Post on 31-Mar-2015
By Wanda Gibson, CI, MMI,
SME
Microsoft Access
• Access is a database management system.
• This system lets you create and process data.
• A database is a collection of data that is organized in a way that enables you as the user to retrieve it.
Database
A database is like a “book cover”.Everything is included in “chapters”.
TablesQueries
Each “chapter” is considered an Object.
FormsReports
Terminology to Remember
Table – the basic organization of the information in a database
Record – contains information about a particular person, company, or event
Field – A name given to a specific piece of information in a record (name, address, etc.)
Primary Key – a unique identifier
Tables-- the starting point
Begin with the Structure Field Names -- name given to a
specific piece of information in a record (name, address, etc.)
Data Type – the kind of information included (words or numbers)
Description – a definition of the information included in the fields
Field Size – the size the field needs to be to accommodate all data
Everything has two views
Design View – the structure
Datasheet View – the information
Field Name Rules
A field name can not exceed 64 characters.
A field name can contain letters, digits, and spaces.
A field cannot contain periods, exclamation points, accent marks, or square brackets.
The field name cannot be repeated in the same table.
Data Type
The type of information to be stored in a particular field can be one of following:Text – Words or numbers that will not be
used in calculations.Number – A number that can be used in a
calculation. This number can be positive or negative.
Currency – A field that contains money information. The information will be displayed with dollar signs, decimal points and two digits.
Yes/No – A signifies yes, a signifies no.
Primary Key
A primary key is a field that is unique.
The information is not repeated in
any record. A good example of a primary key
would be our Social Security Number. This number is unique to each of us.
To create a new Database – Click Blank Database
New Database Named
This is the main menu in Access
There are four ways to create a Table from this menu.
Click Create Table in Design View
The Design View of a Table is where the structure is created.
Indicates Primary Key
Indicates the size of the field
Once the structure is complete and saved, the user can input the data. Click the view button to go to the datasheet view.
All data has been added. The Toys Table is complete.
This is Data Sheet View of the Table
Field Names
Data Records
Record Selector
An additional table has been added to the database
The data for the Vendors Table has been added.
Navigation Buttons
First Record
Previous Record
Current Record
Next Record
Last Record
New Record
Total Number of
Records
Using Access
Access is straightforward and methodical.
The user saves the structure.Access automatically saves the
data (records).
Forms
Forms show individual recordsThey can be used for data entryThey can also be used to edit
existing records instead of using the table
Forms can be customized using the Wizard
Forms, just like Tables and Reports have a Design View and a Datasheet View.
A Form can be used for data entry. To create a form, either use AutoForm in the New Objects button on the toolbar or click Forms in the objects menu.
Using the AutoForm button, the form is created quickly.This form includes all the fields from the table in the order they appear in the table.
This is Datasheet View of the Form.
This is Design View of the same Form.
Using Form Wizard, the user can select just the fields needed for the form.
This form has the fields requested in the wizard.
Reports
Reports are not used for data entry
They are used to display information about the table or tables from the database
Reports can be customized using the Wizard
Reports just like Tables and Forms have a Design view and a Datasheet View
AutoReport is a way to create a report with all fields shown in the order they appear in the
table.
This AutoReport is hard to read because all the records follow each other with no
dividing line between.Record 1
Record 2
This is Datasheet View of the Report.
This is Design View of the previous Report.
Using Report Wizard a user can include only the fields needed for the required information.
Using Report Wizard, only the fields needed were added to the report. This report is in a tabular layout and is easy to read.
This Report is in Data Sheet View
This is the previous Report in Design View.
Permissions
Microsoft product screen shots reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.