Dropbox takes all the pain—and most of the brain—out of sharing files. It lets you synchronize files across all your computers at home, at work and on the road; pool files for collaboration with workmates, family or friends; create online photo galleries in an instant; and share any single file—minuscule or gargantuan—simply by sharing a URL.

Dropbox consists of a small program and two gigs of web-based storage, with more space available if you pay.

Getting started

To get started with Dropbox:

1. Download the program from the Dropbox website. It comes in Windows, Mac and Linux flavors, so you can install it on all your computers. There are also versions for the iPhone and iPad, Android, Blackberry and Kindle Fire.
2. Install the program and create your free Dropbox account by providing your name and email address and choosing a password.
3. A new folder called My Dropbox will appear within your Documents folder. Drag files you want to share or synchronize into this folder. Each file’s icon within the folder sports a checkmark to indicate it has been synchronized or a whirling arrow if it’s currently being synced.
4. If you want to synchronize files between computers, install Dropbox on the second computer and sign in with the ID and password you created in step 2.

Dropbox creates a backup of your files and folders online so you can access them via a browser from anywhere in the world.

As soon as you add another computer to Dropbox, the files you placed in My Dropbox on your first computer will start appearing on the second computer. A copy of each file in your Dropbox is also stored online—encrypted and protected by your ID and password—so you get an instant backup of those files. You’ll also be able to access them from any computer with an Internet connection. Dropbox lets you synchronize any number of computers, so repeat this process until all your computers are set up.

Smart syncing

Dropbox is smart about the way it copies files. If you modify a file on one computer, only the changes are synced to your other computers, saving on bandwidth and making for surprisingly swift updates. If you’re working on a computer which is not currently connected to the Internet, as soon as you go online its Dropbox files will be updated. Similarly, if a sync is interrupted, Dropbox will resume from where it left off when you reconnect. You can also adjust Dropbox’s bandwidth usage (right-click the Dropbox icon in the taskbar notification area and click Preferences -> Bandwidth) if you want to throttle it back.

If you want to sync some but not all of your files between your computers, use Selective Sync:

1. Right-click the Dropbox icon in the notification area and choose Preferences from the pop-up menu.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Click the Selective Sync button, check all those folders you wish to sync on your current computer. (Click ‘Switch to Advanced View’ if you want to select individual sub-folders.)
4. Click Update then OK.

Dropbox keeps track of older versions of your documents for 30 days, allowing you to resurrect them if needed. You can remove the 30-day limitation by buying the Packrat add-on or by upgrading to a paid account.

Sharing files

Dropbox offers several ways to share files with others.

To share a single file with others, drag it into the pre-configured Public folder within My Dropbox. Any file you place in the Public folder is automatically assigned a URL (web address). Right-click the file and select Dropbox -> Copy Public Link to copy the URL to the clipboard. You can then paste that link into an email, a text message or a browser and the recipient will be able to view or download that file—and only that file—from your online Dropbox.

Dropbox also lets you share the contents of an entire folder with other people. This is perfect for collaborating with others or as a simple way to share files with far-flung friends and family. To share a folder you’ve placed in My Dropbox:

1. Right-click the folder and select Dropbox -> Share This Folder. Your web browser will open to Dropbox online.
2. Type the email addresses of the people with whom you wish to share the folder in the box provided.
3. Add a message to explain what you’re doing—a good idea because each person with whom you share a folder will need to sign up for a Dropbox account if they don’t already have one.
4. Click Share Folder.

When someone accepts your invitation and installs Dropbox, the folder you’ve shared will automatically appear in their Dropbox. Any change either of you makes to the contents of that folder will be synchronized between your computers.

One final way of sharing files is to drag a folder full of photos into My Dropbox. When you do so, Dropbox instantly creates an online photo album with the folder’s name. You can share this album with others by sharing its URL.

Dropbox on your idevice

Because of Dropbox’s popularity, hundreds of other software and web service developers have integrated it into their products. Nowhere is this more evident than on the iPhone and iPad, where dozens upon dozens of apps use Dropbox sync to beef up their features.

