Introduction to Data Types and Field Properties

Table of Contents
OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................................................ 2
WHEN TO USE WHICH DATA TYPE ........................................................................................................... 2
BASIC TYPES ...................................................................................................................................................... 2
NUMBER............................................................................................................................................................. 3
DATA AND TIME ................................................................................................................................................ 4
YES/NO .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
OLE OBJECT ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
ADDITIONAL FIELD PROPERTIES ........................................................................................................................ 4
DATA TYPES IN RELATIONSHIPS AND JOINS ....................................................................................................... 5
REFERENCE FOR DATA TYPES .................................................................................................................. 5
ATTACHMENT .................................................................................................................................................... 5
Types of attachments that Access compresses .............................................................................................. 5
Attachment supported field properties .......................................................................................................... 6
Supported image file formats ........................................................................................................................ 6
File naming conventions ............................................................................................................................... 6
AUTONUMBER ................................................................................................................................................... 6
AutoNumber supported field properties........................................................................................................ 7
CURRENCY ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Currency supported field properties .............................................................................................................. 8
DATE/TIME ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
Date/Time supported field properties............................................................................................................ 9
HYPERLINK ...................................................................................................................................................... 12
Hyperlink supported field properties .......................................................................................................... 12
MEMO .............................................................................................................................................................. 13
Memo supported field properties ................................................................................................................ 13
NUMBER........................................................................................................................................................... 15
Number supported field properties.............................................................................................................. 15
OLE OBJECT .................................................................................................................................................... 16
OLE supported field properties ................................................................................................................... 16
TEXT ................................................................................................................................................................ 17
Text supported field properties ................................................................................................................... 17
YES/NO ............................................................................................................................................................ 18
Yes/No supported field properties .............................................................................................................. 18
SET THE FIELD SIZE .................................................................................................................................... 19
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I CHANGE THE FIELD SIZE? .......................................................................................... 19
Change the field size of a number field ...................................................................................................... 19
Change the field size of a text field ............................................................................................................. 20

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Every table is made up of fields. The properties of a field describe the characteristics and behavior of data
added to that field. A field's data type is the most important property because it determines what kind of data
the field can store. This article describes the data types and other field properties available in Microsoft
Access 2010, and includes additional information in a detailed data type reference section.
Overview
Data types can seem confusing. For example, if a field's data type is Text, it can store data that consists of
either text or numerical characters. But a field whose data type is Number can store only numerical data. So,
you have to know what properties are used with each data type. A field's data type determines many other
important field qualities, such as the following:
 Which formats can be used with the field.
 The maximum size of a field value.
 How the field can be used in expressions.
 Whether the field can be indexed.
The field's data type can be predefined, or you will select a data type depending on how you create the new
field. For example, if you create a field from the Datasheet view and:
 Use an existing field from another table, the data type is already defined in the template or in the other
table.
 Enter data in a blank column (or field), Access 2010 assigns a data type to the field based on the values
that you enter or you can assign the data type and format for the field.
 On the Modify Fields tab, in the Fields & Columns group, click Add Fields, Access 2010 displays a list
of data types that you can select from.

When to use which data type

Think of a field's data type as a set of qualities that applies to all the values that are contained in the field. For
example, values that are stored in a Text field can contain only letters, numbers, and a limited set of
punctuation characters, and a Text field can only contain a maximum of 255 characters.
Tip: Sometimes, the data in a field may appear to be one data type, but is actually another. For example, a
field may seem to contain numeric values but may actually contain text values, such as room numbers. You
can often use an expression to compare or convert values of different data types.
The following tables show you the formats available for each data type and explain the effect of the
formatting option.

Basic Types
Format Use to display

Text Short, alphanumeric values, such as a last name or a street address.

Number Numeric values, such as distances. Note that there is a separate data type for currency.

Currency Monetary values.

Yes/No Yes and No values and fields that contain only one of two values.

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Basic Types
Format Use to display

Date/Time Date and Time values for the years 100 through 9999.

Rich Text Text or combinations of text and numbers that can be formatted using color and font
controls.

