How to Make a Database on Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access is a powerful application that allows you to create robust databases to keep track of everything from recipes to customers and inventory. Out of all the applications in the Microsoft Office suite, Access is the most powerful in terms of scalability and user customization. When first getting started with Access, it is a good idea to use the easy-to-follow Database Wizard, as this will help you learn how Access relates various components. However, if the samples offered by the Wizard do not suit your needs, you can create a simple single-table database relatively easily.

Instructions

1. Open Microsoft Access on your computer. Click the "Blank Database" icon in the "Available Templates" window.

2. Create a new table for the database. Click the "Click to Add" drop-down box in the "Table Tools" window. Add fields to the default "Table1" table Access creates when you first open the application. For example, to create a simple database of personal contacts, with their phone numbers and email addresses, add the following fields:

   Type of Field/Name

   ID/ID (Auto-generated by Access. Do not remove)

   Text/Contact_Name

   Text/Phone_Number

   Text/Email_Address

   For the example database, you create three fields in all.

3. Click "View" on the Access toolbar. Enter "tbl_Personal_Contacts" or something similar in the "Save As" dialog box, then click "OK." When naming Access tables, use the "tbl" prefix to help standardize naming conventions and make tables easier to recognize when working with your database.

4. Create a form for data entry in the sample database. Click the "Create" tab on the ribbon bar. Click the "Form Wizard" link in the "Forms" area. Click the ">>" button in the "Form Wizard" window, then "Finish." The wizard creates a simple form you can use to enter data into the database called "tbl_Personal_Contacts." Right-click the "tbl_Personal_Contacts" link under the "Forms" section in the right pane of the window. Rename the form to "frm_Personal_Contacts." This avoids confusion when differentiating between the form and table objects in Access.

5. To make a report or "Contact List" for entries in the database, click "Create," then "Report Wizard." Click the ">>" button to move all fields to the new report. Click "Finish." Access creates a blank report for the database.

6. Click "File," then "Save" on the ribbon bar. Enter a descriptive name for the database file name, then click "Save."

7. Click the "frm_personal_contacts" tab in the sample database. Enter the name, phone number and email address of the person to add to the contact database, then press "Tab." Add additional contacts as needed to the sample database.

Tips & Warnings

• Replace the field, table, form and report names in the above sample database with those needed for your particular application. Using the above method, you can create a very simple single-table database. To create complex databases, use the Database Wizard or build one from a template. Review the structure of the database to learn how tables, forms, reports and queries tie together in Microsoft Access.

References

• Microsoft Office: Create and Access Database