Can you plot data using MS Access?

[mmakrzem]

I am putting together a Microsoft Access database to do some data management for myself. I would like it if I could graph some of the data into line plots. Similar to Microsoft Excel.

Can you do this with Access?? Does anyone know of some tutorials that show how to plot data inside Access. For example I want to be able to create a report from a Query that get run. The Report should show the table of data and a line plot.

[Anzahl]

I think you might be going about this the wrong way - Access is ok as a database but pretty rubbish at anything else - leave the charting stuff to Excel.

You probably want to create a chart/graph/whatever in Excel and for source data use either an extract from your database or a query against your database to produce the plot you are after.

Take a look at the Data / Import External Data menu tree in Excel or drop me a PM and I'll walk you through it...

[mmakrzem]

Is there a way to view Excel plots inside of Access? For example, use access to hold all the data, use Excel to plot the data, but then generate reports with the Excel plots back inside Access.

I'm starting to think maybe I should just use Excel as a database. I think there is a way to create dialog boxes for data entry inside of Excel.

[Anzahl]

You almost certainly could but unlike Excel, Access doesn't have a particularly easy in-built charting interface. If you wanted to, you could create a module with a custom form and on that form you could place an image onto which you could paint your data, axes and legend but you'd need to do that in VBA or some other programming language. Not fantastically difficult but it could be quite time consuming.

For an expedient solution I'd suggest storing the data in Access, creating a query and using that to drive your charting in Excel.

Anzahl

[zero.]

To the OP, yes you can do this. Look into 'Pivot Charts' in Excel.

If you're in Excel 2007, click on the Data tab and then 'From Access.' I think you can also do it in older versions of Excel.

Here is some more information: http://www.mrexcel.com/tip102.shtml