Filtering by Form

If you are filtering records in a datasheet and want more flexibility than Filter by Selection, use the Filter by Form command. Filter by Form allows you to apply multiple criteria when filtering records. You can select criteria from a drop-down list for each field or type the criteria expression. You can specify values for multiple fields and return only records that include all the criteria, or you can specify different values for the same field, and return all records that meet any of the criteria.

To use Filter by Form:

1. Open the table or query in Datasheet View.
2. Click the Filter by Form toolbar button to switch to the Filter by Form window.
3. If the grid displays any filter criteria, click the Clear Grid toolbar button.
4. Click the field; then click the drop-down arrow and select the value you want to filter for.
5. If you want to show only records that meet multiple criteria, make your criteria selections for multiple fields; then click the Apply Filter button.
6. Click the Remove Filter button to show all the records again.

When filtering for numerical or date values, use expressions like > (greater than) and < (less than), rather than looking for specific values.

Filter for records that meet any one of multiple criteria by using the OR tabs at the bottom of the window.

1. Select the value for the first field.
2. Click the OR tab.
3. Select the value for the second field (or a second value for the first field).
4. Click Apply Filter to see all the records that meet the first criteria OR the second criteria.

Instead of using the OR tabs to specify different values for the same field, you can type the values in the field box:

1. If the values are text, use quotation marks around each value. "Red" OR "White" returns all records with the value red or white in the field.
2. If the values are numbers, type them without quotation marks. 12 OR 9 returns all records with the value 12 or 9 in the field. Be sure to include the space before and after the OR.