The iPhone and the iPad are both remarkably accomplished little computers, with one serious flaw: they’re woeful when it comes to file management. So what do you do if you want to share files between your computer and iPhone or iPad? There are a number of options, but Dropbox is by far the most efficient.

Dropbox integrates with iPhone/iPad apps so you can open and edit your files in those apps.

Head into the App Store, search for Dropbox, install the app and then sign in using your Dropbox account. Voilà! All the files in your Dropbox are instantly available. Note that, unlike when you sync files between your computers, the Dropbox files are not stored on your iPhone or iPad—you’d quickly run out of space if things worked that way. Instead, you can see a listing of all your shared files and folders, open a chosen file and, if needed, save or open that file using one of your installed apps.

Dropbox integrates with well over 200 iOS apps. Some notable apps with built-in Dropbox support are QuickOffice, Documents to Go and Office² (Microsoft Office document editors), the PlainText editor, Tap Forms database, Genius Scan document scanning, Boxytunes audio player, QuickShot (take a photo and have it automatically saved to your Dropbox), and iFiles (general file management).

Some of these apps register themselves with the Dropbox app, so you can open a document in Dropbox, then tap the Action button and choose Open With… and choose from a list of registered apps in which to open the document. For example, if you have a Microsoft Word document in your Dropbox, you can use the Open With option in Dropbox to open it in, say, QuickOffice, for editing.

Other apps let you log into your Dropbox account and thus use Dropbox as a remote or local file storage resource.

Windows 8 is not for everyone. Should you upgrade, or should you stick with Windows 7? Here are 10 reasons to stay with 7, 10 reasons to take the leap to 8.

Ten reasons to avoid Windows 8

1. The learning curve. Windows 8 is an entirely new experience. There’s no gentle learning curve, so you’ll need to spend time becoming acquainted.
2. Bugs. The usual advice is ‘never buy version 1.0 of an operating system’ and for good reason. New operating systems get their most thorough testing after they’re released to the general public, so early adopters are the crash test dummies for the system.
3. Schizophrenia. Windows 8 is not one operating system but two cobbled together. The new tiles and the old desktop are distinctly different and nowhere is this more evident than when you use Windows 8 on a tablet or other touch-enabled device. There’s a reason why Windows 8 comes with two versions of Internet Explorer: because the operating itself has a split personality.
4. Touch. Touch on a tablet is a joy; Touch on a desktop is a nightmare. Many reviewers of Windows 8 have observed that you can get used to touch on a desktop (if you have a touchscreen monitor, of course) and may even grow to like it. That may be true, but your body will never forgive you. Touch gestures on a desktop are an ergonomic catastrophe.
5. Dumb apps. Apps are not full-blown programs. They’re designed to be downloadable, quickly installable, quick to develop. They’re no match for desktop heavyweight applications. Even the best ‘Office’ app on the iPhone, for example, provides just a fraction of the power of Microsoft Office. The same is bound to apply to apps from the Windows Store.
6. No hierarchy. The tiled interface of Windows 8 gives each program the same priority and even insignificant apps get to hog screen space. Folder hierarchies are a useful, compact way to organize files and programs.
7. Edgeless windows. Windows 8’s new look flattens everything—tiles, windows, other interface elements. It’s supposed to look hip and modern, but it makes it hard to find the edge of a window and, within applications, hard to find the edge of menus and icons. If your eyesight is less than 20/20, you’re likely to find it harder to manipulate things on the screen without accidentally clicking neighboring items.
8. Hidden stuff. If you want to fiddle with settings and options in Windows 8, you’ll need to dig because settings are scattered between the Settings charm and various desktop windows. Controls are hidden, too—partly because the focus is on tapping and swiping. So instead of, say, an obvious Start button to click, you have to mouse around into corners and edges, or drag down or up to uncover various controls and views.
9. Cut-down RT. Windows RT, the affordable version of Windows that runs on the Surface RT and other ARM-based devices, cannot run traditional Windows programs. You’ll need to buy new apps and you won’t be able to leverage your previous Windows experience.
10. The jury is still out. All new versions of Windows attract some criticism, but the criticism of Windows 8 has been louder and more vocal than usual. That’s partly because it’s a big change from Windows 7, but it may also be because Windows 8’s schizoid nature truly is a fatal flaw. So far, retail sales have been slow. If that trend persists and the criticism, too, Windows 8 may have a short life span.

