Summarizing Data (Using the Wizards)

In report development, a summary is a count of all values within a group of records. From this count, a single value is tallied. Summaries are useful and powerful tools, especially in financial reports such as general ledgers or balance sheets.

In the Summaries screen, you can select fields for which to create summary totals. The Summaries screen (see Figure 4-9) is available only if you've specified a group in the Grouping screen.

Figure 4-9: The Summaries screen (of the Standard Wizard)

Tip

Summary totals are also referred to as subtotals. The two terms are often used interchangeably.

Creating a summary field is one of those optional steps with the Report Wizards. Don't worry about creating any summary fields for now; we learn more about them in Chapter 9. Press the Next button to continue through the wizard.

Tip

When working through the screens within a Report Wizard, realize that you don't have to select information for every screen. Some of these screens contain the word Optional enclosed in parentheses. You can skip through optional screens by pressing the Next button (located at the bottom of each screen).