You can use the RunSQL macro action to run an action query in an Access desktop database by using the corresponding SQL statement. You can also run a data-definition query.
Note
This action will not be allowed if the database is not trusted.
Setting
The RunSQL macro action has the following arguments.
| Action argument | Description |
|---|---|
| SQL Statement | The SQL statement for the action query or data-definition query you want to run. The maximum length of this statement is 255 characters. This is a required argument. |
| Use Transaction | Select Yes to include this query in a transaction. Select No if you don't want to use a transaction. The default is Yes. If you select No for this argument, the query might run faster. |
Remarks
You can use action queries to append, delete, and update records and to save a query's result set as a new table. You can use data-definition queries to create, alter, and delete tables, and to create and delete indexes. You can use the RunSQL macro action to perform these operations directly from a macro without having to use stored queries.
If you need to type an SQL statement longer than 255 characters, use the RunSQL method of the DoCmd object in a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) module instead. You can type SQL statements of up to 32,768 characters in VBA.
Access queries are actually SQL statements that are created when you design a query by using the design grid in the Query window. The following table shows the Access action queries and data-definition queries and their corresponding SQL statements.
| Query type | SQL statement |
|---|---|
| Action | |
| Append | INSERT INTO |
| Delete | DELETE |
| Make-table | SELECT...INTO |
| Update | UPDATE |
| Data-definition (SQL-specific) | |
| Create a table | CREATE TABLE |
| Alter a table | ALTER TABLE |
| Delete a table | DROP TABLE |
| Create an index | CREATE INDEX |
| Delete an index | DROP INDEX |
You can also use an IN clause with these statements to modify data in another database.
Note
To run a select query or crosstab query from a macro, use the View argument of the OpenQuery macro action to open an existing select query or crosstab query in Datasheet view. You can also run existing action queries and SQL-specific queries in the same way.
Tip
To see the SQL equivalent of an Access query, click SQL View on the View menu (on the Access status bar). You can use the listed SQL statements as models to create queries to run with the RunSQL macro action. Duplicating an SQL statement in the SQL Statement argument for the RunSQL macro action has the same effect as running this Access query in the query window.