Quick Queries #68
By Richard Rost
16 days ago
Control That Might Be Slowing Down Form Load Times
In this tutorial, I'll answer questions from viewers on topics like finding older Access 2003 lessons, how database trusted locations work, wireless networks and Access, handling database object imports, working with Access ComboBox recordsets, Power Query in Excel, status box output in VBA, anti-virus alerts with Access files, and more. We'll also talk about live classes, SQL Server back-ends, and the fitness database series, plus updates on Access Day 2026 and fun with AI-generated images. If you're curious about Access quirks, software tips, or community updates, this session covers a wide mix.
Prerequisites
Links
Recommended Courses
Up Next
Keywords
TechHelp Access, Access 2003 lesson, PowerShell registry keys, trusted locations, bypass startup with shift, import objects to blank database, macros warning, special characters in queries, calculated fields, Power Query, M language, dynamic filtering, ComboBox performance, SQL Server migration, fitness database templates, Access Day 2026
Transcript
Today's the Black Friday not on Black Friday edition. Normally, we do Quick Queries on Fridays, but yesterday I got so busy with all the Black Friday nonsense. I don't even want to talk about it.
I had Klingons over for Thanksgiving dinner and then they found out about Black Friday. Let's just say, yes, Klingons love Black Friday.
So, we're a day late with Quick Queries, but we're not going to stop doing them. Let's get to it.
We're going to start off with the YouTube comments today. I got a lot of Merry Christmases and Happy Holidays and all that stuff and Happy Thanksgivings for the videos that I posted recently. Thank you all for your well wishes. I appreciate that. My family appreciates that.
As far as my staff goes, I don't really have a staff. I'm a one-man band. I do everything myself, except on the website where I do have a fantastic group of moderators. They're all volunteers, but they help me answer questions and take care of stuff. I couldn't run the website without them, so I just want to say another thank you to those guys.
Thanks to all of you who have Merry Christmased me. Is that a thing? Can you verb that? Thank you for the Merry Christmas. Thank you, guys.
As Me wants to know, can I get the older version of the Access 2003 lesson? Yeah, they're on my website. I think they might be on YouTube as well, but I know they're on my website. You just have to dig a little bit to find them.
On my website, go to the homepage, then go to Courses, then go to Access, and then scroll down to the bottom and you'll find Access 2003. These are the older ones. They're really old, and here they are. There's Access 101. Click on the free preview link and it should take you to the lessons page because 101 is free. It looks like the image isn't loading, but I bet you it runs. Let's see. Yeah, I didn't put images in for all of these older ones, so sometimes the thumbnail isn't loading because this is 20-some years old now. But the videos should all play. Yep, there it goes.
Now, do we have a tape? Oh boy, that's my voice from 20-some years ago. That was fun. But yeah, they're all on my website. I never take anything down. It just gets kind of buried in the menus.
Dev Var wants to know if my 50% off holiday sale applies to the free videos. Yes, yes it does.
Jason says he's sharing my database video with his classmates for exams on Monday. Let me know how you did on your exams. I'm curious to know.
Next up, Shadow Dragon said, "Richard, that last picture of Vulcan Santa caused me to suddenly imagine him flying through the sky in his magical sleigh being pulled by 12 tribbles. LOL." In case you missed Vulcan Santa, there I am as Vulcan Santa, and here I am with my tribble sleigh. I love this stupid AI stuff.
By the way, if you're wondering, I first tried Gemini because Gemini has been doing much better at producing good images than ChatGPT has been lately. This is Gemini's first attempt and then I said, no, no, no. I don't mind that it's cartoony. That's fine. But those aren't tribbles. Those are like little cat foxes. So then I said, make them look more like tribbles and then I get this. It just basically removed their faces. Then I went through a couple more attempts. I said, no, you got to get rid of their legs. So then I get this. They still kind of look like little animals though. I went through two or three more attempts to try to get Gemini to just make them little round balls of fur, and it didn't. Maybe under all that fur, they've got some bodyness to them that we don't see on camera.
So then I'm like, alright, I'm going to give GPT one more try. GPT's first attempt wasn't bad, but then I tried to get it to make them a little bigger, maybe back up a little bit, make them more reindeer-like, add some background so it doesn't look like he's flying through space. So then it gave me this. And I'm like, okay, fine. I'll take it. That's not bad. I've already wasted an hour on this stupid project.
Then I ran this through my face swap algorithm and then we ended up with this. So that's not too bad. I'll take it. I could have done better, but that's what you get from me: flying Vulcan Santa with my tribble sleigh.
Oh boy, I'm going to look at this 10 years from now and go, "What was I thinking?"
Next up, let's get to something a little more serious. A Fall 3511 wants to know, do you have a video about using PowerShell to create Access trusted locations? I don't do it with PowerShell, but in the extended cut for that trusted location video, I do show you how to create the registry keys necessary to basically create the trusted locations, because trusted folders are basically nothing more than registry keys.
The first time you open the database, it gives you the pop-up security warning. It says this database isn't trusted. Do you want to trust it? You say yes, and then it reloads. The built-in VBA creates the trusted folder registry keys, and after that, you never see the warning again. So that part's already handled by the database itself.
As far as doing it with PowerShell, I have not done it myself with PowerShell, but yes, it's possible. PowerShell can write to the registry too, so technically it could work. But honestly, there's really not much point because PowerShell is also going to trigger its own security prompts. You might as well let Access handle it for you. You just load the database, give it the approval, it'll create the registry keys, and then you're done.
But if you really want to see how to do it with PowerShell, I can certainly make a video for that. Post a comment down below if you're interested, and be specific. Sometimes you guys just say "I'm interested," but in a video like this, like a Quick Query, there's 15 to 20 different questions. I don't know what you're interested in, so be specific. If you'd like to see how to use PowerShell to read and write to the registry, I'll make a PowerShell video.