Calculated Field Results of a calculation. The calculation must refer to other fields in the same table. You
would use the Expression Builder to create the calculation.

Attachment Attached images, spreadsheet files, documents, charts, and other types of supported files
to the records in your database, similar to attaching files to e-mail messages.

Hyperlink Text or combinations of text and numbers stored as text and used as a hyperlink address.

Memo Long blocks of text. A typical use of a Memo field would be a detailed product
description.

Lookup Displays either a list of values that is retrieved from a table or query, or a set of values that
you specified when you created the field. The Lookup Wizard starts and you can create a
Lookup field. The data type of a Lookup field is either Text or Number, depending on the
choices that you make in the wizard.
Note: Lookup fields have an additional set of field properties, which are located on the
Lookup tab in the Field Properties pane.

Number
Format Use to display

General Numbers without additional formatting exactly as it is stored.

Currency General monetary values.

Euro General monetary values stored in the EU format.

Fixed Numeric data.

Standard Numeric data with decimal.

Percentage Percentages.

Scientific Calculations.

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Data and Time
Format Use to display

Short Date Display the date in a short format. Depends on your regional date and time settings. For
example, 3/14/2001 for USA.

Medium Date Display the date in medium format. For example, 3-Apr-09 for USA.

Long Date Display the date in a long format. Depends on your regional date and time settings. For
example, Wednesday, March 14, 2001 for USA.

Time am/pm Display the time only using a 12 hour format that will respond to changes in the regional
date and time settings.

Medium Time Display the time followed by AM/PM.

Time 24hour Display the time only using a 24 hour format that will respond to changes in the regional
date and time settings

Yes/No
Data Type Use to display

Check Box A check box.

Yes/No Yes or No options

True/False True or False options.

On/Off On or Off options.

OLE Object
OLE objects such as Word documents (OLE: An object supporting the OLE protocol for object linking and
embedding. An OLE object from an OLE server (for example, a Windows Paint picture or a Microsoft Excel
worksheet) can be linked or embedded in a field, form, or report.).
Additional field properties
After you create a field and set its data type, you can set additional field properties. The field's data type
determines which other properties that you can set. For example, you can control the size of a Text field by
setting its Field Size property.
For Number and Currency fields, the Field Size property is especially important, because it determines the
range of field values. For example, a one-bit Number field can store only integers ranging from 0 to 255.
The Field Size property also determines how much disk space each Number field value requires. Depending
on the field size, the number can use exactly 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, or 16 bytes.

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Note: Text and Memo fields have variable field value sizes. For these data types, Field Size sets the
maximum space available for any one value.
Data types in relationships and joins
A table relationship is an association that is established between common fields (columns) in two tables. A
relationship can be one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many.
A join is a SQL operation that combines data from two sources into one record in a query recordset based on
values in a specified field that the sources have in common. A join can be an inner join, a left outer, or a right
outer join.
When you create a table relationship or add a join to a query, the fields that you connect must have the same
or compatible data types. For example, you cannot create a join between a Number field and a Text field, even
if the values in those fields match.
In a relationship or a join, fields that are set to the AutoNumber data type are compatible with fields that are
set to the Number data type if the Field Size property of the latter is Long Integer.
You cannot change the data type or the Field Size property of a field that is involved in a table relationship.
You can temporarily delete the relationship to change the Field Size property. However, if you change the
data type, you won't be able to re-create the relationship without first also changing the data type of the related
field.

Reference for data types

When you apply a data type to a field, it contains a set of properties that you can select. The following section
has information on the field properties that each data type supports.
Attachment
Purpose: Use an attachment field to attach multiple files, such as images, to a record.
Suppose that you have a job contacts database. You can use an attachment field to attach a photo of each
contact, and you can also attach one or more resumes for a contact to the same field in that record.
For some file types, Access compresses each attachment as you add it.
Types of attachments that Access compresses
When you attach any of the following file types, Access compresses the file.
 Bitmaps, such as .bmp files
 Windows Metafiles, including .emf files
 Exchangeable File Format files (.exif files)
 Icons
 Tagged Image File Format files
You can attach many kinds of files to a record. However, some file types that may pose security risks are
blocked. As a rule, you can attach any file that was created in one of the 2007 Microsoft Office system
programs. You can also attach log files (.log), text files (.text, .txt), and compressed .zip files.

