How to stop MS Access from changing my SQL code?

Question

I've wrote an SQL query in MS Access and Access made a mess of it, only to show it "graphical". How do I stop it from doing this?

Answer 1

There's no stopping Access from changing your SQL if you save it as a QueryDef object (ie, using the graphical query editor). You have (at least) two other options:

1. Build your queries in VBA
2. Store your queries in a table dedicated to queries using a Memo field to store the SQL (this will also require some VBA to take the SQL and execute it or assign it to a temporary querydef, etc.)

You can still use the QBE (query-by-example) window to generate your SQL initially if you want.

Also, if you have a non-Jet backend (MS SQL Server, for example) you can write pass-through queries. You lose the graphical interface but gain all of the functionality of writing SQL in your backend of choice. Access won't rearrange the formatting on pass-through queries.