I hope that answers your question. I'll put a link to this video down below if you want to learn how. It's an extended cut, so you've got to be at least a Silver member to see it.
Ed just says, "I literally enjoy solving problems in Access more than video games. I must be a geek." Yes, you are definitely a geek if that turned you on. I love programming more than I love playing games myself. I played a lot of games as a young man, but nothing has ever really excited me like writing a program and just that first time when you click it and you watch it work. It's like, yes, I just did it. I love that. I'll keep doing this stuff till the day I die.
Next up, Claudio, talking about my "Locked Out" video where I teach you how to use the Shift key to bypass the startup in case you get locked out of your database or someone else locked it down. He says you can simply import all of the objects - the tables, queries, forms, all that stuff - into another blank database provided, of course, it's not an ACCDE. That is also true, and it also can't have a database password or you're going to have to know that.
The only caveat with this is that if it does have startup form language, hidden globals, custom properties, that kind of stuff, you're not going to get that behavior in the blank database. But for the purpose of rescuing the database, getting all the objects out of it, yes, the suggestion is right on the money: valid approach.
Kerry says everyone at work is on Wi-Fi, there's no wired computers. You're going to find that in a lot of offices nowadays. When I was still pretty heavy in the consulting business, wireless networking wasn't anywhere near as big as it is today. Most office PCs at least were wired, but now you're going to find more people are wireless than not.
That does not work well with a file-based system like Access because every single computer has to touch that file. If they've got a spotty Wi-Fi connection, you're leading to corruption. This is definitely a case where I would consider upgrading to SQL Server because, like I mentioned in that corruption video, SQL Server will act as a guard. It'll take the request and then give you back the data that you want, but it doesn't allow that wireless device to touch the database. It's just going to ask the gatekeeper for some data or put something in the database.
I'm still working on my SQL Server course. It's coming out pretty soon. Make sure you get on my mailing list if you're interested. But if you have a wireless network, then you definitely want SQL Server as your back-end.
Next up, Marisa said she tried opening the Access Beginner 1 Lesson 7 database and got a dangerous macros warning. This happens usually from overzealous virus software. In fact, I've had this on my website for a while now. The files that you download from my website, the ACCDB files, Access will block everything that you try to run by default unless you put it in a trusted folder.
Anything you download from my website is going to be completely safe. I check everything. Obviously, I've created everything, so I haven't put anything harmful in there. Feel free to open it in a non-trusted folder and hold down the Shift key to bypass the startup and go through and look through all my VBA code and macros. You shouldn't find anything even remotely questionable in anything you get from my website.
Some antivirus programs treat anything with macros or VBA as suspicious, even when it's completely harmless. I've got, like I said, another student who complained that a PDF handbook was flagged as having a virus. I think that most third-party virus scanners are garbage. Use Windows Defender, that's fine, but Microsoft pretty much knows what's safe and what's not safe. Defender almost never flags stuff like this as a virus. McAfee and whatever else is out there, yeah, I don't like any of those.
The bottom line is, if you get it off my website, it's safe because I'm the only one that can upload stuff there as far as files go. I don't let anybody else put stuff on my website and I've built everything on my website. So if you trust me, then you can trust the files on my website. If not, well, don't download it.
Honestly, a lot of these third-party antivirus companies love to scare people with these dramatic warnings that have nothing to do with real threats. They flag perfectly normal Access, Excel or Word files simply because they see the word macro and panic. Half the time, these virus scanner people don't even understand how Access works and they treat every database like it's a Word document from 1997 with a real macro virus, which was a problem at one point in time. But Microsoft has made a lot of steps to prevent that now. They even renamed the file extensions.
It's basically lazy pattern matching on the part of these virus scanners; it's not real security. They throw up these big red alerts to look useful and make you think you're getting your money's worth for paying for software you don't need to pay for. All they really do is confuse people and make harmless downloads look dangerous. Get rid of it. Windows security is fine, Defender, whatever Microsoft is calling it now.
That's my take.
Next up, Kerry again says, surprised you didn't mention how to handle searching for text that includes brackets. I did mention the different special characters, and yeah, you got it right. If you've got brackets in your text you want to search for, you've got to put those inside of brackets. It's kind of hard to see, so let me zoom in. There we go. That should make it a little easier to understand.
If you're searching for [First Name] inside a query, you have to put each of these brackets inside of brackets because the bracket is a special character. I know I talked about them briefly in the video and on the website. I've got the special characters right down here: pound sign, question mark, asterisk, and the brackets are all the special characters that you have to put inside of brackets, including brackets.
Here's one from a beginner who watched my how to create a database video, which I appreciate. You're just starting out. How do I calculate in Access? I need to know a little bit more about what you're trying to calculate. There are lots of different things you can calculate and lots of different ways you can do it. You will find that there's something called a calculated field in tables. I recommend you don't use those. Those are not good. Instead, put your calculated fields in your forms or in your queries.
This video will teach you what you need to know and I will put a link to it down below in the description under the video window. Go watch this and if you still have questions, come on back.
Caroline asks, do I teach live? I don't anymore. I used to years ago. In fact, when I first started, I did some live sessions on YouTube and on my website. That's just not my favorite forum. I prefer to do pre-recorded stuff. So email me your questions, post them on YouTube, post them on my website, and I'll answer them that way. I find live sessions to be a little too chaotic online.
Plus, I have a condition where I sometimes get random migraines and it's very hard for me to promise a schedule. We're going to do Thursday nights at 6 p.m., but if I get one of my migraines, I can't attend. So unfortunately, I don't do a lot of live sessions. But you never know. If enough people are interested, maybe I'll put together a live session.
If you want to see a live session, post a comment down below and say, yeah, I'd like a live session, that'd be cool. Maybe I'll do an informal Access hangout or something on my YouTube channel, but that's only if people are interested. If enough people say yes, then maybe I'll think about it.