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Attachment supported field properties
Property Use

Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If this
property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Required Requires that each record has at least one attachment for the field.

Supported image file formats

Access supports the following graphic file formats without the need for additional software being installed on
your computer.
 Windows Bitmap (.bmp files)
 Run Length Encoded Bitmap (.rle files)
 Device Independent Bitmap (.dib files)
 Graphics Interchange Format (.gif files)
 Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpe, .jpeg, and .jpg files)
 Exchangeable File Format (.exif files)
 Portable Network Graphics (.png files)
 Tagged Image File Format (.tif and .tiff files)
 Icon (.ico and .icon files)
 Windows Metafile (.wmf files)
 Enhanced Metafile (.emf files)
File naming conventions
The names of your attached files can contain any Unicode character supported by the NTFS file system that is
used in Microsoft Windows NT. In addition, file names must follow the following guidelines:
 Names must not exceed 255 characters, including the file name extensions.
 Names cannot contain the following characters: question marks (?), quotation marks ("), forward or
backward slashes (/ ), opening or closing brackets (< >), asterisks (*), vertical bars or pipes (|), colons (:),
or paragraph marks (¶).
AutoNumber
Purpose: Use an AutoNumber field to provide a unique value that serves no other purpose than to make each
record unique. The most common use for an AutoNumber field is as a primary key, especially when no
suitable natural key (a key that is based on a data field) is available.
An AutoNumber field value requires 4 or 16 bytes, depending on the value of its Field Size property.
Suppose that you have a table that stores contacts' information. You can use contact names as the primary key
for that table, but how do you handle two contacts with exactly the same name? Names are unsuitable natural
keys, because they are often not unique. If you use an AutoNumber field, each record is guaranteed to have a
unique identifier.
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Note: You should not use an AutoNumber field to keep a count of the records in a table. AutoNumber values
are not reused, so deleted records can result in gaps in your count. Moreover, an accurate count of records can
be easily obtained by using a Totals row in a datasheet.
AutoNumber supported field properties
Property Use
Field Size Determines the amount of space that is allocated for each value. For AutoNumber fields,
only two values are allowed:
 The Long Integer field size is used for AutoNumber fields that are not used as
replication IDs. This is the default value. You should not change this value unless you are
creating a replication ID field.
Note: Replication is not supported in databases that use a new file format, such as .accdb.
This setting makes AutoNumber fields compatible with other Long Integer Number fields
when they are used in relationships or joins. Each field value requires 4 bytes of storage.
 The Replication ID field size is used for AutoNumber fields that are used as replication
IDs in a database replica. Do not use this value unless you are working in or
implementing the design of a replicated database.
Each field value requires 16 bytes of storage.

New Values Determines whether AutoNumber field increments with each new value or uses random
numbers. Select one of the following:
 Increment: Starts with the value 1 and incrementally increases by 1 for each new record.
 Random: Starts with a random value and assigns a random value to each new record.
Values are of the Long Integer field size, and range from -2,147,483,648 to
2,147,483,647.
Format If you are using an AutoNumber field as a primary key or as a Replication ID, you should
not set this property. Otherwise, choose a number format that meets your specific needs.

Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If this
property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Indexed Specifies whether the field has an index. There are three available values:
 Yes (No duplicates): Creates a unique index on the field.
 Yes (Duplicates OK): Creates a non-unique index on the field.
 No: Removes any index on the field.
Note: Do not change this property for a field that is used in a primary key. Without a unique
index, it is possible to enter duplicate values, which can break any relationships in which the
key is a part.
Although you can create an index on a single field by setting the Indexed field property,
some kinds of indexes cannot be created in this manner. For example, you cannot create a
multi-field index by setting this property.
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AutoNumber supported field properties
Property Use
Smart Tags Attaches a smart tag to the field.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Currency
Purpose: Use to store monetary data.
Data in a Currency field is not rounded off during calculations. A Currency field is accurate to 15 digits to the
left of the decimal point and 4 digits to the right. Each Currency field value requires 8 bytes of storage.
Currency supported field properties
Property Use
Format Determines the way that the field appears when it is displayed or printed in datasheets or in
forms or reports that are bound to the field. You can use any valid number format. In most
cases, you should set the Format value to Currency.

