Update Queries

An Update query is a type of action query that makes changes to several records at the same time. For example, you could create an Update query to raise prices on all the products in a table by 10%.

Just like other action queries, you create an Update query by first creating a Select query and then converting the Select query to an Update query.

1. Click the Create tab on the ribbon.
2. Click the Query Design button.
   

   The Query Design window and Show Table dialog box both appear. Here you must select the tables and/or queries you want to use in the Update query.

3. Double-click the tables and queries you want to add and click Close.
   

   Now you need to convert the Select query to an Update query.

4. Click the Update button.

   Access converts the Select query to an Update query. Notice an Update To row appears in the design grid. Now you should specify the fields you want to update.

The next step can be a little bit tricky—you need to tell Access which fields to update and how to update them. For example, if you wanted to raise the price of the Normal Price field by 10 percent you would write an expression—like [Normal Price]+([Normal Price]*.1)—in the field's Update To row to make this happen.

5. Click the Update To row for the field you want to update and type an expression.

   Now run the query.

6. Click the Run button.
   

   Access lets you know how many records will be affected and that the changes can't be undone by the Undo command.

7. Click Yes.
   

Access updates the records.