Next up, this one comes up from time to time. The status box that I have kind of confuses people. Basically, this is Irv in Florida and he's saying that he's doing a recordset loop and using my status box to output the data, and he can't figure out why everything's coming out backwards. Then he said toward the end, he figured it out. The status box function is doing a push down on each row. Yeah, that's how I designed it.
If you use the status box, it puts new stuff on the top. If this is your old stuff down here, the new items come in on the top. That's so you don't have to output stuff and then scroll down to the bottom so you can see it in your VBA. You just read the top stuff. That's why it looks like it comes out backwards. That is a common question that I do explain in the status box video, but a lot of people who don't watch it and just jump into one of my other videos don't necessarily figure that out easily, and I just don't remember to mention it in every single video.
Sorry if it confused you at all. It's just a quick, simple replacement for a message box that you can just output data to.
Jim says, any news on the Access Zoom slider edition? Looking forward to using that feature. It seems to be a more complicated feature than Microsoft expected. As soon as I know something, you guys will know something. I've been waiting for this too. Even more for me, the large monitor support. I've got a pretty big, like 40-some-inch widescreen monitor, and I can only make little tiny Access databases that fit in a normal screen. So I'm waiting for that feature myself. As soon as I know something, I share it with you guys.
If you really want to get the scoop faster, you should subscribe to Access Forever. These guys get the news fast. I get my news from them half the time. Carl and his whole team, these guys are awesome. I'm sure they'll post information. That happens sometimes with development. I've got projects I started years ago that, you get a proof of concept working and it's like, okay, I can make this work, and then you never finish it. Or you get into it, get your ankles wet, and realize, to finish this whole thing is going to be a lot more work than I planned.
I started building an Access to SQL Server converter to put stuff on the website years ago and it works, proof of concept, but it's not ready for release yet. So I get it. I understand. Subscribe to their mailing list. They'll let you know as soon as it's ready and I'll let you know as soon as I find out from them.
Next up, Gomez says, do you have similar videos on teaching C++? No, unfortunately, I don't. I know C++. In fact, I spent many years as a C++ developer. I actually wrote a little mini book back in the 90s on how to learn C. That was one of my first tutorials I ever wrote. I got to find a copy of it. It's old, but it's an oldie but a goodie. I haven't had a lot of requests for teaching C++. If I did, it'd be more of a theoretical thing because it's a really good language to learn low level programming with. Basic is good for beginners and you can do some good stuff with it. If you really want to get into programming, C++ is fantastic. I think C is one of the best languages ever written.
Post a comment down below if you want to see some C++ lessons. I'll definitely consider it.
Next up, we got, "Hang on a minute, love my Google Translate, but been looking for something like this for a long time and everything else is too complicated and doesn't work." You are welcome from Florida. I hope things are well down there in Argentina.
Next up, Ryan talking about my dynamic filtering video. He says, "I could have sworn that ComboBox is only pulling the list count number initially until you pull down and scroll. That might still be a dozen or more records depending on your setting, but it shouldn't pull in the entire customer list immediately."
No, it really does. I know from experience, especially if you're working over a network or over the internet, it's going to pull down all those records. When you load a ComboBox that has a row source tied to a table or query, Access loads the entire recordset for that row source immediately. When the form opens, it's going to load that whole thing.
The ComboBox does not wait until you drop it down, and it doesn't just load the top 10 or 20 and then fetch more when you scroll. That kind of lazy loading, that's how some apps or websites work, but that's not how Access works. The .ListCount property will tell you how many items are in the list or ComboBox after Access has loaded everything.
It doesn't just pull down a dozen until you scroll; it loads the entire list as soon as the form opens or the ComboBox is required. That is exactly why a large customer table slows down unfiltered ComboBoxes and why my dynamic filtering method is preferred. I've noticed this firsthand with big databases, especially if you're pulling them down over the internet. If you've got 50,000 customers, for example, pulling them down over the internet, that ComboBox is going to load all 50,000 records from the server. You're going to want to do something to filter it.
If you don't believe me and want a little test, here's my TechHelp free template. Go to my order form and there's a customer ComboBox here. There's only like 30 customers in here, but this will show you. Watch. Just hijack this button. This is CustomerCombo. We're going to hijack this button. Just put in: MsgBox CustomerCombo.ListCount
That will tell you how many records are in that box. Now, close this and just reopen it. Not going to do anything, not going to open the box or anything. Hit the button and there's 33 records in there, which I believe is correct. Here, I'll test this on a bigger database. This is a bigger database that I've got. It's connected to a customer table. It's got 55,000 records in it. I haven't done anything except open up this form. Hit the button. There's 52,000 records in that ComboBox.
I don't notice too much of a slowdown because my network's pretty fast; I got a gigabit network. It's all wired. 52,000 records isn't that big of a deal. But if I'm pulling this down from my website, connected to that customer table, and I don't filter it or do any kind of dynamic filtering ahead of time, this will take a good 10 to 15 seconds for this form to load.
That's just how Access behaves and that's why it's important to use other techniques, like I showed you in that other video, to try to filter it somewhat. Don't just load all those records at once.
Next up, John Clark talking about my corruption video and how I mentioned that SQL Server acts like a waiter standing next to the buffet, actually handing you stuff so that little kids don't get their grubby hands on all the food; versus Access where every user's database is touching that salad buffet, basically. John says, "I really like the Golden Corral analogy and plan to plagiarize it shamelessly."
First of all, I really miss Golden Corral. Where I live here in Cape Coral, Florida, we used to have a Golden Corral and then it closed after COVID. It's just gone now, and I miss it.
You can plagiarize it, but don't plagiarize it shamelessly. Plagiarize it with full shame. Remember what I always say: if you're stealing from one source, it's plagiarism. If you steal from multiple sources, it's research. When I make a new video, I don't just take stuff from one book. I've got a whole shelf full of books that I steal stuff from.
