MS Access SQL Query Not Exist - sql

Question

I have been stuck on trying to figure how to return data that is in one table but not the other. I thought an outter join would work, but it seems that Access does not allow that.
My SQL is returning results if a record exists in the MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry but if there is not record then no data is being returned. I would like to display a 0 if there are not records.
My sql is:
SELECT REF_TestCategory_tbl.CategoryID
,MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.[Supervisor Id] AS TestOfficerID
,Count(MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.[Sheet ID]) AS Actuals
,MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.ComplianceMonth
FROM MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry
INNER JOIN (
REF_TestCategory_tbl INNER JOIN REF_TestCatalog_tbl ON REF_TestCategory_tbl.CategoryID = REF_TestCatalog_tbl.TestCategory
) ON MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.[Test Number] = REF_TestCatalog_tbl.TestID
GROUP BY REF_TestCategory_tbl.CategoryID
,MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.[Supervisor Id]
,MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.ComplianceMonth
ORDER BY REF_TestCategory_tbl.CategoryID;
Which returns:
CategoryID TestOfficerID Actuals ComplianceMonth
1 3062 26 1/1/2020
1 3062 6 2/1/2020
2 3062 2 1/1/2020
3 3062 2 1/1/2020
3 3062 1 2/1/2020
if there are no records for feb, I need it to reurn 0 in Actuals
Thank you

Answer 1

If your 'ComplianceMonth' Values consistently exists regardless of your adjacent data(Meaning if the adjacent data returned for your ComplianceMonth is NULL) then you could do something like this.
SELECT REF_TestCategory_tbl.CategoryID,
MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.[Supervisor Id] AS TestOfficerID,
coalesce(Count(MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.[Sheet ID]),0) AS Actuals,
MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.ComplianceMonth
FROM dbo.MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry RIGHT OUTER JOIN
dbo.REF_TestCategory_tbl RIGHT OUTER JOIN
dbo.REF_TestCatalog_tbl ON REF_TestCategory_tbl.CategoryID = REF_TestCatalog_tbl.TestCategory ON MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.[Test Number] = REF_TestCatalog_tbl.TestID
GROUP BY REF_TestCategory_tbl.CategoryID, MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.[Supervisor Id], MonthlyTargets_0_SPARTN_qry.ComplianceMonth
ORDER BY REF_TestCategory_tbl.CategoryID
Hope this Helps.

Answer 2

MS-Access DOES allow outer joins in its SQL. You can do both a LEFT JOIN or a RIGHT JOIN.
MS-Access does not include a statement for a full-outer-join. However, if you want to do a full-outer-join you can do it with a UNION ALL of a specific LEFT JOIN and a specific RIGHT JOIN. The instructions to do a full-outer-join are the following:
You do a “LEFT JOIN” (enclosed in a Select operation) between the two input record-lists. If one of the two input record-lists has one (or more) fields that for sure cannot be Null, that will be the left input record-list. The “ON” Boolean expression is the one that you want for the Full-Outer-Join.
If the left record-list has one (or more) fields that for sure cannot be Null, you skip this step. Otherwise, you do a Cross-Join between the left record-list and a record-list having only one record with one non-Null field (it can be exactly the same Select over “T_Numbers” in the example above, highlighted in green). The Cross-Join is enclosed in a Select that exposes all the fields from the Cross-Join operation, including the field “Num” from “T_Numbers” (with another field name, if you want).
You do a “RIGHT JOIN” having the same right input record-list from point 1. Its left record-list is either the Select from point 2, or the left input record-list from point 1, as corresponds (see point 2). The “ON” expression must be exactly the same as the one of the “LEFT JOIN” from point 1.
The “RIGHT JOIN” from point 3 is enclosed in a Select that exposes all the fields from the left and right input record-lists from point 1. This Select has the “WHERE” expression “IsNull(field)”, where “field” is either the “Num” field from point 2, or the field from left input record-list that for sure cannot be Null, as corresponds (see point 2).
You do a “UNION ALL” with the Select enclosing the “RIGHT JOIN” from point one and the Select enclosing the “RIGHT JOIN” from point 4.
More information at LightningGuide.net.