Ten reasons to dump Windows 7

1. Speed. Windows 8 boots around twice as fast as Windows 7. It’s faster multi-tasking, faster to close down, and provides a faster response all round.
2. Synchronization. Via your Microsoft account, you can sync not only files and data but also your settings across different computers and devices. SkyDrive, which is integrated into the operating system, is central to this synchronization, while also providing central storage for all your apps.
3. Sociability. Windows 8 is socially savvy, with support for Facebook, Twitter, Skype and a variety of other social apps threaded through the operating system.
4. Touch. There’s no doubt that on a portable device, touch is a far more intuitive way to interact than via mouse and keyboard.
5. Security. Windows 8 is Microsoft’ most secure operating system to date and that security applies to both the operating system and to the built-in web browser, Internet Explorer 10. Features such as Secure Boot, Trusted Boot and built-in anti-virus software make for a safer operating environment than Windows 7.
6. Live data. Windows 7 is a passive operating system; Windows 8 is active. Its tiles are live, displaying email, appointments, news, weather, tweets, Facebook posts and so on in a lively stream.
7. Easy recovery. Push Button Reset lets you create a fresh install of Windows 8 at the press of a button, with the option to wipe secure data prior to the install—perfect for when you’re going to sell or donate your computer. Then there’s Refresh: a simple way to reinstall Windows while keeping your personal files and data and apps (although you’ll need to reinstall traditional applications).
8. Miserliness. Windows 8 requires less power, provides longer battery life and is available, in its RT form, on cheap hardware. For a remarkably small outlay, you can get yourself a Windows 8 tablet and run a cut-down version of Microsoft Office.
9. Apps. Although the Windows Store is underdeveloped right now, if Windows 8 becomes popular expect to see lots of app development, with cool utilities, games, productivity apps and other software available in the Store and only in the Store.
10. The little things. As with every Microsoft operating system update, Windows 8 sports hundreds of small, under-the-surface improvements that don’t get talked about a lot but make computing life easier and richer. Some of those improvements are simplified printing, better search, smarter copying and moving of files, a standardized ribbon interface in core programs, and support for modern technologies such as USB 3.0.

“According to the decision by the Commission on Islamic, Cultural and High Education, all music programs must be banned and be replaced by the Islamic subjects at AFCECO orphanages.”

AFCECO, the Afghan Child Education & Care Organization, is a wonderful organization. Founded and run by Afghans, it educates boys and girls in an environment of equality and respect. It is raising a new generation of Afghan community leaders – all those of us who have met some of them know this to be true – and this is how the government treats them.

This edict by parliament is the latest in a series of attacks by a small, but clearly influential group. Last year, they raided AFCECO’s New Learning Center, stating that it was a house of prostitution. The armed men accompanying the woman who lead this assault ended up looking very sheepish when they saw the great work going on within.

Everything’s strength is its ability to find any file on your computer.

Windows Search has gradually improved with each successive version of the operating system. In Windows 7, search is central to how the file system works and you’ll find search boxes in the Start Menu and every folder window.

Although search in Windows 7 is pretty good, it’s geared towards finding documents. So if you’re searching for a program file or a library file (.dll) or some other non-document file, it’s not much help. Windows Search also searches file contents as well as filenames. This is a great feature, but it makes searching considerably slower.

So, what do you do if you want to find a particular file, no matter what its type, really quickly? Try Everything.

Everything is a freeware utility which lets you do lightning fast searches by file or folder name. You can grab a copy from this month’s cover disc or from voidtools.com. It’ll work on all versions of Windows from Windows 2000 and XP onwards, but it only searches volumes formatted with NTFS – the default file system on Windows 7. Everything searches both internal drives and external USB drives.