To answer your question, yes, if you're using a remote desktop like Citrix, or any remote access like Google Remote Desktop, Chrome Remote, whatever they call it, when I'm traveling, I will Chrome Remote Desktop into my PC that's here in the office. The PC in the office talks to the server. So that definitely helps because now your PC in the office is the one talking to the server.
If you've got 10 people with workstations in their office and your network is good and wired, their workstations have no problems talking to the server, even if you don't have an actual SQL Server, just the Access server. If they remote desktop into their PCs in the office, they should be fine because that's basically as if they're sitting at their computer, but it's a remote connection.
I don't see any problems with that. In fact, you can use a service like Access Database Cloud, which you can connect to the same way. You put your Access database there and everyone is essentially remote desktoping into that. That works fine too. This is great if you don't want to host your database in your office, but you have people around the world. They're essentially remote desktoping into the database. Keep those grubby little hands away from the food. Nothing worse than seeing some little kid touch the server.
Next up, I had to read this one a couple of times before I got it, and then I realized what video he's commenting on: "For what stands the BE in back?" It's the back end. Once you read it a couple of times, it makes sense. Yes, BE stands for the back end, which is essentially the database that contains the tables and possibly some queries. The front end is all the stuff that you use - your forms, reports, macros, modules, your VBA. The BE, your back end, is the tables and such.
Next up, Peter says the never-ending fitness database story made him end his subscription to the channel and end his membership. I'm sorry that you feel that way. I've tried to push this forward that the fitness database is really just a vehicle to teach Access techniques, tips, and tricks. It just happens to be in a database where I'm covering fitness, but it could be a customer database, an order entry database, or anything. All these tips and techniques are valid for any database project. I say this at the beginning of most of the videos. It doesn't matter if you care about tracking calories. The stuff I'm teaching is valid for any database, but I guess you didn't catch that.
If you've chosen to cancel, that's totally your call, but you're the one missing out on the good stuff. If you ever decide to come back, the lessons will still be here and I'm going to continue this series because there's lots of cool tips and tricks and a lot of it is stuff that I can't just throw in a brand new blank database. A lot of it is stuff that you kind of have to have in a built, established database to do what I'm doing, whether you're dealing with customers or orders or inventory. I can't just throw some of the stuff in a beginner database.
If you don't want to stick with it, I get it. I'm throwing way too much stuff in this database. Sorry to see you go. Hope to see you back in the future. If other members feel this way, I want to know, give me your feedback. I always say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. This is the first member that I've heard from who decided to cancel because I'm making too many fitness database videos. If you feel the same way, I want to hear from you - post a comment or send me an email in private, that's fine too. So far, this is the only complaint I've gotten. I like the fitness database series. I'm having fun with it and getting lots of positive feedback from people. I know I'm not everybody's cup of tea. My sense of humor doesn't fit with everybody, but there are plenty of other Access channels out there if you don't like me. So, goodbye.
Next up, Ryan says in your next video, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Excel's Power Query - how much you've used it, what you've used it for, dislikes and likes. I've used it for data cleaning when scraping part numbers and descriptions from PDFs and then importing them into Access. It seems to be a bit of a bridge between going full Access and a bit above using Excel as a small database. Have you dabbled in M language?
I've used Power Query here and there, but honestly, if I'm going to be doing anything beyond simple spreadsheet cleanup, I'm going straight to Access. That's my toolkit; that's my wheelhouse. I think Power Query is great for people who live in Excel. I have clients who live and breathe Excel. I've tried to get them into Access and they're like, no, I'm good, and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with it. I've been using Access since the 90s, so that's where I'm most comfortable, and I do plan on adding some Power Query lessons when I overhaul my Excel series soon. I've been saying "soon" for a while, but as soon as I can. It is a very useful tool. Lots of people rely on it. For me, if the job needs real querying, relationships, validation, automation, all that stuff, I'm firing up Access.
M language, I have not used it much. For those who don't know, it's basically the scripting language behind Power Query. Anytime you build steps in Power Query, Excel is actually generating M code under the hood. Most people never see it, but you can open up the advanced editor and it's in there.
There are times I might fire up Power Query. It does have the edge over Access in a couple of things. For example, you mentioned cleaning and scraping. If you've got messy CSVs, PDFs, that kind of stuff, it can do a real good job of splitting columns, merging, trimming, all that stuff. To be honest, if I get stuff like that, I just give it to AI, have ChatGPT clean it up. It's actually easier than using Power Query.
Data tables, for example: Access can do crosstab queries and so forth, but Power Query and Excel handle that much better. Access is a little clunky with that, but that's more of a reporting thing. Generally, I use Access for storing my data, data entry, all that stuff, the automation, but if I've got a set of data and want to fiddle with it and chart it, I use Excel. Sometimes I'll pull out Power Query for that.
It's better with working with files and batches. For example, you can load multiple files from a folder, combine them, standardize them, and spit out one nice clean table. Access can do it, but it's a little more manual. Power Query also has some great built-in connectors for a bunch of web services. You can do it with VBA in Access, but Power Query makes it easier. Stock information, for example.
Power Query definitely has some little niche tools that are better, but Access still wins for anything relational: validation, forms, multi-user access, automation, front-end logic, any kind of reporting beyond a basic spreadsheet, transactions, real database workflows. Power Query is a great data prep tool, like if you get stuff on a one-by-one basis, and you need to change it a little bit so you can get it into your Access database, then yeah, Power Query is great for that. It's basically good for cleaning and shaping messy data, but I've been relying on AI lately for that too, so I use Power Query less and less as time goes on. But I'm going to do some lessons on it eventually.
Excellent question. Thank you very much for that one.
Next up, Namesh asks, can we have multiple template data? He's talking about the fitness database series, which, again, covers lots of cool stuff. In Fitness Level 60, I teach you how to save template data, and I'm doing daily meal prep so you can plan out your breakfast, lunch, whatever. But these templates can be anything you want them to be. It could be a list of customers for classes, an order configuration (the same set of products you always put on orders), you name it - it doesn't have to be fitness stuff. It can be anything.
