Microsoft Access allows you to review and interact with the records stored in a table or query usng the Datasheet view. As well as sorting data and customizing the order of columns, Access also allows you filter data. This allows you to view only those records that match certain criteria, temporarily suppressing all other records. Filtering is a quick an simple process: you specify one or more conditions that a record must satisfy in order to remain visible; you perform the filter operation and the records that match your conditions remain visible while all other records disappear.

As you can imagine, filtering does not permanently remove any records from the table: it merely removes them from view. When the filtering is removed, all the records in the table or query become visible once more.

The simplest way of filtering is to use the “Quick Filter” feature. Simply click to reveal the drop-down menu on the right-hand edge of the header row of the column in question. The menu shows every distinct value in the column with a checkbox next to it. Deactivate the checkboxes next to the values that you want to suppress. You can also use the Select All button to activate or deactivate all records as a starting point for the operation. You can also perform this operation on several columns at once if required.

Naturally, the Quick Filter feature works best if the number of distinct elements in a column is relatively small. If the number of distinct values is quite large or if you wish to base the filtering operation on something more than the values actually contained in the table, then you can filter by condition. From the pop-up menu on the right-hand edge of the column header, click on the submenu which reads “Text Filters”, “Number Filters”, “Date Filters”, etc., (depending on the type of data stored in that column) and choose one of the conditions.

The filter conditions displayed in the menu vary depending on the data type of the column. For example, for a column containing text, you will find options like “Begins with…”, “Ends with..” and “Contains…”; whereas, with a number column, you will find “Greater than…”, “Less than…”, “Between…” and so forth.

While interacting wit the filtered data, you can return to viewing the entire table at any time by clicking on the Toggle Filter button located in the Sort & Filter section of the Home Tab of the Access Ribbon. Toggle means “switch”, so if you click Toggle Filter again, the filtering is reinstated.

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