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Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.
This article applies only to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb).
Symptoms
When you try to run a query, a form, or a report, the Enter Parameter Value dialog box may appear unexpectedly.
Cause
This behavior occurs when a field, a criteria, an expression, or a control in a query, a form, or a report references a name that Access cannot find. For example, a name could be misspelled or a field may not be available within that scope.
Resolution
To resolve this behavior, rename the reference to a valid field name. If you do not know where the reference is located, run the Database Documenter for the object listed in the Enter Parameter Value dialog box, and then output the information to a text file. To do so, follow these steps:
If you use Access 2002 and 2003, follow these steps:
On the
Tools
menu, point to
Analyze
, and then click
Documenter
.
Click the tab that corresponds to the type of database object that you are looking for, and then click to select the check box of the query, the form, or the report that you tried to run.
Note
If the object is a form or a report, include all source queries and subforms or subreports in your list of selections.
Click
Options
to specify which feature of the selected object you want to print, and then click
OK
.
Click
OK
to close the
Documenter
dialog box.
On the
File
menu, click
Export
.
In the
Save as type
list, click
Text Files
, and then complete the remainder of the information as needed.
Open the exported file in Microsoft Word, and then search for the parameter requested in the
Enter Parameter Value
dialog box.
If you use Access 2007 or a later version, follow these steps:
On the
Database Tools
tab, click
Database Documenter
in the
Analyze
group.
Click the tab that corresponds to the type of database object that you are looking for, and then click to select the check box of the query, the form, or the report that you tried to run.
Note
If the object is a form or a report, include all source queries and subforms or subreports in your list of selections.
Click
Options
to specify which feature of the selected object you want to print, and then click
OK
.
Click
OK
to close the
Documenter
dialog box.
In
Data
group, click
Text File
, and then complete the remainder of the information as needed.
Open the exported file in Microsoft Word, and then search for the parameter requested in the
Enter Parameter Value
dialog box.
If you cannot run the Database Documenter, check to see if there is a missing reference. The most common missing reference in this case is to the Utility.mda. To check for this reference, follow these steps:
In the Database window, click
Modules
under
Objects
.
Note
If you use Access 2007 or a later version, on the Database Tools tab, click
Visual Basic
, and then go to step 3.
Select any existing module, and then click Design or insert a new module. This will start the Visual Basic Editor.
On the Tools menu, click References.
In the Available References list, look for any reference that has "MISSING: " in front of the name. Click to clear the check box.
NOTE
If you do not need a reference to Utility.mda, skip to step 8.
Click Browse.
In the Files of type list, click Add-ins (*.mda).
Browse to the folder that contains Utility.mda, select it, and then click Open. By default, this file is in the folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\1033.
Click OK.
On the Debug menu, click Compile
database name
.
On the File menu, click
Close and Return to Microsoft Access
.
Steps to reproduce the behavior in Access 2002 or in Access 2003
Caution
If you follow the steps in this example, you modify the sample database Northwind.mdb. You may want to back up the Northwind.mdb file and follow these steps on a copy of the database.
Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
Open the Order Subtotals query in
Design view
.
Rename the
OrderID
field to
OrderIDNumber
.
Close the query, and then click Yes to save the changes.
Run the Order Subtotals query.
Note that the Enter Parameter Value dialog box appears.