I teach you how to take your food log and then save and load templates, so like me, for example, I've got my workout days and my non-workout days, so I know how many calories I can eat on each day. But it could be different computer configurations, or anything really.
To answer your question, Namesh, that is exactly what I cover in the extended cut for this. In the regular database, I teach you how to save and load a template, so you can set up your day and save it, and load it any time. That's in the free video. Then in the next video, in 61, I teach you how to load that template, and in the extended cut, I teach you how to do multiple templates, so you can set one up and then save it, and then load up a different one. That's in the extended cut for members.
Finally today, I got an email from Armin Stein over at J Street Technology: Access Day 2026 is officially on the calendar. Save the date! It's happening March 27th, somewhere in the Redmond, Washington area. They always schedule it around the MVP Summit. I went to last year's event. It was a great time, lots of solid presentations, and even some folks from the Access team at Microsoft showing up and showing off what they're working on. This will be my third time attending Access Day. I even went to one back in 2014 in Denver, the first one I attended.
Just to be clear, I'm not presenting; I'm just going as an attendee. I'm hanging out like everybody else. But there's always lots of good info, good people. Armin is still finalizing the speaker list. They're planning an optional dinner after the conference so we can all hang out and talk nerdy Access stuff. If you're in the area or you can make the trip, definitely mark your calendar. I will share more details as soon as I get them.
Don't forget to stop by my website and check out what's new. Make sure you stop by my "Cap'n's Vlog." You can read about my Thanksgiving dinner with the Klingons. Check out my merch store. Get your mouse pads, hats, sweaters, teddy bear, whatever you want.
Remember, if you set it, you gotta forget it. My Access Beginner Level 1 book is now available on Amazon. Check that out.
That's going to do it for your Quick Queries video for today. I hope you learned something. Live long and prosper, my friends. Enjoy your weekend. See you next time.
Quiz
Q1. Why is using Microsoft Access over a Wi-Fi network not ideal for a multi-user environment?
A. Access databases require low latency and Wi-Fi introduces lag that slows queries
B. Each user's file-based Access connection can lead to file corruption due to unreliable wireless connectivity
C. Wi-Fi signals interfere with Access SQL commands, making them less reliable
D. Access databases are not compatible with wireless protocols
Q2. What is the recommended solution for using Access in an environment where all computers are on Wi-Fi?
A. Switch to a cable internet provider
B. Use cloud-based solutions only
C. Upgrade the back end to SQL Server for better data handling
D. Only allow one user at a time on the database
Q3. What happens when you load a ComboBox in Access that has a row source tied to a table?
A. It loads only the first ten records and loads more when needed
B. It waits until the ComboBox is dropped down to load any records
C. It loads the entire recordset for the row source immediately when the form opens
D. It loads only the records that are currently visible in the form
Q4. What is the main function of the Access trusted locations feature?
A. To mark which databases are shared over a network
B. To allow macros and VBA code to run without security warnings in specified folders
C. To provide backup storage for Access databases
D. To synchronize databases across computers
Q5. Why do some antivirus programs falsely flag Access files with macros as dangerous?
A. Because Access files are always unsafe
B. Because modern antivirus programs cannot read Access files
C. Because many antivirus programs use lazy pattern matching that flags anything with macros or VBA as suspicious
D. Because Access databases store viruses in tables by default
Q6. If you cannot bypass Access database startup, what is one recommended way to rescue your database objects?
A. Ask Microsoft support to unlock it
B. Import all objects into a new blank database, provided it is not ACCDE and has no password
C. Delete the startup form code in Windows Explorer
D. Wait for Access to unlock after several restarts automatically
Q7. What is an advantage of SQL Server as a back end when compared to a file-based Access system on a network?
A. It allows for free public database access
B. It enables Access to store unlimited images in one table
C. It prevents direct database file access and acts as a gatekeeper, reducing corruption risk
D. It runs on any mobile device without setup
Q8. What is the role of moderators on the website discussed in the video?
A. They create new video tutorials
B. They are paid staff responsible for programming
C. They are volunteers who help answer questions and maintain the site
D. They develop Access add-ins for download
Q9. What is the speaker's attitude toward calculated fields in Access tables?
A. They highly recommend using them in all tables
B. They recommend putting calculated fields in queries or forms instead of tables
C. They believe calculated fields are the best way to store numbers
D. They think calculated fields help prevent data corruption
Q10. If you want to search for text containing brackets in an Access query, what must you do?
A. Use double-quotation marks instead of brackets
B. Escape brackets by putting them inside brackets
C. Remove all brackets from your data first
D. Brackets cannot be searched for in Access
Q11. If users are remotely accessing their work computers (e.g., via Remote Desktop) which are connected via wired networks in the office, what is the effect on database performance and risk?
A. No effect; remote desktop introduces security vulnerabilities
B. It is similar to them sitting at their desks; Access operates over fast, wired connections, minimizing problems
C. Remote access always blocks database queries
D. Access cannot work via remote desktop
Q12. What is the presenter's approach to requests for C++ tutorial content?
A. They do not know C++
B. They refuse to consider any requests for C++ lessons
C. They have experience with C++ and will consider creating content if there is enough interest
D. They recommend using only Python for programming tutorials
Q13. What is the primary benefit to using Power Query in Excel, according to the video?
A. It allows unlimited database storage
B. It can clean and transform messy data and handle batch file loading more easily than Access
C. It can replace all VBA code in Access
D. It is the only way to visualize data in Microsoft products
Q14. How does the presenter explain the difference between front end and back end when referring to Access databases?
A. Front end is the code, back end is the hardware
B. Front end stores tables, back end stores forms and code
C. Front end contains forms, reports, queries, and logic; back end contains tables (and possibly queries)
D. Front end is for managers, back end for employees
Q15. What is the presenter's main reason for not doing live teaching sessions?
