Sorting Records in an Access 2000 Project 

You can sort records in database objects - such as datasheets, forms, reports, and data access pages - in a Microsoft Access project just as you can in an Access database. As in an Access database, you can perform both simple and complex sorts in an Access project. In a simple sort, you sort all records in ascending or descending order (but not both). In a complex sort, you sort records by more than one column, and, if desired, in ascending order by some columns and in descending order by others.

However, in some ways sorting records in an Access project is different from sorting records in an Access database. The key difference is that in an Access project, you can sort records either before or after they are retrieved from the database, which is either an SQL Server™ database or Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE). Whether you can sort the records before or after they are retrieved depends on the database object you are working with and the method of sorting you use. When you sort can affect the performance and even the results of the sort operation.