Microsoft Office 2010for Medical Professionals - Illustrated

Getting Started with Access 2010

Objectives

• Understand relational databases• Explore a database• Create a database• Create a table

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Objectives (continued)

• Create primary keys• Relate two tables• Enter data• Edit data

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Understanding Relational Databases

• Lists of information are related to one another.

• Access provides tools that allow sorting, grouping, analyzing and reporting data in many different ways.

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Understanding Relational Databases (continued)• Advantages of using Access:

• Minimizes duplicate data, increasing accuracy and consistency.

• Data entry is faster and easier.• Data can be viewed and sorted in many

ways.• Information is more secure.• Data can be shared and edited by

several users simultaneously.

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Understanding Relational Databases (continued)• Access vs. Excel:

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Exploring a Database

• Access can be opened in the following ways:• From the Start menu.• From an Access shortcut icon.• From a pinned program on the taskbar.• By double-clicking an Access database

file on your computer.

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Exploring a Database (continued)

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• Access objects:

Creating a Database

• Start by using an Access template or by opening a blank database.

• Table Design View provides the most options for defining fields.

• Datasheet View is a spreadsheet-like view of the data in a table.

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Creating a Database (continued)

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• Data types:

Creating a Table

• Three essential tasks in creating a table:1. Naming the table.

2. Naming the fields.

3. Selecting data type for each field (e.g., numbers, text, dates).

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Creating a Table (continued)

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• Important database terminology:

Creating Primary Keys

• Primary key field: Contains data that uniquely identifies each record; no two records can have the same entry in this field.

• Primary key field relates one table to another in a one-to-many relationship; one record in the 1st table is related to many records in the 2nd table.

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Creating Primary Keys (continued)

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• Designating the Primary Key field:

Creating Primary Keys (continued)

• Understanding field properties:• Properties = characteristics of a field.• 2 properties required for every field:

Field Name and Data Type.• You can add other properties, such as

Field Size, Format and Caption.• More properties = more restrictions =

more data entry accuracy.

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Relating Two Tables

• Tables must be linked before queries, forms or reports can be created that utilize fields from more than one table.

• Tables are linked in a one-to-many relationship.

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Relating Two Tables (continued)

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• Linking tables:

Entering Data

• Focus: • Always highlighted in a different color to

make it easier to find on the page.• Refers to which data would be entered

or edited if you started typing.

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Entering Data (continued)

• Options for moving the focus to navigate data:• [Tab]• [Enter]• Navigation buttons:

Previous record

Next record

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Editing Data

• Access automatically saves new data and changes to existing data as soon as you move to another record OR close the datasheet.

• To change the contents of an existing record, navigate to the field you want to change and type the new information.

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Editing Data (continued)

• Resizing & moving datasheet columns:• Click and drag column separators to

manually widen or narrow columns.• Double-click the column separator to

automatically adjust width to the widest entry in the field.

• Click the field name and drag it left or right to move a column.

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Editing Data (continued)

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• Keyboard shortcuts for editing:

Summary

In this unit you learned how to:• Interact with a relational databases• Explore a database• Create a database• Create tables• Create primary keys• Relate two tables• Enter and edit data in a table

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