Summarizing database data

    You can create two types of summaries. A grand summary summarizes data in all the visible records of the database. A subsummary summarizes data in a subset of records.

    You must follow these steps, which are described below:
    1 Define summary fields.
    2 Insert a summary part onto a layout and insert the summary fields.
    3 For subsummaries, sort the records by the field that you are grouping the records by.
    4 In Browse mode, switch to Page View to see the summarized data.

Defining a summary field

    A summary field contains summarized data (for example, the sum, average, standard deviation, and so on) for records in a database.

    A typical summary field uses the SUM function, which adds a range of numbers represented by whatever is between the parentheses. For example, the formula =SUM('SalesTotal') adds the data in the SalesTotal field for each record in the summary or subsummary.

    To define a summary field:
    1 Choose Define Fields from the Layout menu.
    2 Type a name for the summary field, choose Summary from the Field Type pop-up menu, and click Create.
    3 Build a formula for your summary field by selecting fields, operators, and functions.
    4 Choose a display format from the "Format result as" pop-up menu.

Inserting summary parts

    Summary parts display summary information. If you define a summary field but don't insert a summary part onto a layout, you won't be able to see summarized data on that layout.

    To insert a grand summary part onto a layout:
    1 If you're not already in Layout mode, choose Layout from the Layout menu.
    2 Choose a layout from the Layout menu.
    3 Choose Insert Part from the Layout menu.
    4 To insert a grand summary part above the body part, select "Leading grand summary." To insert a grand summary part below the body part, select "Trailing grand summary."

    To insert a subsummary part onto a layout:
    1 If you're not already in Layout mode, choose Layout from the Layout menu.
    2 Choose a layout from the Layout menu.
    3 Choose Insert Part from the Layout menu.
    4 Select "Sub-summary when sorted by."
    5 Select the field that you want to group the records by.
    For example, to subtotal sales amounts by region, select the Region field. When you sort the database by this field, AppleWorks calculates the subsummary field correctly.
    To start a new page when the subsummary appears, select "Page break before part" or "Page break after part."
    6 Specify whether the subsummary data should appear above or below each group of sorted records.

Inserting summary fields

    To insert a summary field into a layout:
    1 If you're not already in Layout mode, choose Layout from the Layout menu.
    2 Choose Insert Field from the Layout menu.
    3 Select a summary field and click Insert.
    4 Drag the summary field and, if you like, its field name into the grand summary or subsummary part you inserted in the procedure above.

Sorting records for a subsummary

    When you use a subsummary part to summarize data on a layout, you must sort the records by the same field you chose when inserting the summary part, above, to display the summarized data correctly.

    Tip: If you plan to create the same summary report again, create a named sort or report.

Viewing the summarized data

    To view the summarized data:
    • In Browse mode, choose Page View from the Window menu.

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