Online Tutorial for MS Access 2007

Before building a database, plan it.

MS (Microsoft) Access 2007 is a component of the MS Office Professional Suite. Access is consumer-friendly database software that does not require the database administrator or builder to know a programming language. Access operates similarly with other Microsoft Office applications. The user just needs to be to point and click through the database. In addition, there are wizards, which are step-by-step dialog boxes to help the user through the creation of database objects. Both individual households and Fortune 500 companies utilize Access databases.

Instructions

1. Plan the database on paper before building it. List the data needed, data sources, stakeholders (those the data and results are important to), data users and the purpose of the database, such as customer information or personal weight loss. If the data is from external sources such as an Excel spreadsheet or enterprise computer system (e.g., AS/400 or SAP), ensure that the naming conventions are consistent. For example, the company name should be Acme, Inc. or Acme, Incorporated but not both.

2. Click on the ¨Create¨ tab in the tab menu at the top of the database window, then click on the ¨Table Design¨ option. Type the name of each field in the ¨Field Name¨ column. Click on the Data Type column and use the drop-down box to select the data type.

3. Select a field to be the primary key. The field will be one of the fields created in the previous step. This field will contain unique values for each record. For example, if the data is for a human resources department, a primary key field may be the employee ID number or social security number. Click on the Primary Key icon in the tab menu.

4. Click on the disk icon to save the table. The icon is located in the upper-left corner of the window. Type the name of the table in the dialog box. Click "OK" to save the table. Click on the down arrow below the "View" option. Go to Datasheet View then enter the data into the table's fields.

5. Go back to the ¨Create¨ tab. Click on ¨Query Design¨. Click on the table in the Show Table dialog box to add it to the query, then click on Add. Click Close. Double-click each field to add it to the query. To run the query, click on the exclamation point. Name and save the query by clicking on the disk icon.

6. Select the ¨Create¨ tab to make a form. Click on the down arrow beside "More Forms," and go to "Form Wizard." Select the newly created table in the ¨Form Wizard¨ dialog box. Double-click the fields to add to the form. Follow the steps to complete the wizard and create the form. Save and name the form. The wizard will allow the database builder to determine if the forms layout will be columnar, tabular or any other format. The user will also select the form's style (graphics & color).

7. Click on the "Create" tab again and click on "Report Wizard." Follow the wizard steps. The wizard will allow the user to group the data, display the report data in ascending or descending order, set the layout and style of the report and orient the page in the landscape or portrait mode. Type the name of the report in the dialog box and click "Finish" to view the report

Tips & Warnings

• MS Access also contains templates that are available for download. It is often useful to explore the templates to better understand how to use Access.

• Macros and modules are more advanced features of MS Access. Explore those components after you clearly understand tables, queries, forms and reports. Modules require an understanding of Visual Basic.

References

• Microsoft: Database Design Basics
• Microsoft: Access 2007 Training

Resources

• Microsoft: Access 2007 Templates