Introduction.
I know your immediate response after looking at the title will be, "I know all those things, tell me something that I don't know about". Well, if you haven't come across the last item (that is an odd one) in the Title before, then that is what I am trying to do here, read on. The first four words are very familiar to us they are Built-in Functions in MS-Access and Worksheet Functions in Excel.
We will catch up with the last one later, after checking the usage of Min() Function (will represent the first four items in the title) in Excel and why we have some difficulty with it in MS-Access when compared with Microsoft Excel.
Difference between Excel and Access
We are not forgetting the other Functions DCount(), DSum(), DMin(), DMax() and DAvg() of Access at all.
Let us look at the usage of the Min() Worksheet Function in Excel. It can find the minimum Value from a Range of Cells in a Single Column, from a Row of Cells across Columns, or from a Range of Cells spread over several Columns and Rows.
But, when we come back to MS-Access the Min() function can be used only in a single column (on a single Field) of a Query and in Header/Footer Sections of Forms or Reports. Then what do we do to find the Minimum value from more than one Field?
Have a look at the sample table given below to get the gravity of the issue we are here.
We have received Quotations for Electronic Items from three different Suppliers, and we need to know which one is the lowest and from which Supplier. In this case, our Min() Function has no use here unless we re-organize the above data in the following format:
To get the required result out of this data, we need two Queries and we will ignore the duplication of Descriptions, Supplier Names, the Table size in Records, etc., for now.
- Need one Total Query to the group on the Desc field and the Min() Function to find the minimum value from the Values Field.
- Need a second Query, using the first Query and the Table above as Source, JOINed on Desc and MinOfValues Columns of the Total Query with the Desc and Values Fields of the Table to pick all the records from the Table matching with minimum quoted values and Description.
The ParamArray Method
I consider these steps are excessive work and I know you will agree too. Instead, we can write a User Defined Function with the use of ParamArray and pass the Field Names to the Function and find the Minimum Value from the list. Here is a simple Function with the use of the ParamArray declaration to find the Minimum Value from a List of Values passed to it.
Public Function myMin(ParamArray InputArray() As Variant) As Double
'------------------------------------------------------------------
'Author : a.p.r. pillai
'Date : November-2008
'URL : www.msaccesstips.com
'All Rights Reserved by www.msaccesstips.com
'------------------------------------------------------------------
Dim arrayLength As Integer, rtn As Double, j As Integer
'calculate number of elements in Array
arrayLength = UBound(InputArray())
'initialize Null values to 0
For j = 0 To arrayLength
InputArray(j) = Nz(InputArray(j), 0)
Next
'initialize variable with 1st element value
'or if it is zero then a value with high magnitude
rtn = IIf(InputArray(0) = 0, 9999999999#, InputArray(0))
For j = 0 To arrayLength
If InputArray(j) = 0 Then
GoTo nextitem
If InputArray(j) < rtn Then
rtn = InputArray(j)
End If
nextitem:
Next
myMin = rtn
End FunctionCopy and Paste the above Code into a Global Module and save it.
A few simple rules must be kept in mind while writing User Defined Functions using the ParamArray declaration in the Parameter list of the Function.
- While declaring the Function, the Parameter Variable InputArray() (or any other name you prefer) must be declared with the keyword ParamArray, in place of ByRef or ByVal we normally use to declare parameters to functions.
- The Data Type must be a Variant type.
- The ParamArray declaration must be the last item in the Parameter list if the UDF accepts more than one Parameter.
- The Optional parameter declarations should not appear before the ParamArray declaration.
- Since the data type is Variant it can accept any type of value.
With the use of the above myMin() Function, we have created a Query on the first Table given above. The SQL and the resulting image of the Query in Datasheet View are given below.
SELECT MaterialQuote.Desc,
MaterialQuote.Supplier1,
MaterialQuote.Supplier2,
MaterialQuote.Supplier3,
mymin([supplier1],
[supplier2],
[supplier3]) AS Minimum,
IIf([minimum]=[supplier1],"Supplier1",IIf([minimum]=[supplier2],"Supplier2",IIf([minimum]=[supplier3],"Supplier3",""))) AS Quote
FROM MaterialQuote;
In the above example, we have used only three Field Values to pass to the Function and these can vary depending on your requirement.
Modified Version of VBA Code
A modified version of the same function is given below that accepts a Calculation Type value (range 0 to 3) as the first Parameter and depending on that we can find the Summary, Minimum, Maximum, or Average values passed to it through the InputArray() Variable.
Option Compare Database
Enum SMMA
accSummary = 0
accMinimum = 1
accMaximum = 2
accAverage = 3
End Enum
Public Function SMMAvg(ByVal calcType As Integer, ParamArray InputArray() As Variant) As Double
'------------------------------------------------------------------------
'calType : 0 = Summary' : 1 = Minimum
' : 2 = Maximum' : 3 = Average
'------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Author : a.p.r. pillai'Date : November 2008
'URL : www.msaccesstips.com
'All Rights Reserved by www.msaccesstips.com
'------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dim rtn As Double, j As Integer, arrayLength As Integer
Dim NewValue As Variant
On Error GoTo SMMAvg_Err
If calcType < 0 Or calcType > 3 Then
MsgBox "Valid calcType Values 0 - 3 only", , "SMMAvg()"
Exit Function
End If
arrayLength = UBound(InputArray())
'Init Nulls, if any, to 0
For j = 0 To arrayLength
InputArray(j) = Nz(InputArray(j), 0)
Next
For j = 0 To arrayLength
NewValue = InputArray(j)
'skip 0 value
If NewValue = 0 Then
GoTo nextitem
End If
Select Case calcType
'Add up values for summary/average
Case accSummary, accAverage
rtn = rtn + NewValue
Case accMinimum
rtn = IIf(NewValue < rtn, NewValue, rtn)
rtn = IIf(rtn = 0, 9999999999#, rtn)
Case accMaximum
rtn = IIf(NewValue > rtn, NewValue, rtn)
End Select
nextitem:
Next
'Calc Average
If calcType = accAverage Then
rtn = rtn / (arrayLength + 1)
End If
SMMAvg = rtn
SMMAvg_Exit:
Exit Function
SMMAvg_Err:
MsgBox Err.Description, , "SMMAVG()"
SMMAvg = 0
Resume SMMAvg_Exit
End Function
The Function name was defined using the first letters of the Calculation Types that the Function can perform and I hope you like it too.
When any of the values in the InputArray() element is Zero then that is ignored and will not be taken as the minimum value.
Sample Runs on Immediate Window:
? SMMAvg (0,0,10,5,7) 'Summary
Result: 22
? SMMAvg (1,0,10,5,7) 'Minimum value from 0,10,5,7
Result: 5
? SMMAvg (2,0,10,5,7) 'Maximum value from 0,10,5,7
Result: 10
? SMMAvg (3,0,10,5,7) 'Average
Result: 5.5
We can use this Function in Text Boxes on Forms, Reports, or from other Controls. Use it at your own risk.