Decimal Places Specifies the number of decimal places to use when displaying numbers.

Input Mask Displays editing characters to guide data entry. For example, an input mask might display a
dollar sign ($) at the beginning of the field.

Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If this
property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Default Value Automatically assigns the specified value to this field when a new record is added.

Validation Rule Supplies an expression that must be true whenever you add or change the value in this
field. Use in conjunction with the Validation Text property.

Validation Text Enter a message to display when a value that is entered violates the expression in the
Validation Rule property.

Required Requires that data be entered in the field.

Indexed Specifies whether the field has an index. There are three available values:
 Yes (No duplicates): Creates a unique index on the field.
 Yes (Duplicates OK): Creates a non-unique index on the field.
 No: Removes any index on the field.
Note: Do not change this property for a field that is used in a primary key.
Although you can create an index on a single field by setting the Indexed field property,
some kinds of indexes cannot be created in this manner. For example, you cannot create a
multi-field index by setting this property.

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Currency supported field properties
Property Use
Smart Tags Attaches a smart tag to the field.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Date/Time
Purpose: Use to store time-based data.
Date/Time supported field properties
Property Use
Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If
this property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Default Value Automatically assigns the specified value to this field when a new record is added.

Format Determines the way that the field appears when it is displayed or printed in datasheets,
or in forms or reports that are bound to the field. You can use a predefined format or
build your own custom format.
List of predefined formats:
 General Date: By default, if the value is a date only, no time is displayed; if the
value is a time only, no date is displayed. This setting is a combination of the Short
Date and Long Time settings.
o Examples:
 4/3/07
 05:34:00 PM
 4/3/07 05:34:00 PM
 Long Date: Same as the Long Date setting in the regional settings of Windows.
o Example: Saturday, April 3, 2007.
 Medium Date: Displays the date as dd-mmm-yyyy.
o Example: 3-Apr-2007.
 Short Date: Same as the Short Date setting in the regional settings of Windows.
o Example: 4/3/07.
o Warning: The Short Date setting assumes that dates between 1/1/00 and
12/31/29 are twenty-first century dates (that is, the years are assumed to be
2000 to 2029). Dates between 1/1/30 and 12/31/99 are assumed to be
twentieth century dates (that is, the years are assumed to be 1930 to 1999).
 Long Time: Same as the setting on the Time tab in the regional settings of
Windows.
o Example: 5:34:23 PM.