A. They dislike interaction with students
B. They have a condition that can cause unpredictable migraines, making scheduled live sessions difficult
C. They do not have the equipment for live sessions
D. They only teach in-person classes now
Q16. According to the video, what does the status box function do differently from a basic message box in Access VBA?
A. It outputs new messages at the bottom so you must scroll to read new output
B. It only holds one message at a time
C. It puts new messages at the top so the newest output is always visible first
D. It sends status updates to a log file automatically
Q17. What advice is given regarding files downloaded from the presenter's website?
A. Always scan them with third-party antivirus before opening
B. Do not open them under any circumstances
C. They are safe as the presenter is the only uploader, and Microsoft Defender is sufficient for security
D. Mac users should avoid these files
Q18. Why does loading a ComboBox with a large unfiltered table in Access slow down form loading, especially over the internet?
A. Because Access compresses each record on load
B. Because Access loads the entire row source data into memory immediately
C. Because networks block ComboBox data by default
D. Because ComboBoxes cannot connect to tables directly
Q19. How does Power Query scripting work underneath the graphical interface?
A. Every step generates hidden VBA code in Access
B. Each data transformation step creates M language code which can be seen in the Advanced Editor
C. Power Query stores all steps in a text file outside Excel
D. Power Query does not use code behind the scenes
Q20. What type of content does the presenter say the "fitness database" series is intended to teach?
A. Only health and nutrition concepts
B. General Access tips, techniques, and database concepts that are applicable to any project
C. Only how to count calories and log exercise
D. Basic math skills for Access beginners
Answers: 1-B; 2-C; 3-C; 4-B; 5-C; 6-B; 7-C; 8-C; 9-B; 10-B; 11-B; 12-C; 13-B; 14-C; 15-B; 16-C; 17-C; 18-B; 19-B; 20-B
DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.
Summary
In today's Quick Queries video from Access Learning Zone, we're catching up on our regular Friday session even though it's a day late due to the Black Friday rush. Things got a little hectic for me with the holiday, including some Thanksgiving festivities with Klingon friends who, unsurprisingly, love Black Friday shopping.
Starting with YouTube comments, I received a lot of holiday greetings, both for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Thanks to everyone who sent warm wishes to me and my family. I want to clarify that while I run most of the operation here as a one-man show, I do have a great group of volunteer moderators on my website who help answer questions and keep things running smoothly. I couldn't do it without them.
One viewer asked if older Access 2003 lessons are still available. The answer is yes, they're on my website. To find them, go to the homepage, then to Courses, then Access, and scroll down to the bottom of the list for Access 2003. These are older videos so you might notice missing thumbnails or occasional quirks, but the content is still there and should play fine.
Another question came in about whether the 50% off holiday sale applies to my free videos. Indeed, it does.
Jason mentioned that he's sharing my database video with classmates who have an exam coming up. I'd love to know how the exams went, so keep me posted.
A bit of fun came from a comment about Vulcan Santa flying through the sky in a sleigh pulled by a dozen tribbles. This little project with AI image generators took longer than I care to admit. I tried using Gemini for the artwork, but found it tricky to get just the right look for the tribble sleigh. After several attempts, I ran the best result through my face swap algorithm for a final version I can live with. It's fun to look back on some of the silly things we do with AI.
Turning to a more technical topic, someone asked if I have a video about creating Access trusted locations with PowerShell. Although I haven't done it with PowerShell, I do cover how to create the necessary registry keys in the extended cut of my trusted location video. Basically, Access trusted folders are just registry entries. When you open a new database, Access prompts you with a security warning, and if you allow it, it adds the required registry keys for trusted locations. PowerShell can write to the registry too, so it's technically possible, but not necessarily easier or more secure than using Access directly. If there's enough interest in using PowerShell for this task, let me know specifically in the comments.
A viewer remarked that he gets more satisfaction out of solving problems in Access than he does playing video games. That makes you a true geek, and I completely relate. There's something uniquely satisfying about getting a program to work as intended.
Claudio pointed out, after watching my "Locked Out" video, that you can recover objects from a locked database by importing them into a new blank database, provided the original database is not an ACCDE and doesn't have a password. This method won't transfer startup forms or certain hidden properties, but it's a valid way to rescue your data if you're in a tight spot.
Moving on to networking, Kerry commented about his office running entirely on Wi-Fi. Wired connections used to be the norm, but now wireless networks are much more common, though not ideal for file-based systems like Access. If you need to run Access over Wi-Fi, I strongly recommend upgrading to SQL Server to prevent database corruption. SQL Server manages the data requests, so the actual file never travels across the wireless network.
Marisa had concerns about dangerous macros warnings when opening one of my beginner lesson databases. This is usually the result of overzealous antivirus software or Access not recognizing files from the internet as safe. Access will always block macros by default unless the database is in a trusted folder. Rest assured, the files on my website are completely safe; I'm the only one adding content. If you want to see for yourself, feel free to open them in a non-trusted folder, hold down Shift, and review all the VBA code and macros. I highly recommend using Windows Defender over third-party security tools, as it's much less prone to false positives.
Kerry also asked about searching for text with special characters such as brackets in Access. If you want to search for brackets, you need to enclose them within brackets inside your query, since the bracket character is special. Other special characters are also handled this way.
Another beginner asked how to perform calculations in Access. There are several ways, such as calculated fields in forms or queries. I don't recommend using calculated fields in tables. You'll find more information and a link to my full calculation lesson on my website.
Caroline wanted to know if I ever teach live classes. I used to, but not anymore. Live sessions are tough to schedule for me because I suffer from migraines and can't always commit to being present at a set time. I prefer prerecorded content, so just send your questions by email or post them online and I'll reply that way. If there's enough interest in a live session, let me know and I'll consider doing an informal hangout.
