Microsoft Access Table Field Data Type Consistency

If the same field name is used in multiple tables, there's a good chance that the fields all refer to the same data. In these cases, each instance of the field should have the same data type and size.

For instance, a Customer ID field could occur as an AutoNumber field (long integer) in one table and an integer or double in another.

Inconsistencies like this can lead to problems as data is moved from one table to another or queried. In extreme cases, inconsistent data types can even lead to data loss as Microsoft Access or VBA tries to convert between different types.

Additional Resources

Our Total Access Analyzer add-in performs detailed analysis of your MS Access database objects and detects tables with field type inconsistencies, plus hundreds of others tips to improve your database designs. For more information, visit:

• Verifying Consistent Definitions of Identically Named Fields Across Microsoft Access Tables