Queries

[gwboolean]

I am not well versed, yet, in using SQL queries, but am able to setup and use some basic queries. My problem is this. I am running Access from Visual Basic and I use queries in the datasets that are built in VB for the tables I am using from Access. What I want to do is filter a table based on the first 5 characters in a field. I have a variable that contains the characters I want to filter on. I have been looking through a lot of SQL query information but have, to date, been unable to find what I need. Can anyone here assist me with this?

[June7]

If you want to use a dynamic parameterized query and filter on a text field, try LIKE with wildcard. Review http://datapigtechnologies.com/flash...tomfilter.html

I never use them and prefer http://www.allenbrowne.com/ser-62.html

[gwboolean]

It appears to me, June7, that you are telling me that the fact that I am wanting to filter on the first 5 characters, of a 9 character field is done simply by querying with those 5 characters that I input with a wildcard added to take into account the rest of the field. Anyway, that is what I get out of it. Thanks. I have not looked at your #2 approach yet, but will shortly. By the way, your first approach made me realize how to do something I had forgotten how to do, and that is how to show more than one field in a combobox and how to define which is the value item. Now I intend to figure out if I can do the same thing with VB.

[June7]

Your criteria input would be just the 5 characters. The wildcard is in the query design.

SELECT * FROM table WHERE [field name] LIKE [input 5 characters] & "*";

[gwboolean]

That is what I was trying to say. Obviously very poorly. When I first started to consider this I was thinking that I had to account for the fact that the field has 9 characters. Actually though, I can now see that by using the wildcard I do account for the fact that the field has 9 characters. Cool to know the answer is fairly easy........ this time.

[June7]

LIKE operator and wildcard works only for text type fields.