Sorting & Searching (Edexcel IGCSE ICT)

Sorting

What is sorting?

• Sorting is a crucial function in databases that helps organise and present data in a meaningful way

Using a single criterion to sort data

• You can sort data based on a single criterion - such as by name, date, or numerical value

• For example, you might sort a list of customers in ascending order by their last names

• To sort the customer's table by LastName in either ascending or descending order:

  • Open the table in 'Datasheet View'

  • Click on the column header for the field to be sorted

  • For example, a table of customers to be sorted by LastName, click on the LastName column header

  • Click on the "Sort Ascending" or "Sort Descending" button in the toolbar at the top of the screen

Using multiple criteria to sort data

• You can also sort data based on multiple criteria

• For instance, you might want to sort a list of customers first by LastName (ascending), and within each LastName, by City (descending)

• To sort the customer's table first by City, and then by LastName within each city:

  • Open the table in 'Datasheet View'

  • Click on the 'Advanced' button in the Sort & Filter section above

  • Select 'Advanced Filter/Sort'

  • Add the first column to sort data by, by dragging in to the QBE grid and from the sort row choose ascending or descending

  • Repeat for second criteria

  • Selecting 'Advanced' again and choose 'Apply Filter/Sort'

Ascending and descending order

• Ascending Order - Data is sorted from smallest to largest (e.g., from A to Z, or from 1 to 100)

• Descending Order - Data is sorted from largest to smallest (e.g., from Z to A, or from 100 to 1)

Searching

What is searching?

• Searching is the process of using keywords, phrases or criteria to find specific information within a database

• Searching in databases is typically done using queries

• Queries can be based on a single criterion or multiple criteria

Using a single criterion to select subsets of data

• You can use a single criterion to select specific data

• For example, you might want to select all customers from a specific county

• E.g. to return all customers from Devon:

  • Open the 'Query Design View'

  • Add the table you want to query

  • Drag the field you want to query to the QBE grid

  • For instance, if you're looking for customers from a specific county, drag the County field

  • In the Criteria row under this field, type the value you're looking for (e.g., 'Devon')

Using multiple criteria to select subsets of data

• You can also use multiple criteria to select data

• For instance, you might want to select all customers from a specific city who have also purchased in the last month

• E.g. to return all customers from London who purchased in the last 30 days:

  • Follow the steps above to start a new query and add the City field with 'London' as the criteria

  • Drag another field you want to query to the QBE grid

  • For example, if you're looking for customers who purchased in the last month, drag the LastPurchaseDate field

  • In the Criteria row under this field, type Date()-30

  • Hit run

Using operators to perform searches

• AND - Returns true if both conditions are met

• OR - Returns true if at least one condition is met

• NOT - Returns true if the condition is not met

• LIKE - Returns true if the value matches a pattern (used with wildcards)

• >, <, =, >=, <=, <> - These are comparison operators, they return true if the comparison between the values is correct

Using wildcards to perform searches

• Wildcards are used with the LIKE operator to search for patterns

• The most common wildcard characters are:

  • % - Represents zero, one, or multiple characters

  • _ - Represents a single character

  • * - Represents all

• E.g. to return all customers whose names start with 'L':

  • Start a new query and drag the field you want to query to the QBE grid

  • For example, if you're looking for customers whose names start with 'L', drag the LastName field

  • In the Criteria row under this field, type L*

  • Hit run