When you first launch Everything, it will index every file and folder on your hard drive(s), but because it indexes only the names and not the contents, this process is fast. The very first time Everything loads, it may take half a minute to build its index, but from then on, there’s barely any delay for updating the index. You’ll probably find it best to run Everything whenever you start your system, by clicking Tools -> Options -> “Start Everything on system startup”.

Everything has a no-frills look to it. There’s a search box at the top with menus above and then a barebones filelist. What you’ll notice about that file list is that it contains all your files, probably running to a million or so on a typical Windows 7 system.

To find any file in that mammoth list, simply start typing a part of a filename in the search box. The list is instantly winnowed to display only the matching files.

Simple searches

When you type a partial filename in the search box, Everything searches for matching character strings anywhere within a filename. So a search for “stron” will uncover both a file called Strontium properties.htm and a folder called Astronomy Photos. With each character you type, non-matching files are weeded out almost instantaneously, so your search narrows quickly.

Everything performs a Boolean and search by default. This means the more words you type, the narrower the search. For example, a search for budget will find any filename containing that word; a search for budget 2011 will find only those files containing both ‘budget’ and ‘2011’. If you wish to find filenames that contain either ‘budget’ or ‘2011’ (a Boolean or search), use the pipe character – | – to separate the search terms, thus: budget | 2011. To find filenames which include the word ‘budget’ but do not include the word ‘2011’ place an exclamation mark before the latter term: budget !2011

You can also use the wildcard characters * and ? in your searches. The * matches any string of characters of any length; the ? character matches any single character. So *.doc will locate all Microsoft Word documents, while b????.doc will locate all Word documents with a five-character filename starting with ‘b’. Note that the ? character must be matched by a character. So *.doc? finds all files with a four-character file extension, such as Budget 2011.docx, but it will not find Budget 2011.doc. Similarly, b??????.* finds all files with a seven-character filename, even if that filename contains a space, such as Bar Fly.htm . The space is counted as a valid character within a filename. If you want to include a space in your search without using the wildcard ? character, enclose your search term in double quotes: “bar fly”.

Taking Everything further

Everything also lets you search using regular expressions, or regex. Regular expressions provide a lot of flexibility and power. We’ll look at how to use them in a future article, not only because they extend Everything’s power, but also because you can use regular expressions in a number of other programs, including Microsoft Word.

Also coming up: a nifty technique which lets you sidestep the annoying UAC (User Account Control) prompt displayed by Everything.

If the title of this tutorial sounds a little intimidating, never fear. Toss the term ‘parameter query’ around at a party and you may get a few gasps of admiration, but understanding and using this highly useful type of query is no big deal.

A parameter query is interactive – it prompts the user for information when it’s run. You can use a parameter query to ask the user for criteria for retrieving records or for a particular value to insert in a field. This makes parameter queries great for generating dynamic, on-the-fly results.

If you think of the queries we’ve examined in earlier articles in this series, while the data may change, the query itself is static:

• Which countries have a population over 20 million and an area of over 2 million square kilometres?
• Which country has the smallest population density?

With parameter queries, both the data and the queries may change over time:

• Which countries have a population between x and y?
• Which countries joined the United Nations in the nth decade of 2000?

You obtain the values for those variables – x, y and n – by asking the user to supply them each time the query is run.

Creating a parameter query

Let’s take a look at some parameter queries in action, using Microsoft Access, which provides tools that let us do this job easily. We’ll use the Countries database we’ve used previously (you’ll find a download link at the bottom of this page) and start by creating a non-parameter query to answer the question “Which countries have a population greater than one hundred million?” We’ll then transform that query into a parameter query and contrast the results.

Here goes:

1. Open the Countries database in Access.
2. In the main Database Window, click Queries in the Objects list.
3. Double-click Create Query In Design View to open the Query window and Show Table box.
4. Select the Countries table to add it to the Query window, click Add, and then click Close.
5. Click Name in the list of fields, hold down the Ctrl key and click Population. Drag the two fields to the left-hand column in the query design grid to add the fields to the query.
6. In the Population column in the grid, type:

>100000000

in the Criteria row.

