Fixing DSum Date #Name? Errors in Microsoft Access Calculated Fields

Today's TechHelp tutorial from Access Learning Zone addresses the common "#Name?" error you might encounter when your date criteria don't work in Microsoft Access Calculated Fields. Riley from Lake Forest, Illinois, one of our platinum members, reached out with a question about this issue. He said, "I'm trying to make a calculated field on my customer form to sum up all of their orders in the past year using DSum, but I keep getting a '#Name?' error. What am I doing wrong?"

Riley, this is a frequent issue, so don't worry; it's a mistake many people make. Essentially, a "#Name?" error means Access has no idea what you're referring to. When you use a function like "Date," Access might get confused if it's not used correctly.

First, let's make sure you have everything set up properly. If you haven't already, you should familiarize yourself with the DSum function, as it allows you to sum values in another table or query, such as summing customer orders. Additionally, understanding concatenation is crucial when working with multiple criteria in DSum, Dlookup, or other D-functions. If you're unsure about these topics, refer to my previous tutorials on these subjects before proceeding.

We'll use the TechHelp free template, which you can download from my website. It includes customers and orders data. In our example, we'll add a field on the customer form to show the total of all paid orders within the last year. We'll use the DSum function for this task.

First, add a new field on the form and change its name to "OrderTotal." In the properties, set the control source to a calculated value. Start by summing all of the customer's orders without any additional criteria:

"CustomerID = " & [CustomerID].

Next, introduce criteria to only include paid orders. Add the condition:

" IsPaid = True"

Remember to include spaces appropriately. These spaces are critical for the function to work correctly.

Now, let's add the date criteria. You want to see orders from the past year. In Access, a value of 1 represents one day. To get the date one year ago, use:

"OrderDate >= Date() - 365".

Initially, this might result in a "#Name?" error because Access tries to interpret "Date" as a field name, not a function. To correct this, ensure you write "Date()" with parentheses.

Also, date values in Access need to be enclosed in # symbols:

"#" & Date() - 365 & "#".

If you still don't see the expected results, it's likely due to how Access compares date values. Adding the "#" symbols ensures Access treats the value as a date.

Finally, if the result is null and you want to display zero instead, wrap the DSum function in the NZ function:

NZ(DSum(...), 0).

This converts null values to zero, making the output more user-friendly.

These common errors—misusing the Date function and failing to enclose date values in # symbols—are easy to fix once you know what to look for. By ensuring the correct use of functions and proper formatting, you can avoid these mistakes and get accurate results.

For more expert-level lessons and detailed instructions on these topics without diving into programming, visit my website. This tutorial aims to help those ready to move beyond the basics but not yet into developer-level content.

Find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.

For a complete video tutorial on this topic, please visit .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}