ACC: How to Transpose Data in a Table or Query

At times, you may need to transpose the data in a table or query so that the field names are listed vertically down the left column and the data extends across the page horizontally. For example, you may need to transpose the data for a report or before exporting it to a text file. This article shows you two methods that you can use to accomplish this task. Method 1 shows you how you can export the data to Microsoft Excel, transpose the data, and then import the result back into Microsoft Access. Method 2 shows you how you can use an Access Basic or Visual Basic for Applications procedure to accomplish this task.

Note that neither method works if you have more than 255 records because the maximum number of fields in a Microsoft Access table is 255.

Method 1 - Transpose the Data in Microsoft Excel

Export the Data to Microsoft Excel.

If you are using Microsoft Access 2.0, follow these steps to export the data to Microsoft Excel:

1. Start Microsoft Access and open your database. In the Database window, click the table or query that you want to export.
2. On the File menu, click Export.
3. In the Export dialog box, click the version of Microsoft Excel to which you want to export the data, and then click OK.
4. In the Select Microsoft Access Object dialog box, make sure that the object you want to export is selected. Click OK.
5. In the Export To File dialog box, specify the location and file name, and then click OK.

If you are using Microsoft Access version 7.0 or later, follow these steps to export the data to Microsoft Excel:

1. Start Microsoft Access and open your database. In the Database window, click the table or query that you want to export.
2. On the File menu, click Save As/Export.
3. In the Save As dialog box, click To An External File Or Database, and then click OK.
4. In the Save Table <tablename> In dialog box, select the version of Excel to which you are exporting in the Save As Type box.
5. Specify the name and location of the file, and then click Export.

Transpose the Data in Microsoft Excel.

Follow these steps to transpose the data in Microsoft Excel:

1. Start Microsoft Excel and open the spreadsheet that you created in step 5 of the "Export the Data to Microsoft Excel" section.
2. Press CTRL+HOME to go to cell A1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+END to select all of the data.
3. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
4. On the Insert menu, click Worksheet.
5. On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
6. In the Paste Special dialog box, select the Transpose check box and click OK.
7. On the Format menu, point to Sheet, and then click Rename. Type a name for the sheet that contains the transposed data. If you want, click Save As on the File menu to export the data directly to text from Microsoft Excel.
8. Save and close the workbook, and then quit Microsoft Excel.

Import the Data into Microsoft Access.

NOTE: You can avoid the possibility of type conversion failures if you create a blank table that consists entirely of text fields and you append the data to that table rather than importing the data into a new table. However, you cannot append spreadsheet data to an existing table in a Microsoft Access 7.0 database. For more information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

148165 ACC95: Import Spreadsheet Wizard Cannot Append Data to Table

If you are using Microsoft Access 2.0, follow these steps to import the transposed data into Microsoft Access:

1. On the File menu, click Import.
2. In the Import dialog box, click the appropriate version of Microsoft Excel, and then click OK.
3. In the Select File dialog box, locate and select the spreadsheet file containing the transposed data, and then click Import.
4. In the Import Spreadsheet dialog box, select the sheet containing the transposed data from the Sheet Name list. Do not select the First Row Contains Field Names check box.
5. If you previously created a table consisting entirely of text fields, select that table from the Append To Existing Table list; otherwise, click Create New Table. Click OK.

If you are using Microsoft Access version 7.0 or later, follow these steps to import the transposed data into Microsoft Access:

1. On the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
2. In the Import dialog box, click Microsoft Excel (*.xls) in the Files Of Type list.
3. Locate and select the file you saved after transposing the data in Microsoft Excel. Then click Import.
4. On the first screen of the Import Spreadsheet Wizard, click Show worksheets, and select the worksheet that contains the transposed data; click Next.
5. Do not select the First Row Contains Column Headings check box in the second screen of the Import Spreadsheet Wizard. Click Next.
6. If you are using Microsoft Access version 7.0, click Next.
   
   If you are using Microsoft Access 97 and you previously created a table consisting entirely of text fields, select that table from the Existing table list; otherwise, click In A New Table, and then click Next twice.
7. If you are importing into a new table, click No Primary Key.
8. Click Finish. The resulting table contains the transposed data.

Method 2 - Use a Custom Function to Transpose the Table

This method assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to your version of the "Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.

NOTE: Visual Basic for Applications is called Access Basic in Microsoft Access version 2.0. For more information about Access Basic, please refer to the "Building Applications" manual.

