Record Source: "SELECT" vs Query (1 Viewer)

I have a form and just wondering if there is any difference between setting the Record Source to "SELECT TblOven.* FROM TblOven;" versus a query that selects all fields from TblOven?

Is it essentially the same thing? If not, which is the preferred method?

The SQL statement for the query would be the same, so I can't imagine any real advantage to using one over the other!

Linq ;0)>

If I use a SQL statement rather than a query - I have fewer queries in my FE. I am not sure if that makes a difference, but my gut says fewer queries are better. But that may just be the voices in my head?

The advantage of specifying which records you wish in the form itself is you make sure that you get only those fields you need for that form without the chance someone would change the query on you.

The disadvantage is that you need to make sure you specify each and every portion of the SQL statement and you do not have a single repository where you can always recover this information from.

Using a query is far more effective if you have several areas that you want to make sure you deal with the same data sets. This is often the case if you have one form for data entry, another for validation, and a third for another purpose.

Simply asking for all fields also is less efficient if you are dealing with many records or large records. Asking for all fields when you are only using two is not the ideal way to do this.

I normally use querydefs.
1. They're easier to test if they are separate from the form.
2. I can use the same exact query for a report.
3. There's a bug in Access that causes it to think the embedded SQL is a querydef name and chop off everything past the max size of a querydef object name. It doesn't happen often but if the query is big or complex it's a real bummer.

It takes a certain amount of discipline to consider that every change to a query affects every place it is used. Newer versions of Access have built in tool that shows both "uses" and "used by" so you can easily see what will be impacted by a change. Or, you can use Total Access Analyzer by FMS which is much more comprehensive.

It takes a certain amount of discipline to consider that every change to a query affects every place it is used. Newer versions of Access have built in tool that shows both "uses" and "used by" so you can easily see what will be impacted by a change.

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Where would I find it?

bob fitz said:

Where would I find it?

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Database Tools ... object dependencies