7. Click the Run button (it has an exclamation mark on it) to run the query. You should see 11 countries listed, each with a population greater than 100 million.

That’s our simple, non-parameter query, which we created by providing a constant (100 million) as the matching criteria. Now let’s change it into a more flexible parameter query, which uses variables provided by the user instead of a constant.

1. Click the View button (it’s the left-most button on the toolbar) to return to Design View, so we can modify the query.
2. Delete the contents of the Criteria cell in the Population column and replace it with:

>[Show countries with a population over:]

You may need to resize the column (by dragging the right edge of the column header to the right) so you can see the entire contents.

3. Click the Run button. You’ll be presented with a dialog box containing the prompt, “Show countries with a population over:” Fill in any value you like and click OK to see the results.
4. Save this query by clicking the Save button and naming it Population over x.

Parameter tips

Neat, huh? Let’s examine the query to see how we did this.

The criteria consists of the greater than operator (>) followed by the prompt we wish to use enclosed in square brackets:

>[Show countries with a population over:]

That’s simple enough, but there are two important things to keep in mind when you create your parameter prompts. First, be succinct. Access lops the prompt off at 37 characters, so if you are verbose you’ll end up with shabby-looking, truncated prompts.

Second, be as clear as possible. Although you want to be succinct, don’t become cryptic. For instance, you could just as easily use the criteria:

>[Pop greater than:]

or even

>[Pop?]

Those will work, but if someone else tries to use your database or you use the query only occasionally, a more informative prompt will avoid confusion and ensure the correct input.

Obtaining a range

Your parameter queries are not restricted to a single prompt. You can use them to find a range of values or obtain multiple criteria.

Here’s a query which answers the question, “Which countries have a population between x and y?” by prompting for a lower and an upper value:

1. If you still have the results of the Population over X query open, click the View button to return to Design View. If you closed the query after saving it, highlight it in the Queries list and click Design to open it in Design View.

2. In the Criteria cell of the Population column, add:

AND <[and a population under:]

The full criterion should now read:

>[Show countries with a population over:] AND <[and a population under:]

3. Run the query and you’ll be prompted twice. Enter a lower limit in the first dialog and an upper limit in the second, then click OK to see the results.

4. From the File Menu choose Save As and name the query Population Range. By saving the query, you’ll be able to run it repeatedly, supplying different values each time.

This range query is similar to queries we’ve explored before, using two comparison operators (> and <) and the logical operator AND, but instead of using constant values, it substitutes two parameters obtained via dialogs.

A range example using dates

Let’s try one more range parameter query, this time using dates. This one will answer questions such as “Which countries joined the United Nations in the nth decade of 2000?”

1. Create a new query in Design View.
2. Select the Countries table and click Add to add it to the query, then close the Show Tables dialog.
3. Drag the fields Name and JoinedUN onto the query grid.
4. In the Criteria cell of the JoinedUN column, type:

>[Joined UN after what date:] And <[and before what date:]

5. Run this query and respond to the prompts by typing dates in the format dd/mm/yyyy. To view all countries that joined the United Nations during the nineties, for instance, enter the values 31/12/1989 and 1/1/2001. If you use mm/dd format instead of dd/mm format for dates, you’ll want to make that first value 12/31/1989, of course.
6. Save this query and name it Date Range.

You can, of course, use other operators (<>, =, <= and so on) and logical expressions (OR, NOT) in range queries.

Multiple values

As well as matching a range of values in a single field, you can use parameter queries to match values in more than one field.

Let’s modify the Date Range query to let us not only specify a date range, but also limit the answer to countries over a certain population.

1. Open the Date Range query in Design View.
2. Drag the Population field from the field list onto the query design grid to the right of the JoinedUN field. Our query now contains three fields – Name, JoinedUN and Population.
3. In the Criteria cell of the Population column, type:

>[and has a population over:]

4. Run the query.

You’ll be presented with three prompts, asking for lower and upper dates and then a lower population limit. Note that this query in essence uses the AND logical operator to extend the query, so it’s the equivalent of: Show me countries that joined the UN between date x AND date y AND which have a population over n.