1. If you are using Microsoft Access 2.0, create a new module in your database and enter the following procedure:
   

         Function Transposer(strSource As String, strTarget As String)
   
            Dim db As Database
            Dim tdfNewDef As TableDef
            Dim fldNewField As Field
            Dim rstSource As Recordset, rstTarget As Recordset
            Dim i As Integer, j As Integer
   
            On Error GoTo Transposer_Err
   
            Set db = CurrentDB()
            Set rstSource = db.OpenRecordset(strSource)
            rstSource.MoveLast
   
            ' Create a new table to hold the transposed data.
            ' Create a field for each record in the original table.
            Set tdfNewDef = db.CreateTableDef(strTarget)
            For i = 0 To rstSource.RecordCount - 1
               Set fldNewField = tdfNewDef.CreateField(CStr(i + 1), DB_TEXT)
               tdfNewDef.Fields.Append fldNewField
            Next i
            db.TableDefs.Append tdfNewDef
   
            ' Open the new table and fill the first field with
            ' field names from the original table.
            Set rstTarget = db.OpenRecordset(strTarget)
            For i = 0 To rstSource.Fields.Count - 1
               rstTarget.AddNew
               rstTarget.Fields(0) = rstSource.Fields(i).Name
               rstTarget.Update
            Next i
   
            rstSource.MoveFirst
            rstTarget.MoveFirst
            ' Fill each column of the new table
            ' with a record from the original table.
            For j = 0 To rstSource.Fields.Count - 1
               ' Begin with the second field, because the first field
               ' already contains the field names.
               For i = 1 To rstTarget.Fields.Count - 1
   
                  rstTarget.Edit
                  rstTarget.Fields(i) = rstSource.Fields(j)
                  rstSource.MoveNext
                  rstTarget.Update
   
               Next i
               rstSource.MoveFirst
               rstTarget.MoveNext
            Next j
            rstSource.Close
            rstTarget.Close
            db.Close
   
            Exit Function
   
         Transposer_Err:
   
            Select Case Err
               Case 3010
                  MsgBox "The table " & strTarget & " already exists."
               Case 3011
                  MsgBox "The table " & strSource & " doesn't exist."
               Case Else
                  MsgBox CStr(Error) & " " & Error(Err)
            End Select
   
            Exit Function
   
         End Function
   						

   
   If you are using Microsoft Access version 7.0 or later, create a new module in your database and enter the following procedure:
   

         Function Transposer(strSource As String, strTarget As String)
   
            Dim db As Database
            Dim tdfNewDef As TableDef
            Dim fldNewField As Field
            Dim rstSource As Recordset, rstTarget As Recordset
            Dim i As Integer, j As Integer
   
            On Error GoTo Transposer_Err
   
            Set db = CurrentDb()
            Set rstSource = db.OpenRecordset(strSource)
            rstSource.MoveLast
   
            ' Create a new table to hold the transposed data.
            ' Create a field for each record in the original table.
            Set tdfNewDef = db.CreateTableDef(strTarget)
            For i = 0 To rstSource.RecordCount
               Set fldNewField = tdfNewDef.CreateField(CStr(i + 1), dbText)
               tdfNewDef.Fields.Append fldNewField
            Next i
            db.TableDefs.Append tdfNewDef
   
            ' Open the new table and fill the first field with
            ' field names from the original table.
            Set rstTarget = db.OpenRecordset(strTarget)
            For i = 0 To rstSource.Fields.Count - 1
               With rstTarget
                 .AddNew
                 .Fields(0) = rstSource.Fields(i).Name
                 .Update
               End With
            Next i
   
            rstSource.MoveFirst
            rstTarget.MoveFirst
            ' Fill each column of the new table
            ' with a record from the original table.
            For j = 0 To rstSource.Fields.Count - 1
               ' Begin with the second field, because the first field
               ' already contains the field names.
               For i = 1 To rstTarget.Fields.Count - 1
                  With rstTarget
                     .Edit
                     .Fields(i) = rstSource.Fields(j)
                     rstSource.MoveNext
                     .Update
                  End With
   
               Next i
               rstSource.MoveFirst
               rstTarget.MoveNext
            Next j
   
            db.Close
   
            Exit Function
   
         Transposer_Err:
   
            Select Case Err
               Case 3010
                  MsgBox "The table " & strTarget & " already exists."
               Case 3078
                  MsgBox "The table " & strSource & " doesn't exist."
               Case Else
                  MsgBox CStr(Err) & " " & Err.Description
            End Select
   
            Exit Function
   
         End Function
   						

2. To test the function, open the Debug window (or the Immediate window in Microsoft Access version 2.0). If you are in the sample database Northwind.mdb (or Nwind.mdb), for example, and you want to transpose the Suppliers table, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   
   ?Transposer("Suppliers","SuppliersTrans")