

juvi

Hello,

I have got a report with a massive datasource from a lot of tables. My
trouble is now that I want to save the output / report that is shown as a
version into the database (not as output file like pdf or snapshot)....is
there an easy way to make revisioning of the report that I can open easily as
report again?? thx in advance.

BR,
juvi
 
Usually, in an Access database, you'd use a query to collect that "massive
datasource".

Rather than attempting to store/save that datasource, why not just run the
same query?

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP
 
thx for reply....unfortunately the data (like product name) can change after
some years and we want to be able to open the quotation (the report) with
exactly the same data...so it would be nice to save the data of the whole
report somewhere in the database which can be restored as a report easily.

Hope there is a good method for this....

BR,
juvi
 
I'm still against the idea of storing data twice...

What about the idea of documenting the criteria used to generate the report
in the first place? For example, if the report is run for records between
1/1/2000 and 12/31/2000, and only for Country = "USA", couldn't you re-run
the query using the same criteria to get the same report?

"How" depends on "what", and you haven't described the underlying data yet.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP
 
an example:

Let's say we have only these tables:

tbl_customers (is updated daily from a main database)
tbl_materials (is updated daily from a main database)

now let's say that the quotation is splitted and saved into these tables:

tbl_quotation (for storing the head fields of the quotation)
tbl_quotation_materials (for storing the material positions to a quotation)

now I make a new quotation on 2009-10-06 and save it.....if I would open the
quotation as a report again all data would be fine for today.......but if for
example the material name or description would change on 2009-10-07, then
this would be also updated in my quotation for that I am liable.....this is a
big problem if the customer has already a printed quotation and if there are
differences (also in the eye of the public accountant)

hope this describes my problem clear....

BR,
juvi
 
Sorry, perhaps I'm just under-caffeinated today. I'm still not seeing a
description of the contents of the tables, just their names.

How you extract data via a query depends on what data is there to be
extracted.

And if your table ONLY has a "current list of materials", then I can see why
you wouldn't be able to get your historical reports... but another approach
is to keep a history of materials, with from/to dates to show when the
specific material/item was valid. With that, you COULD reconstruct the
query.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP
 
.... part two, just in case.

If there's no way you can reconstruct a history/list, another approach might
be to export the finished report(s) as PDF files. That way, you have a
file/image of what was in the report. Not the data, to be sure, but most
reports have already done some pre-processing of the raw data for display
purposes, so there's no guarantee your report's "data" is the same as the
original underlying data.

Good luck!

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Access MVP
 
For my purposes I am content to make a snapshot of the report and file it in
an archive as a PDF. Storing the actual data in the same db can really cause
a lot of issues with space requirements, etc.

There was one project that I did where I wanted not only a snapshot of the
report, but also the data itself stored. I settled for writing the results
of the underlying query to a text file that is archived with the PDF that
will always be identical to what your customer has.

It takes a little bit to set it up, but is a nice security if you always
want to know the data pulled for, say, a quote. Use OutputTo or TransferText
(I forget which method... I think when I did I used the standard File IO
functions), and you have a non-db bloating method for storing the data that
you will in reality rarely ever have to go back to.


--
Jack Leach
www.tristatemachine.com

"I haven''t failed, I''ve found ten thousand ways that don''t work."
-Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
 
Hi,
Jeff is correct the easiest way to get the exact report again is to save
it as a PDF. If you need that level of exactness.

The other option is ... but first

I do have to question your statement that the part name/Description could
change - how much of a change would determine what needst to be done. If you
are saying a part change from "a brass screw" to a Zinc screw" you should
have a new part number. And it is disturbing that a change like that could
happen with the same part number.

If it is minor changes, and for some legal reason you need the exact
wording from before (zinc pl screw - zinc platted screw) then you could do
the same thing you would do with a cost - have another field in a table
other than the the parts table.


So the option besides a PDF is to make a copy of everything you have to
have the same. The cost of course needs to be put into the Quote materials,
and if you really need the description then it should also be put into there.
That is the least cumbersome.

But you can go further - for example if you absolutly have to have the same
customer address (and of course that can change also) then you could make
tables that would have all the informtion for the report - the tables would
be basically historical data the either you use a date stamp for particluar
report or ID each report and have the links to the information.

Well that is a start but you need to decide how far you want to go.
 
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