Form Views and Subdatasheets

Subdatasheets were added to Access 2000 but here's a tip to both add functionality to them and make them look pretty cool. This works in Access 2000 as well but can be a little hard to find. (Read: I just found out you could do this.)

A subdatasheet is a table, query, or form in datasheet view that can show child records in a nested datasheet for a given row. For example, consider the classic example of customers, orders and order details. A subdatasheet showing this data might look something like:

This is all well and good, but let's say that you want to display some rich content (such as a form or report) in a subdatasheet. To create such a view in Access 2007, follow these steps:

1. Create a form in datasheet view
2. In Design view of the form, add a new subform
3. Set the Link Master Fields and Link Child Fields properties of the subform control as needed
4. Browse the form in datasheet view

When all is said and done, you should have something that looks like this:

By using the new Report View in Access 2007, you can create some pretty cool stuff this way. 

Caveat: this is a pretty useful view for subdatasheets, however, you should consider the performance implications of using them.