ACC2002: PivotChart and PivotTable Views Are Saved Automatically

When you edit the PivotTable or PivotChart view of a Microsoft Access form, either manually or through code, Microsoft Access does not prompt you to save the changes when you close the form. Instead, Microsoft Access automatically saves any manual changes or changes made through code to the PivotTable and PivotChart view of a form.

Changes to the PivotTable and PivotChart views of forms are treated the same way as layout changes to the Datasheet view (for example, changing the column width) and are saved automatically when the form is closed.

Create an .mde or .ade file from the original database or project file. Microsoft Access cannot save design changes to forms, reports, macros, and modules in an .mde or .ade file. This allows users to make changes to the PivotTable or PivotChart views in forms for ad-hoc reporting, but prevents Access from saving them when the form is closed.

NOTE: It is not possible to create an .mde or .ade file in Microsoft Access 2002 unless you have converted the file to Access 2002 format. For an example of how to create an .mde or .ade file, follow these steps:

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
2. On the Tools menu, point to Database Utilities, point to Convert Database, and then click To Access 2002 File Format.
3. Enter the file name Northwind2002.mdb, and then click Save.
4. Click OK when Microsoft Access alerts you that the file cannot be shared with Access 2000 or Access 97 users.
5. Close the database.
6. Open the database Northwind2002.mdb you created in step 3.
7. On the Tools menu, point to Database Utilities, and then click Make MDE File.
8. Enter the file name Northwind2002.mde, and then click Save.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

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.

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
2. In the Database window, under Objects, click Forms. Click Customers, and then click Open.
3. On the View menu, click PivotChart View.
4. In the Chart Field List, click Customer ID. In the box at the bottom of the list, select Data Area. Click Add to.
5. In the Chart Field List, click Country. In the box at the bottom of the list, select Category Area. Again, click Add to.
   NOTE: You can manually save your changes now by clicking Save or Save As on the File menu. You can also close the window by clicking the Close button in the upper right corner of the Customers form window.
6. Click the Close button.
7. Click Open to re-open the Customers form. On the View menu, click PivotChart View.
   
   Changes to the chart are preserved in the PivotChart view, even though you did not explicitly save them.

For additional information about .mde and .ade files in Access, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information about using Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type About designing a PivotTable or PivotChart view in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.