Running a parameter query: A parameter query prompts the user for one or more criteria. In this example, the user specifies a population range and the query returns all matching records.

Avoiding endless dialogs

Try experimenting with parameter queries on your own. You’ll find they add enormous flexibility to the types of information you can wheedle out of your database. A tourist bureau, for example, can use them to provide information to the public on local events occurring this week. A small business can find all those customers who placed orders over a specific amount in the previous quarter. You’re sure to come up with instances where you can use them with your own data.

The only drawback with these queries is that you can end up peppering your users with endless, rather unattractive prompt boxes as you try to collect all the necessary parameters.

There’s good news. With a little fast footwork, you can avoid these dialogs and replace them with a single, good-looking dialog of your own design. I’ll show you how in the next article in this series.

In the previous tutorial we used Query By Example (QBE) on a database of countries to answer questions such as ‘Which countries are members of the UN Security Council?’ and ‘Which countries have a population over 20 million and an area over 2 million square kilometres?’ These are simple queries which we created using QBE and basic operators such as > (greater than).

It’s possible to ask more complex questions, such as:

• Which country joined the UN most recently?
• Which countries are in the top 5% in terms of area?
• Which five countries have the lowest population density?

The way you tackle these queries depends on which database program you use. I’ll be using Microsoft Access in the examples, as it has querying tools that leave most other PC databases in the shade. You can download a sample copy of the database to try this out for yourself.

Comparative queries

The simple queries we explored last time did nothing more than find a matching value (Name=Namibia), or compare a value in a field to a constant (Population<=20000000).

We can take this a step further and run queries that will compare one piece of data against the rest of the data in the table. These are real bread-and-butter queries. For instance, in a sales database, you might want the answers to questions such as: Which region had the lowest sales for the quarter? Who are our five best salespeople? Which salespeople performed better this quarter than last?

To ask these types of questions, you need to use something a little more sophisticated than QBE. In Access, you use the Query Designer.

Using Access’s Query Designer

Let’s start with the question, Which country joined the UN most recently? Here’s how to get the answer:

1. Open the Countries database in Access.
2. In the main Database Window, click Queries in the Objects list.
3. Double-click Create Query In Design View. A Query window opens together with a Show Table box containing all the tables in our database.
4. Select the Countries table, click Add, and then click Close. This adds the Countries database to the Query window, so we can work with it.
5. Click Name in the list of fields and then hold down the Ctrl key and click JoinedUN (you may need to scroll to see it). Drag the two fields to the left-hand column in the query design grid. The two fields will appear side by side in the grid. The top row in the grid shows the field name; the second row shows which table the field belongs to (we’ll get into multi-table queries at a later date); the third row lets you specify a sort order for the results; the fourth row (Show) specifies whether you want the contents of this field displayed in the results; the fifth and sixth rows specify criteria for selecting records.
6. In the JoinedUN column on the grid, click in the Sort row and, from the drop-down box, select Descending. This tells Access we want the table sorted with the most recent records (those with the’largest’ dates) first.
7. In the toolbar, beside the Sigma button you’ll see an empty drop-down box. This is the Top Values button. Type 1 in this box. We’re looking for the ‘top date’, so to speak – the most recent date in the JoinedUN field – so we want the top, single value.
8. Run the query by clicking the Run button (it has an exclamation mark on it). You’ll see the result is Tuvalu, which joined the UN on the 5th September, 2000.

geekgirl:geopolitical update

In fact, if you run this query on the updated version of the Countries database I now have online, you’ll find the answer is not Tuvalu, but South Sudan. East Timor, Switzerland, Montenegro and South Sudan have all joined the United Nations since I first wrote this article. While I’ve left the article text the same, I have updated the database to reflect these recent additions to the United Nations family (I haven’t had a chance to update the population figures, alas).

These changes show how useful database queries can be: Provided the data in your database is accurate and up to date, you can use a query you created years ago on your current data and get an accurate and up-to-date result.

