Dynamically create Datasheet from SQL query with VBA in Ms Office Access

Question

I have Access database project connected with Ms SQL Server. Data (tables) is stored in the Ms SQL server and Forms and Reports are stored in the Access .ADP file. It is not possible to create Queries, Tables, Views using Design view but Tables and Views can be created using SQL queries and stored on the server. I don't have Ms SQL Server Management Studio and I can't install it in my computer in my office.

So, what I want is to get a dynamically generated Datasheet of a SELECT SQL query to see results temporarily for data analysis. I have placed a textbox and a button in a form and want to display a datasheet containing the result of the SQL query written in the textbox when the button is clicked.

I tried this but it is not working for me and doesn't seems what I want:
MS Access VBA - display dynamically built SQL results in datasheet subform

I also tried by assigning query to Recordsource property of a form. It is showing blank datasheet, but the navigation pane below the datasheet is showing the actual number of records retrieved. So, it is working but not showing the data.

I tried (from http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/create-query-dynamically-vba-t3146896.html):

Dim db As DAO.Database
Dim qd As DAO.QueryDef
Dim strSQL As String
Set db = CurrentDb
strSQL = "select * from analysts"
Set qd = db.CreateQueryDef("NewQueryName", strSQL)
DoCmd.OpenQuery "db.NewQueryName"

It is showing run-time error 91, Object variable or With block variable not set on the line Set qd = db....

And also (from the same page):

Dim strSql As String
strSql = "select * from analysts"
CurrentDb.QueryDefs("qryExport").SQL = strSql
DoCmd.OpenQuery "qryExport"

Returning same error on the line CurrentDb.QueryDefs.....

Any idea or workaround?

Answer 1

This doesn't seems efficient, but it is working and a bit satisfactory:

DoCmd.RunSQL "IF EXISTS (SELECT TABLE_NAME FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.VIEWS " & _
     "WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'tv') DROP VIEW tv"
DoCmd.RunSQL "create view tv as " & txtQry
DoCmd.OpenView "tv"

Here I am creating a temporary VIEW (tv) in a button's click event. Before creating the view, I am checking that if a view with the same name exist or not; and if it exist then delete it so that a new view can be created with the same name with different query.

Answer 2

Access ADPs are a whole different beast than the normal MDB that you are probably used to working with. DAO isn't generally used in ADPs, you probably had to add a reference to DAO to get any part of the code above to work. ADPs are designed around using ADO to interact with the source database. If you just want to open a recordset to your data, use something along these lines.

Dim strSql As String
Dim rs as ADODB.Recordset
strSql = "select * from analysts"
set rs = New ADODB.Recordset
Set rs.ActiveConnection = CurrentProject.Connection
rs.Source = strsql
rs.Open

You can then interact with that recordset. If you want to bind that recordset to a form so that you can view the data, you can use:

Set Me.Recordset = rs

Answer 3

This is working how I want:

Dim frm As Form  ' create a form dynamically
Set frm = CreateForm
Dim rs As New ADODB.Recordset
rs.Open Replace(txtQry, vbCrLf, " "), CurrentProject.Connection  ' replace "enters" (vbCrLf) with space because it was throwing error while executing query!
Dim c As Control
For Each f In rs.Fields
    Set c = CreateControl(frm.Name, IIf(f.Type = 11, acCheckBox, acTextBox))  ' if field type is "bit", add checkbox; for other datatypes, add textbox
    c.ControlSource = f.Name
    c.Name = f.Name  ' sets column header to the same name as of field's name
Next
rs.Close
frm.RecordSource = txtQry
DoCmd.OpenForm frm.Name, acFormDS  ' open form in "DataSheet" view otherwise it will be in "Form" view

This code is placed in a button's click event.

Other possible datatypes for rs.Fields(x).Type (here, f.Type) are (3 = int, 200 = varchar)