Reports are where your database data becomes actionable information — invoices for customers, summaries for management, and compliance documents for auditors. Access provides a full report design environment without requiring separate reporting software.

Create a Report with the Wizard

1. Select a table or query as the data source.
2. Create → Report Wizard.
3. Choose fields to include on the report.
4. Add grouping levels (e.g., group invoices by customer).
5. Select sort order and layout (stepped, block, or outline).
6. Name the report (e.g., rptCustomerInvoices) and preview.

Grouping and Summaries

Group headers and footers let you organize data hierarchically. For a sales report grouped by region:

• Report Header: company logo and report title.
• Group Header (Region): region name with bold formatting.
• Detail: individual sale records.
• Group Footer (Region): =Sum([SaleAmount]) for regional subtotals.
• Report Footer: =Sum([SaleAmount]) for grand total.

Subreports

Embed a subreport within a main report to show related detail. Example: a customer report (main) with an order history subreport linked on CustomerID. Insert via Design View → Design tab → Subform/Subreport control.

Calculated Fields

Add unbound text boxes with expressions for on-the-fly calculations:

• Line total: =[Quantity] * [UnitPrice]
• Tax amount: =[Subtotal] * 0.0825
• Running balance: use Running Sum property set to 'Over All'
• Conditional formatting: highlight overdue amounts in red

Export and Distribute

• PDF: External Data → PDF or OutputTo acFormatPDF in VBA.
• Excel: External Data → Excel for further analysis.
• Email: DoCmd.SendObject or automate with a scheduled macro.

For hands-free report generation, see our guide on automating reports in MS Access.