Databases in
Microsoft Access
prepared by Center for Learning Technologies
Introduction |
A database is a collection of related information or data. Using a database, you can analyze and organize information to understand its significance.
Microsoft Access has several components you will need to understand in order to use it: Tables, Queries, Forms, and Reports. Please note this tutorial does not cover relational database design. Note that after going through this tutorial, if you wish to learn more about Microsoft Access, Microsoft Access Help is an excellent resource.
Terminology:
Table:
A table consists of rows and columns and where the actual data is stored.
A table has fields. The field is the name of a column and identifies the type of data to be stored in that column such as age, last name, date of birth, etc. The name of the field is referred to as the field name.
A record is the row of data and contains one of each field.
An entry is the data stored in an individual field in an individual record.
Query:
A query does just that. It queries the tables in the database to provide specific information. For example you can right a query to find all students with grades of "C" or higher. You can also store the information from a query in it's own table.
Form:
You design forms in order to input data. Data can be input straight into the table but forms give you more control over what kind of data is input. For instance, with a form you can create a drop down menu in which you select your record entry from a predefined list. This helps ensure your data is more uniform and makes writing queries much easier.
Report:
A report is similar to a form except instead of inputting data, it outputs it. In creating a report, you often use information from a query.
Things to think about before starting:
What is the database for?
For example:
Student records, address list...etc.What fields will you need in a database?
For student record - fields such as student id number, name and gender may be needed.
For address list - fields such as street, city, state and zip may be needed.What are types of a field?
text, number, date, time format... These are known as Data Types.
How to start
Start Microsoft Access, and then select Blank Access Database:
Then navigate to where you want to store the database on your local machine, type in a name for your database, and click create.
The next window that comes up is called the Database Window. The Database Window is where you can access your tables, forms, and queries.
Initially to create a table, Access gives you one of three options:
For the purposes of this tutorial, double click on the "Create a table in design view" option in the Database Window.
The table design view should now appear. There are two possible views when working with tables: design view and datasheet view.
On to Tables