A question about the status box came in from Irv. He was puzzled by why messages appeared "backwards" in my status box function. This is by design; the newest messages appear at the top, so you don't have to scroll down to see the latest output. It's a handy alternative to MsgBox in VBA, and while this is covered in the status box video, I realize it can trip people up if they haven't watched that one first.
Jim asked about the much-anticipated Access Zoom slider feature. That one's still in development by Microsoft, and seems to be more complex than expected. I'm waiting for better large monitor support myself. Stay tuned for more updates, and if you want the latest Access news quickly, subscribe to Access Forever; those guys are usually the first to break news in the Access world.
Gomez wanted to know if I cover C++ programming. I'm familiar with C++ and wrote a C tutorial back in the nineties, but I haven't made any C++ videos yet. If there's enough demand, I would consider it. C and C++ are excellent languages for anyone interested in learning programming on a deeper level.
One viewer from Florida was thankful for my Google Translate video, mentioning how challenging other translation tools have been. I hope you find my tutorials helpful no matter where you are.
Ryan commented on my dynamic ComboBox video, asking if the ComboBox in Access really loads all records at once or just the visible ones. The answer is that Access loads the entire recordset for the ComboBox row source immediately when the form opens. It does not delay loading until you pull down the list or scroll. This can slow things down if you're dealing with a large number of records. My dynamic filtering method helps resolve this issue, and you can test for yourself by checking the ListCount property after opening the form.
John Clark appreciated my analogy about SQL Server acting as a buffet waiter, controlling access to the database so users aren't all grabbing at the "salad bar" the way Access does with file-based systems. If you use remote desktop solutions like Citrix, Chrome Remote Desktop, or Access Database Cloud, you can have users connect to a central PC in your office, which helps maintain performance and security.
A viewer asked what "BE" stands for in my videos. It simply means "back end," referring to the database file that contains the tables, as opposed to the "front end," which contains forms, queries, reports, and so on.
Peter mentioned he left my channel because of the ongoing fitness database series. I understand that the specifics of the database aren't for everyone, but the real purpose of these videos is to teach Access techniques that can be applied to any kind of database project. The examples are fitness-related, but the techniques apply to customer management, inventory, and everything else. If more viewers feel this way, let me know. I value your feedback.
Ryan asked about my experience with Excel's Power Query. I've used it mainly for data cleaning and prepping tables for import into Access, especially when extracting data from PDFs or complex CSVs. Power Query is a strong tool for users who live in Excel, offering great batch processing and connectors to online data sources. For more relational data management, validation, and automation, however, I still turn to Access. I plan to add Power Query lessons to my Excel series in the future.
Namesh wanted to know about having multiple template data options in the fitness database series. In Fitness Level 60 and 61, I teach how to save and load templates for meal plans, workout days, or any recurring set of data, not just for fitness. In the extended cut, I cover handling multiple templates so you can set up and switch among different ones as needed.
Lastly, Armin Stein from J Street Technology announced that Access Day 2026 is on the calendar for March 27th in the Redmond, Washington area. These events are full of great presentations and insights from the Access team at Microsoft and other developers. I've attended a few myself and always have a great time, so mark your calendar if you can make the trip.
Remember to visit my website to see what's new. Check out my Cap'n's Vlog, the merch store, and don't miss out on my Access Beginner Level 1 book now available on Amazon.
That wraps up this Quick Queries video. If you want complete step-by-step video tutorials for any of these topics, you'll find them on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.
Topic List
How to find and access old Access 2003 video lessons
Dealing with missing thumbnails in old video courses
How trusted folders and security prompts work in Access
How Access creates trusted folder registry keys automatically
Bypassing Access startup with the Shift key
Rescuing Access objects by importing into a new database
Caveats of importing objects to rescue a locked database
Issues caused by using Access over Wi-Fi networks
Explanation of why Access databases are prone to corruption on wireless
Recommendation to use SQL Server as Access backend for wireless
How to set up trusted folders to avoid macro security warnings
Access database safety when downloading sample files
How antivirus software flags Access files with macros
Searching for text containing brackets in Access queries
Special characters and their handling in Access search
Why not to use calculated fields in Access tables
Recommended alternatives to calculated fields in tables
How the Access status box displays data (newest at top)
Explanation of Access ComboBox row source loading behavior
Measuring ComboBox record count with .ListCount property
Why dynamic filtering is important for Access ComboBoxes
Explanation of Access backend (BE) and frontend (FE)
How remote desktop solutions affect Access and SQL Server usage
Advantages of Power Query for data cleanup and importing
Comparison of Power Query and Access for data processing
Use cases where Power Query is better than Access
Explanation of M language in Power Query
How to save and load template data in Access (fitness log example)
Article
Welcome to today's edition of Quick Queries. Even though this is going up a day late due to Black Friday chaos, I want to make sure all your questions are answered. First, thank you for the holiday wishes—my family and I appreciate it, and likewise, happy holidays to you. I run my website mostly on my own, aside from a fantastic group of volunteer moderators who help manage questions and keep everything running smoothly. I could not do this without them.
If you want to access older lessons, such as my Access 2003 tutorials, these are still available on my website. To find them, visit the homepage, click on Courses, then Access, and scroll down until you see Access 2003. Access 101 is free to preview. While some of the old thumbnail images may be missing due to their age, the videos themselves should still play just fine, even if the interface looks dated.
Regarding my holiday sale, yes, it applies to all videos, including the free ones.
If you're studying for exams and sharing my database lessons with classmates, let me know how you do. I'm always interested in hearing about your success.
Now for a bit of fun: there was a comment about Vulcan Santa with a "tribble sleigh." I tried generating some images for a Vulcan Santa using both Gemini and GPT image AI tools, but getting those tribbles to look right proved a challenge. While not perfect, I ended up with a version I was happy enough with after an hour's effort. Sometimes AI art tools can be a fun, if time-consuming, experiment.