Saving and re-running queries

Click the Close box on the Query window. You’ll be asked whether you want to save the query. Click Yes, name the query Most Recent Member and click OK.

Why should you save a query? After all, you already know the answer to your question is Tuvalu. But then, the answer won’t always be Tuvalu. Say Switzerland decides to join the UN this year, or a new country emerges from one of the bubbling spots on the globe and becomes a new member? (See the Geopolitical Update above.)

By saving the query, you can re-run it at any time and find the up-to-date answer to your question. This may seem a fairly trivial operation with our simple example, but when you’re creating complex queries or, more importantly, when your data changes regularly, saved queries eliminate a lot of work.

To use your saved query, simply double-click it in the Queries list.

Query types

The Most Recent Member query you created is called a Select query. Access lets you create five different types of query:

Select queries. Used to retrieve data from one or more tables and display the results in a datasheet, which you can save or modify. You can also use Select queries to group records and calculate sums, averages and so on.

Parameter queries. For creating on-the-fly queries which prompt the user for criteria at the time the query is run. For example, you can create a parameter query that answers the question: Which countries have a population greater than X and less than Y? Each time you run the query, it will prompt you for the values of X and Y. Thus you can use the same query repeatedly to discover different information.

Crosstab queries. Used to summarise data from one field and group it in tabular fashion according to two criteria.

Action queries. Queries that make changes to the records in a table. There are four type of action queries: Delete queries remove records from a table; Update queries make global changes to a group of records in a table; Append queries add records from one or more tables to the end or one or more tables; Make-table queries create a new table from all or part of the data in an existing table.

SQL queries. A query created using SQL, which is a highly advanced querying language. SQL queries give you enormous flexibility, but require a high degree of expertise to use effectively.

A select query example

Let’s quickly run through a second select query, answering the question: Which countries are in the top 5% in terms of area?

1. Double-click Create Query In Design View.
2. Select the Countries table, click Add, and then click Close.
3. Click Name in the list of fields, Ctrl-click Area, and drag the two fields to the grid.
4. In the Area column, choose Descending from the Sort drop-down box.
5. In the Top Values box on the toolbar, type 5% (or select it from the drop-down list).
6. Click Run to execute the query.

Calculated fields

How about the question: Which five countries have the lowest population density? We don’t have a Population Density field in our table, so how can we calculate it?

We do it by creating a new field which becomes part of our results (note, though, that the field does not become part of the existing table structure). Here’s how:

1. Double-click Create Query In Design View.
2. Select the Countries table, click Add, and then click Close.
3. Drag the Name and Population fields onto the grid.
4. In the top row of the empty third column on the grid, type:

PopDensity: population/area

and press Enter. We’re creating a new column (PopDensity) whose values will be calculated by dividing each country’s population by its area. By the way, if you can’t see the entire contents of this column, drag the right-hand edge of the column header to the right to resize it.

5. In the Top Values box on the toolbar, type 5.
6. Click the Totals button (it has the Sigma sign on it). A new Totals row appears in the grid.
7. In the PopDensity column choose Ascending from the Sort box.
8. Click Run to execute the query.

The results show the names, population and population density for the world’s least populated countries.

This Select query in Access finds the five most sparsely populated countries in the world using a calculated field, PopDen

An action query

Let’s finish up by converting that last query into an action query. This query doesn’t merely provide us with the results; it saves them in a new table which includes a PopDensity field in its structure. The original table remains intact and unchanged; it’s the new results table which has the extended structure.

1. If you have the query results still showing, click the View button at the left end of the toolbar to view the query in design mode once more. If you have already closed the query, recreate it.
2. Click the down arrow on the Query Type button on the toolbar and select Make-Table Query.
3. Name the query Sparsely Populated, leave the Current Database option selected, and click OK.
4. Run the query and, when prompted, say Yes to create the new table.
5. Close the query, click Tables in the Objects panel, and you’ll see a new table called Sparsely Populated. Double-click it to see the query results in the new table. You’ll notice the new table contains five records (the most sparsely populated five countries) and three fields – Name, Population and PopDensity.