Microsoft Office Online
Sign in to My Office Online (What's this?) | Sign in

 
 
Microsoft Office Access
Search
Search
 
Check for updates: (c) Microsoft
Office downloads
 
 
 
Warning: You are viewing this page with an unsupported Web browser. This Web site works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Firefox 1.5, or Netscape Navigator 8.0 or later. Learn more about supported browsers.

Email this linkEmail this link Printer-Friendly VersionPrinter-Friendly Version Bookmark and ShareShare
Indicate nonexistent data with a zero-length string
 

To indicate nonexistent data in a Microsoft Access database, you can enter a zero-length string (zero-length string: A string that contains no characters. You can use a zero-length string to indicate that you know no value exists for a field. You enter a zero-length string by typing two double quotation marks with no space between them (" ").) into a Text or Memo field. In a Microsoft Access project (Microsoft Access project: An Access file that connects to a Microsoft SQL Server database and is used to create client/server applications. A project file doesn't contain any data or data-definition-based objects such as tables and views.) that is connected to a Microsoft SQL Server database, you can enter a zero-length string in a field whose data type (data type: The characteristic of a field that determines what type of data it can hold. Data types include Boolean, Integer, Long, Currency, Single, Double, Date, String, and Variant (default).) is varchar or nvarchar.

  1. Open a datasheet (Datasheet view: A window that displays data from a table, form, query, view, or stored procedure in a row-and-column format. In Datasheet view, you can edit fields, add and delete data, and search for data.), or open a form in Form view (Form view: A window that displays a form to show or accept data. Form view is the primary means of adding and modifying data in tables. You can also change the design of a form in this view.).
  2. To enter a zero-length string in the field, type two double quotation marks without a space in between (" ").

The field remains a zero-length string, even though the quotation marks disappear when you move to another field or object.

advertisement