Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In today's Quick Queries we will discuss why calculated fields in Access tables can be restrictive and why calculations are usually better placed in queries. We will also cover when storing calculated values may be appropriate, calculated fields and portability, self-referencing employee relationships, subform filtering quirks, using AI responsibly, numeric versus text identifiers, cloud storage risks, recordset tests, and SQL string concatenation in VBA.
Diego from Newark, New Jersey (a Platinum Member) asks I'm building an order database and noticed Access lets me create a field that automatically calculates an extended price from quantity and unit price. I've heard you say you don't recommend calculated fields in tables and even call them evil. Are they actually bad, and when would it be okay to use one?
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
00:41 Calculated Fields in Access Tables
14:06 Recommended Videos on Calculations
14:54 Many-to-Many Employee Relationships
16:41 Subform Filtering Mystery
18:04 Using AI for Access Development
20:24 Int vs. Fix for Negative Numbers
21:24 American vs. British Number Pronunciation
23:01 Why Phone Numbers Should Be Text
24:33 Running Access From Google Drive
26:00 Postal Codes Should Be Text
26:36 RecordCount for Empty Recordsets
28:01 Checking Both BOF and EOF
29:55 Building Dynamic SQL in VBA
31:18 Conclusion
BECOME A MEMBER:
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or My Site: 599cd.com/THMember
LEARN MORE:
Quick Queries #104: 599cd.com/QQ104
PREREQUISITES:
Quick Queries Listing: 599cd.com/QuickQueries
Quick Queries #103: 599cd.com/QQ103
LINKS:
Calculated Fields: 599cd.com/Calculated
Calculated Table Fields (Extended Cut): 599cd.com/4155
Stored or Calculated: 599cd.com/StoredCalculated
Calculated Table Fields (Why Are They Evil?): 599cd.com/QQ104
Denormalize: 599cd.com/Denormalize
Evil Access Stuff: 599cd.com/EvilAccessStuff
Supervisor Subordinate: 599cd.com/a?127179
Subform Filtering Without Link Fields: 599cd.com/a?127113
Concatenation: 599cd.com/Concat
Double Double Quotes: 599cd.com/DoubleDouble
UP NEXT:
Quick Queries #105: 599cd.com/QQ105
Captain's Log: 599cd.com/Log
Merch Store: 599cd.com/Merch
RECOMMENDED COURSES:
Calculated Fields in Access Expert 10: 599cd.com/ACX10
Calculated Query Fields in Access Expert 8: 599cd.com/ACX8
Database Normalization in Access Expert 2: 599cd.com/AC10X2
FREE TEMPLATE DOWNLOADS:
TechHelp Free Templates: 599cd.com/THFree
Blank Template: 599cd.com/Blank
Contact Management: 599cd.com/Contacts
Order Entry & Invoicing: 599cd.com/Invoicing
More Access Templates: 599cd.com/AccessTemplates
DIAMOND SPONSORS:
More info on our Sponsors: 599cd.com/DiamondSponsors
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
FREE Access Beginner Level 1: 599cd.com/Free1
How to Use Access in 30 Minutes: 599cd.com/30Minutes
$1 Access Level 2: 599cd.com/1Dollar
Donate to my Tip Jar: 599cd.com/TipJar
Merch Store! Get your swag here: 599cd.com/Merch
Get on my Mailing List: 599cd.com/YTML
Contact Me: 599cd.com/Contact
TechHelp: 599cd.com/TechHelp
Consulting Help: 599cd.com/DevNet
Twitter: twitter.com/LearningAccess
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Access
products.office.com/en-us/access
microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/access
KEYWORDS:
TechHelp, QQ, Quick Queries, Microsoft Access, MS Access, MS Access Tutorial, #msaccess, #microsoftaccess, #help, #howto, #tutorial, #learn, #lesson, #training, #database, Access calculated fields, calculated field data type, calculated fields in tables, calculated query fields, table calculations vs queries, Access query expressions, denormalization, storing calculated values, Access calculated field limitations, DAO BOF EOF, recordset RecordCount
QUESTIONS:
Please feel free to post your questions or comments below. Thanks.
Live long, and prosper.
