The Problem (Q-score 5, ranked #33rd of 67 in the Access VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2009
I have a query in MS Access which creates a table from two subqueries. For two of the columns being created, I’m dividing one column from the first subquery into a column from the second subquery.
The datatype of the first column is a double; the datatype of the second column is decimal, with scale of 2, but I want the second column to be a double as well.
Is there a way to force the datatype when creating a table through a standard make-table Access query?
Why community consensus is tight on this one
Across 67 Access VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds niche answer (below median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.
The Verified Solution — niche answer (below median) (+8)
7-line Access VBA pattern (copy-ready)
One way to do it is to explicitly create the table before putting anything into it.
Your current statement is probably like this:
SELECT Persons.LastName,Orders.OrderNo
INTO Persons_Order_Backup
FROM Persons
INNER JOIN Orders
ON Persons.P_Id=Orders.P_Id
WHERE FirstName = 'Alistair'
But you can also do this:
----Create NewTable
CREATE TABLE NewTable(FirstName VARCHAR(100), LastName VARCHAR(100), Total DOUBLE)
----INSERT INTO NewTableusing SELECT
INSERT INTO NewTable(FirstName, LastName, Total)
SELECT FirstName, LastName,
FROM Person p
INNER JOIN Orders o
ON p.P_Id = o.P_Id
WHERE p.FirstName = 'Alistair'
This way you have total control over the column types. You can always drop the table later if you need to recreate it.
When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)
Ranked #33rd in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 74% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Access VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2009 and 2026
The answer is 17 years old. The Access VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.