Moving on to something technical, there was a question about setting up Access trusted locations with PowerShell. If you're trying to avoid the security warning that appears when opening a database for the first time, all that's happening is that a registry key is being created to mark a folder as trusted. Access usually handles this automatically after you approve the pop-up, so it is generally not necessary to do this manually. PowerShell is capable of writing to the registry if you want to automate the process, but it will likely trigger similar security prompts, so simply approving the pop-up in Access is easier. However, if you're interested in using PowerShell for this, let me know in the comments and be specific, as I can create a tutorial if there is enough interest.
One viewer commented that solving problems in Access is more enjoyable than playing video games. If that's you, you're definitely an Access geek—but you are not alone! For many of us, nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing your own code working perfectly on the first try.
Regarding database lockdowns, there was a good reminder: if you are locked out of an Access database, you can often import all the objects—tables, queries, forms—into a new, blank database, unless the original is an ACCDE file (compiled and locked) or has a password. Keep in mind imported objects will not copy over some behaviors like startup forms or custom properties, but this is a great way to recover most of your work in a pinch.
If your office uses only wireless networking (Wi-Fi) and you are working with Access, this can be risky because Access needs reliable and constant file access. Wi-Fi connections that drop out even for a moment can cause corruption in Access files. This is one scenario where upgrading to SQL Server is a good idea. SQL Server acts as a gatekeeper, handling data requests without having client PCs directly opening your Access file. This greatly reduces the risk of corrupting the backend. If you want to know more, keep an eye out for my upcoming SQL Server for Access users course.
Another question came in about "dangerous macro" warnings when opening my example databases. These warnings are often triggered by overzealous antivirus software and by Access itself, which blocks macros by default unless files are stored in a trusted location. All the files on my website are created by me and are safe. If you want to inspect VBA code before enabling anything, you can bypass startup by holding the Shift key when opening the database. I recommend using Windows Defender, which is less likely to give you false positives than many third-party antivirus programs. Anything you get from my site is safe as long as you trust me.
When working with special characters in Access queries—such as searching for the text "[First Name]"—you need to bracket the bracket characters themselves since brackets are used for pattern matching within Access. For example, if you want to find "[" you enclose it in brackets, like "[[]". This can be confusing, so always double-check how you're structuring your query criteria when searching for special characters.
For those just starting with database calculations in Access, while there is such a thing as calculated fields in tables, these are limited and often not the best choice. Instead, perform your calculations in queries or forms, where you have more control and flexibility. I have lessons that cover this topic in depth if you need more guidance.
About teaching live: I no longer run live sessions due to the unpredictability of my schedule, especially because I sometimes get migraines. I focus instead on pre-recorded lessons and Q&A through YouTube or the website, so feel free to submit questions any time.
The StatusBox function in Access can sometimes throw people off. When looping through a recordset and outputting messages, the StatusBox function places the newest message at the top, pushing the previous messages down. This was done deliberately so you always see the latest update first, no need to scroll to the bottom.
A question also came up about the Access Zoom slider feature, which is still being developed by Microsoft and has taken longer than expected to arrive. I will let everyone know as soon as I find out more. If you want rapid updates on new Access features, Access Forever is a good mailing list to subscribe to.
People sometimes ask if I teach C++. I know C++ and have written tutorials on C in the past, but I don't have public video lessons on either language yet. If you would like to see some, let me know as there hasn't been much demand so far.
Regarding ComboBoxes in Access, some users wondered if the ComboBox only loads a handful of records until you scroll through the list. In reality, Access will load the entire underlying recordset as soon as the form (or ComboBox) appears, not just when you interact with it. This means if your row source is a large customer table, all records get loaded at once, which can cause performance issues, especially over a network. For confirmation, you can try this experiment: in the event code for a button, add:
MsgBox CustomerCombo.ListCount
You will see it shows the full list count immediately after the form loads, even before you touch the ComboBox. Filtering the ComboBox row source or using dynamic search methods is the best way to avoid slow loading with big tables.
Remote desktop solutions like Citrix or Chrome Remote Desktop can help reduce file corruption risk when using Access because your office PC is talking to the backend database, not a remote device over unstable connections. Essentially, remote desktop solutions make it as if you are sitting at your work PC, so you avoid many problems associated with direct remote access over a less reliable network.
If you see "BE" in my videos or database templates, it stands for "Back End", which is where all the tables and core data live. The "Front End" contains the queries, forms, reports, modules, and anything users interact with directly.
Some people have canceled their membership or left feedback because there are too many fitness database examples. Just to clarify, the fitness database is a teaching tool. All the techniques I demonstrate there are broadly applicable to any database type—be it for customers, inventory, or something else. If you have suggestions or concerns about this approach, feedback is always welcome.
About Power Query in Excel: I have used it but tend to move to Access if the job requires more than basic data cleaning. Power Query is excellent for cleaning up messy data, combining files, or extracting data from sources like PDFs and CSVs, especially for data shaping before import into Access. It has unique strengths for working with batches of files or connecting to various web services. If your workflow is heavily tied to Excel, Power Query is a great value. For anything involving relationships, automation, multi-user logic, and reporting, Access is the better tool. Power Query uses an underlying scripting language called M, though most users never touch it unless they use the Advanced Editor.
For those following the fitness database series and wondering about multiple templates, yes, you can have multiple templates for recurring configurations, whether it's meals, customer lists, or product bundles. The lesson for this feature, including support for multiple templates, is available on my site.
Finally, mark your calendar: Access Day 2026 will be on March 27th somewhere in Redmond, WA, timed to coincide with the Microsoft MVP Summit. The event always features great presenters, including people from the Access development team, and is a good opportunity to learn and network.
For more tips, updates, and fun extras, visit my website. I post news in my Cap'n's Vlog, and if you have questions, you can always reach out through comments or the website. Also, my Access Beginner Level 1 book is now available on Amazon if you want to get started learning.
That wraps up today's Quick Queries. Thanks for reading, and I hope you learned something new. See you next time!
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