Access 2007 Query

Access Queries Process Data

If you have been following the previous lessons in this tutorial, you
will have created a table with five records. In this lesson we are
going to create an Access 2007 QUERY, which will process the data
below which you have entered into your table.
ID Number

FirstName

Surname

Age

John

Jones

35

Tracey

Smith

25

Anne

McNeil

30

Joe

Brown

39

Sue

Moore

33

What we want Access to do is extract all the records in the above

table where the persons age is greater than or equal to 35. Access
Queries can do far more than this, of course, but this simple task
should serve as a useful learning exercise.
Open the Query Design Grid
The first stage is to select the CREATE TAB and then go to the
OTHER group on the far right of the ribbon. Then click on the QUERY
DESIGN ICON to bring up the query design grid.

Select Table for Query

The next stage is to select which table you are going to use in this
query. When the query design grid opened, the SHOW TABLE pop up
window should also have opened. If necessary you can open this
window manually by clicking the SHOW TABLE icon in the QUERY
SET UP group on the Access Ribbon.

So far there is only one table in your database - TABLE1. This should
be highlighted when the window opens, but if not, just click on it
once. Next click ADD. When you close the pop-up window by clicking
x,you should see a box labelled TABLE1 above the query design grid.
Select fields from Table

In the table1 box, you will see a list of its field names. We are going
to use all the fields in this query, so select each one individually by
double clicking on their names. You will now see the field names at
the top of each column in the Query Design Grid.

Enter query criteria

As you may remember, the purpose of our query is to extract

records where the persons name is greater than or equal to 35. To
do this we enter the criteria into the appropriate cell of the query
design grid. In this case you need to go to the AGE column of the
CRITERIA row, and enter the formula >=35.

Save and Run Query

Click the save icon above the Access Ribbon. When prompted for the
query name, just use the default QUERY1. To run your query, click
the RUN icon in the RESULTS GROUP of the Access Ribbon. You
should now be presented with a datasheet displaying your query
results - JOHN JONES 35 and JOE BROWN 39.

You have now created and run your first query.

Access 2007 Reports

Access Reports Present Data
Access REPORTS are a way of displaying and printing information
from your database. Developers often use Reports to display the
results of a Query, which is what we are going to do next.
Like other Access database objects, there a number of ways to
create an Access REPORT. We are going use the REPORT WIZARD.
Our task is to display the results of QUERY1 which we created in the
previous tutorial lesson.
1. Open Report Wizard

Begin by selecting the CREATE TAB on the Access Ribbon. Then click
REPORT WIZARD from the REPORTS group to open the pop up
window.

2. Select Report Data Source and Fields

The first page of the Report Wizard is almost identical to that of the
Form Wizard. On this page we will select QUERY1 as the DATA
SOURCE for the Report. This is done by selecting the query from the
list in the TABLES/QUERIES combo box. Then select all fields from
QUERY1 by clicking the double arrow to the right of the text box
labelled AVAILABLE FIELDS. The field names will now appear in the
SELECTED FIELDS text box on the right. Click next to go to the
second page of the wizard.

3. Report Grouping Levels

Page two of the wizard is where you can add grouping levels if
required. So we could, for example, group each person in our report
with others of the same age. We dont need to do this for this
particular example, but it is certainly a useful feature that we might
want to learn more about later. But for now, just click next.
4. Record Sort Order

Page three of the wizard is where you determine what order the
records are displayed in your report. So for example you might want
to display records in ascending order of age. For this example,
however, we are going to put your records into alphabetical order
for SURNAME and FIRSTNAME. Begin by clicking the top drop down
box and selecting SURNAME, and in the box 2 below select
FIRSTNAME. This means that records are sorted alphabetically by
surname, and if two surnames are the same, the FIRSTNAME is used
to determine which record comes first etc.
Click Next

5. Report Lay Out

This page of the Wizard is where you set the lay out for your report.
There are various lay out options, but in our case we shall keep to
the default setting of TABULAR.
Click next.
6. Style

For style, select Access 2007 from the list and click next.

7. Name of Report

Name your report REPORT1 and then click FINISH.

Your access report will now be displayed on the screen, and should
look something like this:

Access 2007 Forms

Access FORMS are user friendly
In the previous lesson, you created an Access Table and entered
three records. However, to get the most out of Access it makes
sense to create a data entry FORM. By doing so you are making your
database more user friendly. It is easier and quicker to enter data
onto a form than it is into a table, not least because you have more
control over the layout and labelling of your form. In this lesson we
will learn how to create a FORM that uses your newly created table
as the DATA SOURCE.
Create Access form
There are a number of ways to create an Access form. In this lesson
we are going to use the ACCESS FORM WIZARD.
1. Select form wizard

Open your database if it is not already open. Click the CREATE tab
on the ACCESS RIBBON and then select MORE FORMS from the
forms group.

A drop down list of form types appears. You need to select FORM
WIZARD from this list.
2. Select table and fields

The Form wizard then opens as the pop up window below.