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Date/Time supported field properties
Property Use
 Medium Time: Displays the time as hours and minutes separated by the time
separator character, followed by an AM/PM indicator.
o Example: 5:34 PM.
 Short Time: Displays the time as hours and minutes separated by the time
separator, by using a 24-hour clock.
o Example: 17:34.
Lists of components that you can use in custom formats
Type any combination of the following components to build a custom format. For
example, to display the week of the year and day of the week, type ww/w.
Important: Custom formats that are inconsistent with the date/time settings specified in
Windows regional settings are ignored.
 Separator components
o Note: Separators are set in the regional settings of Windows.
 : Time separator. For example, hh:mm
 / Date separator. For example, mmm/yyyy
 Any short string of characters, enclosed in quotation marks
("") Custom separator. Quotation marks are not displayed. For
example, "," displays a comma.
 Date format components
o d Day of the month in one or two numeric digits, as needed (1 to 31).
o dd Day of the month in two numeric digits (01 to 31).
o ddd First three letters of the weekday (Sun to Sat).
o dddd Full name of the weekday (Sunday to Saturday).
o w Day of the week (1 to 7).
o ww Week of the year (1 to 53).
o m Month of the year in one or two numeric digits, as needed (1 to 12).
o mm Month of the year in two numeric digits (01 to 12).
o mmm First three letters of the month (Jan to Dec).
o mmmm Full name of the month (January to December).
o q The quarter of the year (1 to 4).
o y Number of the day of the year (1 to 366).
o yy Last two digits of the year (01 to 99).
o yyyy Full year (0100 to 9999).
 Time format components
o h Hour in one or two digits, as needed (0 to 23).
o hh Hour in two digits (00 to 23).
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Date/Time supported field properties
Property Use
o n Minute in one or two digits, as needed (0 to 59).
o nn Minute in two digits (00 to 59).
o s Second in one or two digits, as needed (0 to 59).
o ss Second in two digits (00 to 59).
 Clock format components
o AM/PM Twelve-hour clock with the uppercase letters "AM" or "PM," as
appropriate. For example, 9:34PM.
o am/pm Twelve-hour clock with the lowercase letters "am" or "pm," as
appropriate. For example, 9:34pm.
o A/P Twelve-hour clock with the uppercase letter "A" or "P," as appropriate.
For example, 9:34P.
o a/p Twelve-hour clock with the lowercase letter "a" or "p," as appropriate.
For example, 9:34p.
o AMPM Twelve-hour clock with the appropriate morning/afternoon
designator as defined in the regional settings of Windows.
 Predefined formats
o c Same as the General Date predefined format.
o ddddd Same as the Short Date predefined format.
o dddddd Same as the Long Date predefined format.
o ttttt Same as the Long Time predefined format.
IME Mode Controls the conversion of characters in East Asian versions of Windows.

IME Sentence Controls the conversion of sentences in East Asian versions of Windows.
Mode

Indexed Specifies whether the field has an index. There are three available values:
 Yes (No duplicates): Creates a unique index on the field.
 Yes (Duplicates OK): Creates a non-unique index on the field.
 No: Removes any index on the field.
Note: Do not change this property for a field that is used in a primary key.
Although you can create an index on a single field by setting the Indexed field property,
some kinds of indexes cannot be created in this manner. For example, you cannot create
a multi-field index by setting this property.

Input Mask Displays editing characters to guide data entry. For example, an input mask might
display a dollar sign ($) at the beginning of the field.
Required Requires that data be entered in the field.

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Date/Time supported field properties
Property Use
Show Date Picker Specifies whether to show the Date Picker control.
Note: If you use an input mask for a Date/Time field, the Date Picker control is
unavailable regardless of how you set this property.

Smart Tags Attaches a smart tag to the field.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Validation Rule Supplies an expression that must be true whenever you add or change the value in this
field. Use in conjunction with the Validation Text property.

Validation Text Enter a message to display when a value that is entered violates the expression in the
Validation Rule property.

Hyperlink
Purpose: Use to store a hyperlink, such as an e-mail address or a Web site URL.
A hyperlink can be a UNC path (universal naming convention: A naming convention for files that provides a
machine-independent means of locating the file. Rather than specifying a drive letter and path, a UNC name
uses the syntax \serversharepathfilename.) or a URL (Uniform Resource Locator: An address that specifies a
protocol (such as HTTP or FTP) and a location of an object, document, World Wide Web page, or other
destination on the Internet or an intranet, for example: http://www.microsoft.com/.). It can store up to 2048
characters.

Hyperlink supported field properties

Property Use

Allow Zero Length Allows entry (by setting to Yes) of a zero-length string ("") in a Hyperlink, Text, or
Memo field.

Append Only Determines whether to track field value changes. There are two settings:
 Yes: Tracks changes. To view the field value history, right-click the field, and then
click Show column history.
 No: Does not track changes.
Warning: Setting this property to No deletes any existing field value history.

Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If
this property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Default Value Automatically assigns the specified value to this field when a new record is added.

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Hyperlink supported field properties
Property Use

Format Determines the way that the field appears when it is displayed or printed in datasheets
or in forms or reports that are bound to the field. You can define a custom format for a
Hyperlink field.

