On each layout of my inventory database there is a Cost Value for that particluar item. I want to do a total of all items, and then create totals for categorized items (Equipment, Furniture, Computer, etc.)

I'm a newbie at this so bear with me. To get the overall Cost Value I created a Calculation field named InventorySum and its value is =Sum (Cost Value). I then created a Summary field named CountRecord and its value is =Total of InventorySum (running).

When i throw this foeld in the SubSummary part of a layout is gives me the value of one item. Where am I going wrong and how can i get this to give me totals based on my criteria I have setup in the db for each item?

Thanks for any help i can get.

Hi jbullydawg,

To get a sub-summary break-out of values by item, several things must be in place:

1. The summary field must be in the subsummary part,

2. The subsummary part must be set to display when the database is sorted by the item by which you wish to summarize,

3. The records in the found set must be sorted by the field the subsummary part is based on, and

4. The data must be in preview mode (to display the summarized view).

From your description of the problem, it seems that you have created a summary field and placed it into a sub-summary part. So far so good, that gets you to step 1. However I was not able to tell from your comments whether you have followed any of the steps 2 through 4?

You do not need the calculation field. Sum(Cost Value) is equivalent to Cost Value, meaning that it only sums the Cost Value for a single record. In this case, Sum would only be useful if a related table were referenced, as in Sum(Relationship::NumberField), which would total the value of NumberField in all records related to the current one.

In your case, you should only need a summary field, defined as a Total of Cost Value. If you put this field in a subsummary part (and follow Ray's points listed above), it will display the total of Cost Value for each record within the subsummary. If you put it in a Grand Summary part, it will display the total of Cost Value for all records.