Chapter 17
Creating a Database
1
What’s Inside and on the CD?
• In this chapter, you will be introduced to Microsoft
Access and its powerful tools for:
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Entering and updating information
Deleting information
Sorting data
Searching for specific data
Creating reports
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How is data organized in a database?
• Database software like Microsoft Access can be complex
but is useful for organizing many types of data
• An Access database consists of tables
• Each table is similar to a stack of index cards
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How is data organized in a database?
• Each card in the stack contains similar information,
which relates to a single entity.
• A database record is equivalent to one index card.
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How is data organized in a database?
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How is data organized in a database?
• Data can be displayed in different ways
• The table view is a grid of rows and columns
• Each row contains one record, equivalent to one index
card
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How is data organized in a database?
• Each cell in a row contains the data for one field
• The table is composed of all fields in all rows, equivalent
to the entire stack of index cards
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How is data organized in a database?
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What’s in the Access window?
• To start Access:
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Click Start
Click All Programs
Click Microsoft Office
Click Microsoft Office Access 2007
• Getting Started with Microsoft Office Access window
appears – use it to:
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Connect to Microsoft Office Online
Search for an existing file
Create a new database
Open an existing database
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What’s in the Access window?
• With Access, you typically don’t create a new database
but open an existing one to add to or edit data it contains
• Unlike other Microsoft programs, Access databases are
not displayed as they will be printed
• Access provides several tools used to create, modify,
and display data
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What’s in the Access window?
• Tools, used to create tables and simple queries, are
contained in the Navigation Pane on left side of the
database window
• Access offers many different ways to use each tool
• Access is a complex software
• In order to simplify introduction, some basic ways to use
most common tools will be introduced
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What’s in the Access window?
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How do I create a new database or
open an existing database?
• Creating a database is different from a document,
worksheet, or presentation
• In Access you first save an empty database then create
elements of database
• Elements include:
– Tables
– Reports
– Forms
– Queries
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How do I create a new database or open an
existing database?
• Database needs to be saved only once
• As you add or change data, changes are automatically
saved
• When finished, just close it
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How do I create a new database or open an
existing database?
• If database is already created, select name from Getting
Started with Microsoft Office Access window
• To open database:
– Use More files link on Getting Started with Microsoft
Office Access window
– Select storage device
– Select file name
– Click Open
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How do I create a new database or open an
existing database?
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How do I create a table using a Table
Template?
• You must specify the structure of tables, records, and
fields before you can enter data
• Table Templates make it easy to create tables for
common business and personal databases.
• A table contains records
– Each record contains one or more fields
• Each field contains a type of data such as
name or data
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How do I create a table using a Table
Template?
• After you create the database, make sure that Table is
selected in the Objects list
• Double-click Create table by using wizard
• Select the most appropriate table type
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How do I create a table using a Table
Template?
• Have Access create a primary key, which is a field that
uniquely identifies each record
• Save the table
• Give the table a unique name
– Not necessarily the same name for the database
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How do I create a table using a Table
Template?
• If you are saving to a floppy disk or USB flash drive, do
not remove it until the Access window closes
• To open the database the next time you start Access,
click the file name from the Getting Started with
Microsoft Office Access window
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How do I create a table using a Table
Template?
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How do I create a table using a Table
Template?
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How do I create a table using a Table
Template?
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How do I enter and edit data in a
table?
• Once fields are defined for table, data for each entity
becomes one record, or row, in table
• If table is not open, double-click the name of the table in
the Navigation Pane
• An empty record is always displayed at bottom of table
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How do I enter and edit data in a
table?
• Each time record added, a new empty row appears
• Make sure data is consistent - for example, don't use MI
and Michigan in same database
• To edit data, click cell containing data
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How do I enter and edit data in a
table?
• Use left and right arrow keys to move insertion point
within field
• Use Backspace and Delete to delete text to left or right
of insertion point
• To delete entire record:
– Right-click row header
– Click Delete Record on shortcut menu
– Click Yes button
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How do I enter and edit data in a
table?
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Can I import data into a database?
• You can import data from files created with other
software
– Worksheets created with Excel
– Databases created with older versions of Access
– E-mail address books created with Outlook
– Comma-delimited files
• A comma-delimited file, sometimes referred to as a
CSV file, is data separated by commas
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Can I import data into a database?
• Many software applications offer an export option that
creates a comma-delimited file
• Import a CSV file by selecting the Import text file from
the External Data tab and then select the file
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Can I import data into a database?
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How do I create a table in Design
View?
• If Table Templates don’t meet your needs for a table
design, you may create your own in Design View
• When you create your own table, you must specify a
data type for each field
• A data type determines what kind of data can be
entered into the field
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How do I create a table in Design
View?
• Use Text data type for fields that will contain data up
to 255 characters in length
• Use Memo data type for fields that will contain
variable length data, such as comments, notes, and
reviews
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How do I create a table in Design
View?
• Use Number data type for fields that will contain
numeric data
– Don't use Number data type for data that looks like
a number but will never be calculated
– A telephone number field should be defined as
Text
• Use Date/Time data type for dates and times
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How do I create a table in Design
View?
• If you have allowed Access to define the primary key
– ID field is created using the AutoNumber data type
– Unique number is automatically entered in field as
record is entered
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How do I create a table in Design
View?
• Yes/No data can be useful for fields designed to hold
simple Yes/No or True/False data
– Example, use Yes/No data type for field “Subtitled?"
• After all fields defined, save and close table to begin
entering data in new table
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How do I create a table in Design
View?
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How do I work with tables?
• Working with data in Access can be similar to working
with data in an Excel worksheet
• You can add, delete, move, sort, and search for data
• Controls for these operations are on the ribbon
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How do I work with tables?
• Operations for working with tables include:
– Modify data
– Insert a record
– Delete a record
– Move a field
– Hide a field
– Sort records
– Search
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How do I work with tables?
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How do I create a query using a
wizard?
• Data in a table can be manipulated in many ways, e.g.:
– search a company database for products that cost
more than $10
– create a query to search for records containing
particular data
• A query contains criteria that specifies what you want to
find
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How do I create a query using a
wizard?
• Use query to display some, but not all, fields in table
• The Query Wizard is a quick way to learn about simple
queries and use them to locate data
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How do I create a query using a
Wizard?
• Simple Query Wizard – What fields do you want in your
query?
– click a field
– click
button to add an individual field to query
– click
button to add all fields to the query
– click
button to remove an individual field from
query
– click
button to remove all fields from query
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How do I create a query using a
Wizard?
• Simple Query Wizard – Would you like a detail or
summary query?
– Detail option shows all specified fields for records
– The Summary option displays how many records match
your criteria
• Simple Query Wizard – What title do you want for your
query?
– Enter a title and click the Finish button to see the results of
your query
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How do I create a query using a
Wizard?
• To refine search, specify query criteria
– Example, to see only records of items costing more
then $10:
• Close query window
• Right-click query tab
• Click Design View on shortcut menu
• Type >10 in criteria row under Price field
• Click Run button on Query Tools Design
contextual tab
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How do I create a query using a
Wizard?
• When window closed after viewing results of query
specified by query criteria:
– Message asking - Do you want to save changes to
design of query ‘Query Name’?
– Click Yes if you want to use same criteria every time
you use query
• After query is saved, you can use it repeatedly on all
data that matches criteria specified
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How do I create a query using a
Wizard?
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How do I create a query using a
Wizard?
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