IME Mode Controls the conversion of characters in East Asian versions of Windows.

IME Sentence Controls the conversion of sentences in East Asian versions of Windows.
Mode

Indexed Specifies whether the field has an index. There are three available values:
 Yes (No duplicates): Creates a unique index on the field.
 Yes (Duplicates OK): Creates a non-unique index on the field.
 No: Removes any index on the field.
Note: Do not change this property for a field that is used in a primary key.
Although you can create an index on a single field by setting the Indexed field property,
some kinds of indexes cannot be created in this manner. For example, you cannot create
a multi-field index by setting this property.

Required Requires that data be entered in the field.

Smart Tags Attaches a smart tag to the field.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Unicode Compresses text that is stored in this field when less than 4,096 characters are stored.
Compression

Validation Rule Supplies an expression that must be true whenever you add or change the value in this
field. Use in conjunction with the Validation Text property.

Validation Text Enter a message to display when a value that is entered violates the expression in the
Validation Rule property.

Memo
Purpose: Use to store a block of text that is more than 255 characters long and is formatted text.
Memo supported field properties
Property Use
Allow Zero Length Allows entry (by setting to Yes) of a zero-length string ("") in a Hyperlink, Text, or
Memo field.

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Memo supported field properties
Property Use
Append Only Determines whether to track field value changes. There are two settings:
 Yes: Tracks changes. To view the field value history, right-click the field, and then
click Show column history.
 No: Does not track changes.
Warning: Setting this property to No deletes any existing field value history.

Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If
this property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Default Value Automatically assigns the specified value to this field when a new record is added.

Format Determines the way that the field appears when it is displayed or printed in datasheets
or in forms or reports that are bound to the field. You can define a custom format for a
Memo field.

IME Mode Controls the conversion of characters in East Asian versions of Windows.

IME Sentence Controls the conversion of sentences in East Asian versions of Windows.
Mode

Indexed Specifies whether the field has an index. There are three available values:
 Yes (No duplicates): Creates a unique index on the field.
 Yes (Duplicates OK): Creates a non-unique index on the field.
 No: Removes any index on the field.
Note: Do not change this property for a field that is used in a primary key.
Although you can create an index on a single field by setting the Indexed field property,
some kinds of indexes cannot be created in this manner. For example, you cannot create
a multi-field index by setting this property.

Required Requires that data be entered in the field.

Smart Tags Attaches a smart tag to the field.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Unicode Compresses text that is stored in this field when less than 4,096 characters are stored.
Compression

Validation Rule Supplies an expression that must be true whenever you add or change the value in this
field. Use in conjunction with the Validation Text property.

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Memo supported field properties
Property Use
Validation Text Enter a message to display when a value that is entered violates the expression in the
Validation Rule property.

Number
Purpose: Use to store a numeric value that isn't a monetary value. If you might use the values in the field to
perform a calculation, use the Number data type.

Number supported field properties

Property Use

Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If
this property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Decimal Places Specifies the number of decimal places to use when displaying numbers.

Default Value Automatically assigns the specified value to this field when a new record is added.

Field Size Select one of the following:

 Byte — Use for integers that range from 0 to 255. Storage requirement is 1 byte.
 Integer — Use for integers that range from -32,768 to 32,767. Storage requirement is
2 bytes.
 Long Integer — Use for integers that range from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647.
Storage requirement is 4 bytes.
Tip: Use Long Integer when you create a foreign key to relate to another table's
AutoNumber primary key field.
 Single Use for numeric floating point values that range from -3.4 x 1038 to 3.4 x
1038 and up to seven significant digits. Storage requirement is 4 bytes.
 Double Use for numeric floating point values that range from -1.797 x 10308 to
1.797 x 10308 and up to fifteen significant digits. Storage requirement is 8 bytes.
 Replication ID Use for storing a globally unique identifier required for replication.
Storage requirement is 16 bytes. Note that replication is not supported using the
.accdb file format.
 Decimal Use for numeric values that range from -9.999... x 1027 to 9.999... x 1027.
Storage requirement is 12 bytes.
Tip: For best performance, always specify the smallest sufficient Field Size.