On the first page of the form wizard we select which table we are
going to use as the DATA SOURCE. Since there is only one table in
this database so far, it should already be selected for us in the
TABLES/QUERIES combo box.
Underneath there is a list of the four fields in your table. You could
select each field individually by highlighting the field name and
clicking the single arrow >. We can, however, select all four just by
clicking the double arrow >>. Once they have been transfered into
the right hand box they are selected. We can now click NEXT to go
to page 2 of the form wizard.
3. Form Layout

This is where we choose the FORM LAYOUT. We are going to leave

this on the default setting of COLUMNAR. Click NEXT again to move
onto page three of the form wizard.
4. Form Style

Here we select a style that from the list box. Preview a style by
clicking on its name. This step just determines how the form looks
aesthetically. Once you have selected a style to your taste, click
NEXT again.
5. Form Title

This is the last stage of the wizard. Here we are going to choose the
name for our form - lets say FORM1. We are going to leave the radio
button selected for OPEN THE FORM TO ENTER OR VIEW
INFORMATION
All we need to do now is click FINISH and our form should like
something like this:

6. Navigate Records via Access Form

As you can see, the form opens with the first record in your original
table displayed. You can navigate through each record using the
NAVIGATION BUTTON at the bottom left of the form window.

To move to the next record click the right arrow button on the
navigation control. To move to the last record click the >| button on
the navigation control. To move backwards through the recordset
use the left arrow buttons. You could edit any record from the form,
which will update the data in your table. For now, though, just try
navigating through the three records without changing any data.
7. Create New Record via Access Form

Now that you know how to move through the recordset, lets finish
off by adding two more records. To do this click the star button on
the right of the navigation control. This should bring up a blank
record. Add JOE for firstname, BROWN for surname, and 39 for age.
Click the star again to bring up a new blank record, and enter SUE
MOORE 33. When you have finished click x on the form window to
close.
This tutorial lesson has shown you how to create an Access Form
using the form wizard, and how to navigate and add records using
Access Forms. There are also other ways to Create an Access
Form from Scratch orCustomize an Access Form, but this is as
far as we are going to go in this particular lesson.

Access 2007 Tables

How Access stores data in Tables

Like all other databases, Access 2007 stores data in tables. They
look a lot like the cells of a spreadsheet with columns and rows.
Each horizontal column represents a table record, and each vertical
column represents a table field. See Table example below:
A simple Table
ID Number

FirstName

Surname

Age

John

Jones

35

Tracey

Smith

25

Anne

McNeil

30

In the example Table above, there are four fields containing

information about an individuals ID number, first name, surname
and age. Below the field headings there are 3 records containing
information or data for each individual. As such, a database table is
a list with each column containing the same specific sort of
information. Each row of information is an individual record that
might relate to a particular person, a business, or a product etc.
When planning a database table, most database designers will
decide which column headings or fields they are going to use. This is
the basis of the table structure. The actual data is added later and is
not a part of the design process.
Create Access Table

1. Open database file

If you created a blank Access database in the previous tutorial

lesson, you are now ready to create a new table. Begin by opening
your existing database file if it is not already open. Do this by
clicking on the Access desktop icon to bring up the getting started
screen again. You should see the file name that you just created
towards the top of the right hand side bar (If you cant see it, click
the folder icon to browse for the file). Click on the file name to bring
up your blank database.
If, at this stage, you get a security warning underneath the ribbon,
click where it says options, select the "enable this content" radio
button (in the pop-up window), and then click ok.
Your blank database file should now be fully open.

2. Create Access Table

Select the CREATE tab on the Access ribbon. Next select the TABLE
DESIGN icon from the TABLES group. This creates a new table.

3. Create fields in DESIGN VIEW

This brings up the TABLE DESIGN GRID where you enter each field
name and its data type. The first field we are going to create is the
ID field which is going to contain a unique reference number for
each record. Enter the name "ID" into the first column of the first
row in the grid. Because we want Access to automatically generate a
unique reference number, select AUTONUMBER from the drop down
list in the data type column. You can also enter a description for
each field, but this is not essential.
On the next row the field is going to be called FIRSTNAME and the
data type is going to be TEXT. On the third row the field name is
SURNAME with the data type again being TEXT. And finally, the last
field name is AGE and the data type here is going to be NUMBER.
Before you save the table you will need to choose the Primary Key,
which in this case is ID. To do this, select the ID row by clicking on it,
and then simply click the primary key symbol on the Ribbon.

The table design grid should now look like this:

You can now save the table by clicking the save icon on the top left
of the screen above the Access Ribbon. To view your table select
DATASHEET VIEW from the VIEWS group under the DESIGN TAB. This

brings up the datasheet view of the table that you have just created.
You should see your field headings running across the top of the
table.

4. Data entry in DATASHEET VIEW

Although entering data onto the datasheet table is not a part of the
design process, the table now exists as a database object, and you
can test it by entering some information into the cells.
Select the first cell in the FIRSTNAME column and enter the name
JOHN. For SURNAME enter JONES, and for AGE enter 35.
NB just ignore the column underneath the heading ADD NEW FIELD.
We created all the fields we needed in design view.
You have now entered the first record in the table - record 1 for John
Jones aged 35. You can now press the return key and the record will
save automatically. You are now ready to enter the second record on
the next row - TRACEY SMITH 25. Press return and then fill in the
data for the last record we are going to do for now - ANNE McNEIL 30
Your datasheet table should now look like this:

Working with Access Tables

Once you have an Access Table populated with data, you have the
option to work with it right away. Indeed, some people may not go

on to create forms, queries, and reports once they have created

their first table. With a single table you can, for example, store, edit,
filter, search, and calculate a set of database records. Now that you
have created your first table and stored a number of records, we will
take a look how you go about working with tables. We shall use your
newly created table with some additional records to illustrate how to
do this.
Feel free to download the populated database table or input the
extra records manually so you can try out the features yourself. This
is the fully populated table we shall be working with: