Access 2007 Handout

Objectives

1: Familiarize yourself with basic database terms and definitions.

2: Familiarize yourself with the Access environment.
3: Identify and describe the four main types of Access database objects.
4: Create a table and enter data into it.
5: Format Records in the Datasheet View
6: Create a query to obtain information from a database.
7: Create a form to enter and edit data into a table.
8: Create a report based on information stored in a database.

Objective 1: What is a Database?

A Database is simply defined as a collection of related groups of information. Things such
as a phone book or address book, a card catalog at a library, and student scheduling or
grade records are all databases. Each group of information (record) has the same pieces of
information (fields), even though they hold different values.

Terms:

Record - A group of information about a given person, product, or event

Field - Each category or piece of information within a record. The fields are the
“placeholders” for the actual data to be stored within the database. Every record has the
same fields, but the fields store different data.
Field names – a unique name given to each field in the database
Data type- tells Access the type of data the field will contain

Objective 2: Familiarize yourself with the Access environment.

Basic Navigation

To Start Access

1. Click the Start button on the taskbar.

2. Point to All Programs.
3. Click Microsoft Office
4. Click Microsoft Office Access 2007

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The Microsoft Home Button is available in all Office programs and contains
commands such as saving, opening, and printing. The right pane of the button will list your
recently used documents.

The Quick Access Toolbar is the small group of buttons on

the left, above the Ribbon. It contains commands such as Save, Undo, Repeat, Redo
and other commands that used to appear under the drop-down menu.

To Create a New Database

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button then click New.

2. From the Getting Started with Microsoft Access Welcome Screen, the Featuring
Template Category, Click Blank database from the New Blank Database header.

3. Choose the location for storing the new database then enter a filename for the

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database.

4. Click Create.

To Open an Existing Database

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button then

click Open

2. From the Open window, locate the database,

click it to select it then click Open.

3. If necessary, click the Open button in the

Security Warning window.

Familiarize yourself with the Database Ribbon

Access 2007 offers a new user interface. The top portion of the window has a new
structure for Access commands. The band area is called the Ribbon. It is the control
center for creating a database. You will no longer see drop-down menus and toolbars.
The Ribbon will provide a more visual arrangement of commands in groups.

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Home Tab consists of formatting tools used to change data in an Access table. Some common
tools are copy, paste, font, delete and insert records; etc.
Create Tab consists of the different database objects used to create a database.

External Data Tab consists of tools to import data into databases as well as export data into
external applications, such as Excel and/or Word.

Database Tools Tab consists of tools used to create or edit Database Relationships

Design Tab consists of tools used to modify the datasheet view of a database, such as
inserting and deleting rows

Objective 3: Identify and describe the four main types of Access database objects.
4 main types of objects

Tables Tables are the main elements in a database. They are where all the specific data
information is stored. All the other objects work off of the data in the tables.

Forms A Form is the method of making the database interactive via the computer screen.
Forms can provide a graphical interface for adding/retrieving information to/from tables

Reports A Report is a printed form of output from the database. It may include all records from
the tables, or specific records according to a query.

Queries A Query is the method of asking the database a question. It is used to re-organize or
extract specific records (data) from the table(s).

Objective 4: Create a table and enter data into it.

Creating a Table

To Create a Table in Design View

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1. Once you are in the database window, click the Create tab on the Ribbon.

2. Click the Table Design button from the Tables group

A Note about planning your Table Design

A certain amount of planning is necessary prior to creating the table, you should have a
good idea of how you will break down the data you want to store into pieces (fields). You
should have a plan for each field in terms of a name, what type of data it will hold, and how
you want to describe it.

Field names - unique names given to each field in the database

• can be up to 64 characters long,
• can contain letters, digits, spaces, and most punctuation symbols,
• cannot contain periods, exclamation points, or square brackets

Data type- tells Access the type of data the field will contain
• text – a text field can contain any character – it is limited to 255 characters
• memo – a memo field is essentially a large text field – it can hold more data than a text
field
• number – a number field contains numbers – it is best suited for numbers to be used in a
calculation.
• date/time – a date/time field stores calendar data in various formats
• currency – a currency field contains dollar amounts – it can also be used to display
percentages, scientific notation, etc.
• AutoNumber – this field will receive data automatically – you can set the numbering
system
• There are a couple more specialized data types available as well.

Description - allows user to enter a detailed description of each field.

To Define Fields in a Table

1. Assuming you have just opened a new table in Design view, as shown below
2. Enter the first Field Name in your table.

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3. Press the Tab key and choose the data type from the Data Type drop down list.
(text, currency, or number, etc.)

4. Press the Tab key and enter a description of the data in the Description field.

5. Press the Tab key and continue until all field names, data types, and descriptions
have been entered.

6. Click the Save button on the Quick Access

Toolbar and name the table when prompted. Click
OK.

7. There is no primary key defined message will appear. This is in reference to a

database that will contain multiple tables. Click No to not create a primary key for

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this table. (Primary keys will be discussed in the Intermediate class.)

Entering Data into a Table

The final step in creating a table is adding the actual data (filling in
the fields of the records) to the table. The table must be in Datasheet
view to add data to the table. (Data can also
be added to a table via a form.)

To Enter Records into a Table

1. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon, click the View button
from the Views group, click the Datasheet View button
to display the table in Datasheet view

Sorting Data in a Table

Access allows you to organize the data in a table by sorting. You can define a key field for
the data to be sorted by and choose either ascending or descending order.

To Sort Data

1. If necessary, display the table in datasheet view (Home tab, Views group, View
button, Datasheet View)

2. Click on the Field Name drop down arrow that you wish to sort by. (This should select
give you a drop down list of options.)

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Objective 5: Format Records in the Datasheet View
Access 2007 provides several formatting options for records in the datasheet view. Some
options include font, font color, spell check, and more.

To Format Records in the Datasheet

1. Make sure you are in the datasheet view, click the Record you would like to format
2. Click the Home tab, Click the desired formatting button from the Font group

To Spell Check Records in the Datasheet

1. Make sure you are in the datasheet view;

2. To spell check, Click the Home tab, Select the Records group, click the Spelling button

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3. Click the necessary button (Ignore, Change; etc) based on the misspelled word

Objective 6: Create a query to obtain information from a database.

Queries

Access allows you to ask specific questions about items within a database. This method of
searching a database is called a query. A query is a question represented in a way that
Access can understand. Once you have created a query, you run it to display the answer to
the question. The answer will be in the form of a list of records meeting the criteria specified
in the query.

To Create a New Query

1. From the Database Ribbon, Click the Create tab,

2. Click the Query Design button from the Other group n the database Ribbon

3. Highlight the table you want to retrieve information from, and then click the Add
button from the Show Table dialog box. (You may choose more than one table if
necessary—this option will be discussed in the Intermediate class.)

4. Click Close to close the Show Table dialog box.

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5. You must specify each field you want to use to gain information from the query.
Double click each of the Field Names in the Field list box that you wish to use in the
query.

6. You can choose to sort the query results on a particular field by choosing Ascending
or Descending from the Sort drop down list arrow that corresponds to the
appropriate field name.

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7. You can choose to show or not show a particular field in the results by checking or
clearing the Show checkbox that corresponds to the appropriate field name.

8. The criteria for specifying which records to display in the query can be entered in the
Criteria box that corresponds to the appropriate field name.

9. When the query is set up, click on the Run button from the
Design tab, Results group to display the results.

10. Click the Save button from the Quick Access Toolbar to
save the query results for later use. Each time the query is run the results will be
pulled according to what data is stored in the database.

Use Criteria Conditions in a Query Design

A note about the Criteria conditions: When designing a query, you can use the
comparison operators (<, >, =, or <> for not equal to) for numbers, or for text strings as well
as other data types. If you are comparing a text string constant, you have to enclose it in
double quotes. If you are using a date constant for comparison, you must format the date as
M/D/Y enclosed with pound signs (#8/20/98#)

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Objective 7: Create a form to enter and edit data into a table.
Forms

Creating a form for a database means you are creating a more graphical interface between
you and the database itself. Data can be edited or new records can be added using the
form.

The quickest way to create a new form is to use the Form Wizard.

To Create a Form using the Form Wizard

1. In the Database Ribbon, click the Create tab;

2. Click the More Forms dropdown arrow from the Forms group.

3. Choose Form Wizard from the list in the More Forms dialog box.

4. This starts the Form Wizard

To use the Form Wizard

1. Click the Tables/Queries

drop down list and
select the appropriate
table. From the Available
Field list, select the fields
you wish to add to the
form and click either the
Add a Field button or
the Add all Fields
button. Click Next when
finished.

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2. Choose which type of
layout you desire for the
form by clicking in the
radio button in front of the
layout type. Click Next
when finished.

3. Choose a pre-set graphic

style for your form. As you
click on the choices from the
list on the right, you will see
a preview on the left.Click
Next when finished.

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4. Give your form a title that
will make sense to you in the
future. Select the Open the
form to view or enter
information radio button
or the Modify the form’s
design radio button. Click
Finish.

Form Window
Notice you can scroll through the existing records, make edits, and add new records from
the Form window. Any changes made while displaying the form, will also change the table
(or query) from which the form was created.
You can make adjustments to the form by viewing it in Design view. Each item within the
form is called a control, and each control can be edited/resized/reformatted.

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Objective 8: Create a report based on information stored in a database.
Reports

A report is the method used to create a printed version of output from the database. You
can create a report to simply show all the records of a table or query, and you can even
create label reports.

The quickest way to create a report is to use the Report Wizard.

To Create a Report using the Report Wizard

1. Click the Create tab

2. Click the Report Wizard button from the Reports group.

3. This starts the Report Wizard.

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To use the Report Wizard
1. Click the Tables/Queries drop
down list and select the
appropriate table. Choose the
fields you wish to include in the
report by highlighting the field,
and clicking the Add button.
You may include fields from
another table or query by
changing the item in the
Tables/Queries box. Click Next
when done.

2. Specify any fields that you wish

to
have your report grouped by.
The grouping will list all records
with matching data in that field
together. Click Next when done.

3. Select which field(s) you want

the
report to be sorted by. If you
choose multiple fields, then they
will be sorted in the order they
are entered. Click Next when
done.

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4. Choose the type of report
Layoutyou desire by selecting
theappropriate radio button.
The
select the appropriate
Orientation: Portrait or
Landscape radio button.
Click Next when done.

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5. Choose the style for
your report. Click Next
when done.

6. Type in a name for your report and click Finish. Your report will be displayed in Print
Preview mode.

7. Your report is now ready to be printed. From the Print preview mode, click the Print
button

8. You can make adjustments to the report by viewing it in Design View. Each item within

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the report is called a control, and each control can be edited/resized/reformatted.

9. To close Print Preview, click the Close Print Preview button

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