MS Access Count() Function

The Count() function in MS Access is used to count the number of records (rows) in a table that meet specified criteria or the number of non-null values in a particular column.

Count(): Definition and Usage

Count() is an aggregate function; it summarizes data from multiple rows to give a single result. It's extremely useful for getting totals, determining the size of datasets, or performing calculations based on the number of rows. Count() ignores NULL values.

Syntax

Syntax

Count(expression)

Parameter Values

Parameter Description
expression A field name (column) or a string value. If you use a field name, it counts the number of non-null values in that column. If you use a string value (like `"*"`), it counts the total number of rows, regardless of whether the column is null or not. This is required.

Example

Counting Products

This example counts the number of products in the 'Products' table (assuming a table named 'Products' exists with a 'ProductID' column). Using `"*"` as the expression counts all rows, even those with null `ProductID`.

Syntax

SELECT Count(ProductID) AS NumberOfProducts FROM Products;
Output

NumberOfProducts
----------------
(The number of products in the Products table)
**Note:** The example output will vary depending on the number of rows in your `Products` table. If there are any rows with a `NULL` value in the `ProductID` column, those rows will *not* be counted. If you want to count all rows regardless of whether `ProductID` is null, replace `ProductID` with `"*"` in the query.