Proper Query Form?

[RaunLGoode]

Is it fundamentally poor practice to solicit input from a query user by adding a prompt in the "Criteria" field? Below is an example:

[Enter Invoice #]

This seems like a pretty straight foreword way to solicit user input but I have problems with the results. Is there a better way to be doing this?

 

[dcx693]

It's not poor pratice at all. It's a fine way to make a query more flexible.

However, it's not a particularly flexible way to get the information though. There's no error checking, no way to present a pre-selected subset of choices, if you have multiple prompts there's no way to backtrack to an earlier prompt.

If you're going to be "exposing" this query to users (or vice-versa) the better way to present the choices would be in a form. You can use all sorts of error checking and user interface elements to make the query easier to use. Really, it's not that much more difficult, and so much more powerful. Here's an article to read if you're interested: Customizing Access Parameter Queries