MSQuery: TAB Selects First Record in Access Table

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0
• Microsoft Query, version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Query when you are editing records in a Microsoft Access table, pressing TAB or SHIFT+TAB may cause the selection to jump to a field in the first record, rather than to the next or previous field as expected.

CAUSE

This behavior may occur if the size of a field in your query is greater than 119 characters, and if you are editing record number 34 or greater, and if this field is the first or last field in the query. For example, if you are editing the last field in record 35, and you press TAB, the first field in record 1 is selected instead of the first field in record 36. Any method of selecting another record under the above conditions causes a field in the first record to be selected.

WORKAROUND

To avoid the above behavior when editing a Microsoft Access table, do one of the following:

   - When you create the table, limit the size of the fields to 119
     characters or less.

     -or-

   - While editing the data in Microsoft Query, do not add any fields to
     the query with a field width greater than 119 characters.