Setting Field Properties for Numbers

[Tim Hardison]

I have had a great deal of difficulty dealing with numbers in access. I was recently entering flexibility numbers of students ie 9.0, 11.5, 4.5, 8.0. I was entering it as text initially, but I had to average these for right and left leg to a single value. I went back and reset data type to number, and set the set the properties to long integer, fixed, with one decimal space. I did a caluculated field in an query to calculate the average. In beginning to enter data again for a new school this am, I noticed that I had 500 kids whose flexibility values had changed, all rounded off to a whole number, with a .0 following all numbers. Could anyone explain how I need to set field properties so I can keep the .5's for accuracy, average the right and left leg, and still be able to sort the numbers Z to A accurately. Many times in the past I have to put a placeholder 0 in front of numbers so they will sort accurately. I am tired of having to renter data, because my settings were wrong, and Access has automatically rounded off.

[RuralGuy]

Integers (long or short) are whole numbers only. You need to use a DataType that supports a decimal. If 4 places is adequate I prefer the Currency DataType. If not then you will need to use one of the floating point types (Single or Double).