Format Determines the way that the field appears when it is displayed or printed in datasheets, or
in forms or reports that are bound to the field. You can use any valid number format.

Indexed Specifies whether the field has an index. There are three available values:

Data Types and Field Properties in Access 2010 Topics came directly from Microsoft Access 2010 Help.
ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse University Page 15
Number supported field properties
Property Use

 Yes (No duplicates): Creates a unique index on the field.

 Yes (Duplicates OK): Creates a non-unique index on the field.
 No: Removes any index on the field.
Note: Do not change this property for a field that is used in a primary key.
Although you can create an index on a single field by setting the Indexed field property,
some kinds of indexes cannot be created in this manner. For example, you cannot create
a multi-field index by setting this property.

Input Mask Displays editing characters to guide data entry. For example, an input mask might
display a dollar sign ($) at the beginning of the field.

Required Requires that data be entered in the field.

Smart Tags Attaches a smart tag to the field.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Validation Rule Supplies an expression that must be true whenever you add or change the value in this
field. Use in conjunction with the Validation Text property.

Validation Text Enter a message to display when a value that is entered violates the expression in the
Validation Rule property.

OLE Object
Purpose: Use to attach an OLE Object, such as a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet, to a record. If you want
to use OLE features, you must use the OLE Object data type.
In most cases, you should use an Attachment field instead of an OLE Object field. OLE Object fields support
fewer file types than Attachment fields support. In addition, OLE Object fields do not let you attach multiple
files to a single record.

OLE supported field properties

Property Use
Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If this
property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Required Requires that data be entered in the field.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Data Types and Field Properties in Access 2010 Topics came directly from Microsoft Access 2010 Help.
ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse University Page 16
Text
Purpose: Use to store up to 255 characters of text.
Text supported field properties
Property Use
Allow Zero Length Allows entry (by setting to Yes) of a zero-length string ("") in a Hyperlink, Text, or
Memo field.

Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and
queries. If this property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is
allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Default Value Automatically assigns the specified value to this field when a new record is added.

Field Size Enter a value from 1 to 255. Text fields can range from 1 to 255 characters. For
larger text fields, use the Memo data type.
Tip: For best performance, always specify the smallest sufficient Field Size.
For example, if you are storing postal codes of a known length, you should specify
that length as the Field Size.

Format Determines the way that the field appears when it is displayed or printed in
datasheets or in forms or reports that are bound to the field. You can define a
custom format for a Text field.

IME Mode Controls the conversion of characters in East Asian versions of Windows.

IME Sentence Mode Controls the conversion of sentences in East Asian versions of Windows.

Indexed Specifies whether the field has an index. There are three available values:
 Yes (No duplicates): Creates a unique index on the field.
 Yes (Duplicates OK): Creates a non-unique index on the field.
 No: Removes any index on the field.
Note: Do not change this property for a field that is used in a primary key.
Although you can create an index on a single field by setting the Indexed field
property, some kinds of indexes cannot be created in this manner. For example, you
cannot create a multi-field index by setting this property.

Required Requires that data be entered in the field.

Smart Tags Attaches a smart tag to the field.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Data Types and Field Properties in Access 2010 Topics came directly from Microsoft Access 2010 Help.
ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse University Page 17
Text supported field properties
Property Use
Unicode Compression Compresses text that is stored in this field when less than 4,096 characters are
stored.

Validation Rule Supplies an expression that must be true whenever you add or change the value in
this field. Use in conjunction with the Validation Text property.

Validation Text Enter a message to display when a value that is entered violates the expression in
the Validation Rule property.

Yes/No
Purpose: Use to store a Boolean value.
Yes/No supported field properties
Property Use
Caption The label text that is displayed for this field by default in forms, reports, and queries. If
this property is empty, the name of the field is used. Any text string is allowed.
Tip: An effective caption is usually brief.

Default Value Automatically assigns the specified value to this field when a new record is added.