In today's Quick Queries we will discuss why calculated fields in Access tables can be restrictive and why calculations are usually better placed in queries. We will also cover when storing calculated values may be appropriate, calculated fields and portability, self-referencing employee relationships, subform filtering quirks, using AI responsibly, numeric versus text identifiers, cloud storage risks, recordset tests, and SQL string concatenation in VBA.
Diego from Newark, New Jersey (a Platinum Member) asks I'm building an order database and noticed Access lets me create a field that automatically calculates an extended price from quantity and unit price. I've heard you say you don't recommend calculated fields in tables and even call them evil. Are they actually bad, and when would it be okay to use one?
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
00:41 Calculated Fields in Access Tables
14:06 Recommended Videos on Calculations
14:54 Many-to-Many Employee Relationships
16:41 Subform Filtering Mystery
18:04 Using AI for Access Development
20:24 Int vs. Fix for Negative Numbers
21:24 American vs. British Number Pronunciation
23:01 Why Phone Numbers Should Be Text
24:33 Running Access From Google Drive
26:00 Postal Codes Should Be Text
26:36 RecordCount for Empty Recordsets
28:01 Checking Both BOF and EOF
29:55 Building Dynamic SQL in VBA
31:18 Conclusion
BECOME A MEMBER:
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCl7-jJie4ifOVK87FINIuDg/join
or My Site: 599cd.com/THMember
LEARN MORE:
Quick Queries #104: 599cd.com/QQ104
PREREQUISITES:
Quick Queries Listing: 599cd.com/QuickQueries
Quick Queries #103: 599cd.com/QQ103
LINKS:
Calculated Fields: 599cd.com/Calculated
Calculated Table Fields (Extended Cut): 599cd.com/4155
Stored or Calculated: 599cd.com/StoredCalculated
Calculated Table Fields (Why Are They Evil?): 599cd.com/QQ104
Denormalize: 599cd.com/Denormalize
Evil Access Stuff: 599cd.com/EvilAccessStuff
Supervisor Subordinate: 599cd.com/a?127179
Subform Filtering Without Link Fields: 599cd.com/a?127113
Concatenation: 599cd.com/Concat
Double Double Quotes: 599cd.com/DoubleDouble
UP NEXT:
Quick Queries #105: 599cd.com/QQ105
Captain's Log: 599cd.com/Log
Merch Store: 599cd.com/Merch
RECOMMENDED COURSES:
Calculated Fields in Access Expert 10: 599cd.com/ACX10
Calculated Query Fields in Access Expert 8: 599cd.com/ACX8
Database Normalization in Access Expert 2: 599cd.com/AC10X2
FREE TEMPLATE DOWNLOADS:
TechHelp Free Templates: 599cd.com/THFree
Blank Template: 599cd.com/Blank
Contact Management: 599cd.com/Contacts
Order Entry & Invoicing: 599cd.com/Invoicing
More Access Templates: 599cd.com/AccessTemplates
DIAMOND SPONSORS:
More info on our Sponsors: 599cd.com/DiamondSponsors
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
FREE Access Beginner Level 1: 599cd.com/Free1
How to Use Access in 30 Minutes: 599cd.com/30Minutes
$1 Access Level 2: 599cd.com/1Dollar
Donate to my Tip Jar: 599cd.com/TipJar
Merch Store! Get your swag here: 599cd.com/Merch
Get on my Mailing List: 599cd.com/YTML
Contact Me: 599cd.com/Contact
TechHelp: 599cd.com/TechHelp
Consulting Help: 599cd.com/DevNet
Twitter: twitter.com/LearningAccess
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Access
products.office.com/en-us/access
microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/access
KEYWORDS:
TechHelp, QQ, Quick Queries, Microsoft Access, MS Access, MS Access Tutorial, #msaccess, #microsoftaccess, #help, #howto, #tutorial, #learn, #lesson, #training, #database, Access calculated fields, calculated field data type, calculated fields in tables, calculated query fields, table calculations vs queries, Access query expressions, denormalization, storing calculated values, Access calculated field limitations, DAO BOF EOF, recordset RecordCount
QUESTIONS:
Please feel free to post your questions or comments below. Thanks.
Live long, and prosper.
