I have a report that displays data that is sorted by month and a
summary field summarize each columns data by month. I want to sum up
the total of all the summary fields too. So the report shows the
individual summary for each column for the months shown and a total of
all those summary fields. I cannot make a summary field that summarizes
summary fields. Any Ideas of how to do this? FMP 8.5 WinX

Thanks

Unless I am under-estimating the complexity of what you want to do, here
is your answer:

You do not need to define separate summary fields that summarize your
summaries. Instead, include either a footer or a trailing grand summary
layout part on your layout. Then add your summary fields to that part.
You can have the same summary fields in different parts of your layout.
Filemaker will display different values in the summary fields, depending
on what records they include.



In article <1163698034.110265.204220 (AT) f16g2000cwb (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
"DavidR" <davidcroth (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

thanks Greg, I found the Get Summary Function and made some calc
fields with that and its working great but now that I know I can
recycle the summary fields using the same in different parts, I'll try
my next report using the same fields in the footer.

Thanks again for your help.

David


Greg Dember wrote:

In article <1163698034.110265.204220 (AT) f16g2000cwb (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
"DavidR" <davidcroth (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

You can't create a Summary field of a Summary field, and in most cases
you don't need to. (When you actually do, you have to create a
Calculation field that uses the Get Summary function).

Since you're already summarising by Month, you've probably already got
a layout that is something like:

Header {if wanted}
---------

[Data]

Body
---------

Total = [DataSummary]

Sub-summary by Month (Trailing)
---------

Footer {if wanted}
---------

Where the Summary field DataSummary is totalling the field Data.


For the new total-of-totals you just need to add a new Trailing Grand
Summary part to the layout that contains that same Summary field.
eg.

Header {if wanted}
---------

[Data]

Body
---------

Total for [Month] = [DataSummary]

Sub-summary by Month (Trailing)
---------

Grand Total = [DataSummary]

Trailing Grand Summary
---------

Footer {if wanted}
---------


FileMaker will automatically calculate the total / sub-total (or
average or whatever) for the records within the appropriate divisions
the field is in, ie. the Sub-summary Part totals up each Month's values
since it's sorted by Month, while the Grand Summary part totals up the
values for ALL the records within the report.



BUT, having said that, depending on what the report is being used for,
it might be better to use another Sub-summary that sorts by Year
instead of (or even as well as) a Grand Summary.
eg.

Header {if wanted}
---------

[Data]

Body
---------

Total for [Month] = [DataSummary]

Sub-summary by Month (Trailing)
---------

Annual Total for [Year] = [DataSummary]

Sub-summary by Year (Trailing)
---------

Grand Total = [DataSummary]

Trailing Grand Summary
---------

Footer {if wanted}
---------

This way you'll get a sub-sub-total for each Month, a sub-total of all
the months for each Year and a grand total for all records within the
report ... as long as you first sort the records in the order:

Year
Month


It's difficult to explain, but once the layouts are set-up and the
records sorted into the corect order (the reverse of the Trailing
Sub-summaries), you should easily see what's happening by Previewing or
printing the report.


Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)