Format Determines the way that the field appears when it is displayed or printed in datasheets, or
in forms or reports that are bound to the field. Select one of the following:
 True/False: Displays the value as either True or False.
 Yes/No: Displays the value as either Yes or No.
 On/Off: Displays the value as either On or Off.
Indexed Specifies whether the field has an index. There are three available values:
 Yes (No duplicates): Creates a unique index on the field.
 Yes (Duplicates OK): Creates a non-unique index on the field.
 No: Removes any index on the field.
Note: Do not change this property for a field that is used in a primary key.
Although you can create an index on a single field by setting the Indexed field property,
some kinds of indexes cannot be created in this manner. For example, you cannot create a
multi-field index by setting this property.

Text Align Specifies the default alignment of text within a control.

Validation Rule Supplies an expression that must be true whenever you add or change the value in this
field. Use in conjunction with the Validation Text property.

Data Types and Field Properties in Access 2010 Topics came directly from Microsoft Access 2010 Help.
ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse University Page 18
Yes/No supported field properties
Property Use
Validation Text Enter a message to display when a value that is entered violates the expression in the
Validation Rule property.

Set the field size

You can adjust the amount of space that each record in a table uses by changing the field size property of
number fields in the table. You can also change the field size of a field that stores text data, although this
action has a smaller effect on the amount of space that is used.
What happens when I change the field size?
You can change the field size of a field that is empty or that already contains data. The effect of changing the
field size depends on whether the field already contains data.
 If the field does not contain data: When you change the field size, the size of new data values is limited
for the field. For number fields, the field size determines exactly how much disk space Access uses for
each value of the field. For text fields, the field size determines the maximum amount of disk space that
Access will allow for each value of the field.
 If the field contains data: When you change the field size, Access truncates all the values in the field that
exceed the specified field size, and also limits the size of new data values for the field.
Change the field size of a number field
Tip: If the field for which you want to change the field size already contains data, consider making a backup
of your database before you proceed.
1) In the Navigation Pane, right-click the table that contains the field that you want to change, and then click
Design View.
2) In the table design grid, select the field for which you want to change the field size.
3) In the Field Properties pane, on the General tab, enter the new field size in the Field Size property. You
can choose from the following values:
a) Byte — For integers that range from 0 to 255. Storage requirement is a single byte.
b) Integer — For integers that range from -32,768 to +32,767. Storage requirement is two bytes.
c) Long Integer — For integers that range from -2,147,483,648 to +2,147,483,647. Storage requirement
is four bytes.
Tip: Use the Long Integer data type when you create a foreign key to relate a field to another table's
AutoNumber primary key field.
d) Single — For numeric floating point values that range from -3.4 x 1038 to +3.4 x 1038 and up to seven
significant digits. Storage requirement is four bytes.
e) Double — For numeric floating point values that range from -1.797 x 10308 to +1.797 x 10308 and up to
15 significant digits. Storage requirement is eight bytes.
f) Replication ID — For storing a GUID that is required for replication. Storage requirement is 16 bytes.
 Note: Replication is not supported using an .accdb file format.
g) Decimal — For numeric values that range from -9.999... x 1027 to +9.999... x 1027. Storage requirement
is 12 bytes.
Data Types and Field Properties in Access 2010 Topics came directly from Microsoft Access 2010 Help.
ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse University Page 19
Change the field size of a text field
Tip: If the field for which you want to change the field size already contains data, consider making a backup
of your database before you continue.
1) Open the table that contains the field that you want to change.
2) Select the field for which you want to change the field size, and then on the ribbon click the Modify
Fields tab.
3) In the Properties group, click More, and then click Field Size.
4) Enter the new field size in the Field Size box. You can enter a value from 1 to 255. This number specifies
the maximum number of characters that each value can have. If you need more than 255 characters, use
the Memo data type instead.
Note: For data in a Text field, Access does not reserve space beyond what is necessary to hold actual
values. The Field Size property is the maximum field value size.

Data Types and Field Properties in Access 2010 Topics came directly from Microsoft Access 2010 Help.
ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse University Page 20