Introduction to Microsoft
Access 2003
Presenter: Jolanta Soltis
MCSE, MCT, A+
Attendee Introductions
Your name
Current position
Background in Microsoft Office
Expectations
Course Objectives
In this course you will learn how to:
• Understand database concepts and terminology in
Access 2003
• Design and create tables
• Enter and manipulate data in tables
• Use Access queries to select and analyze
information in a table
• Create data forms for viewing and inputting data
• Create reports that summarize and group data
• Perform database maintenance procedures
Access 2003 Structure
What is Microsoft Access?
Powerful Relational Database Management System
(RDBMS) design to run in Microsoft Windows
–Data can be organized as a set of related tables
Integration with other Office applications allows
seamless exchange of data with centralized database
What is an Access
Database?
Collection of data objects stored with filename
extension .mdb (Microsoft database)
Main Access data objects
Tables
Queries
Forms
Reports
Macros
Modules
Pages
Access basic Data Objects
Queries
Tables
Pages
Macros
Database
Forms
Report
s
Modules
How to open Access?
Access opens with the
dialog box shown here
Database Window
Database Window
– Main database design/management window
– Displayed when creating or opening an Access
database
– You can use the Objects toolbar to access the
different objects that make up a database
Tables
What is table
• Basic container for data, arranged as a grid of
rows and columns
• Each row contains a single record
• Each column represents a field within the record
Access tables
• Fundamental data objects in Access
– Forms, queries and reports are all based on tables
• Table Wizard provides automated table creation
• Tables can also be created manually for more
precise specification
Forms
What is form
• Electronic version of paper form
• Used to simplify entry of data into an Access database
Queries
What is a Query?
• A question asked of the database
• Used to extract specific information from database
• Used to extract specific information from database
– Example:What is the three top-selling products in our
company’s product line?
• Queries are composed of structured query
language(SQL) statements
– Example:
SELECT Products.[Product #], Products.[Product Name],
Products.Price
FROM Products
WHERE (((Products.Price)<4.75));
Access allows queries to be created graphically
• Hides complexity of SQL language
Report
What is report?
– Formatted template used to print reports of
database or query results
– Allows user to specify fields, grouping levels,
arrangement of printed data
Macros
What is access macro?
– User-defined sequence of actions to be performed by
Access 2000
– Macros will not be covered
Modules
What is a module?
– User-created sections of code which provide
sophisticated automation of Access functions
– Written in Visual Basic for Application(VBA)
Creating New Database
Address Book
Creating Database
Case study scenario:
– In this section, we will create a database
(including tables, forms, reports, and queries).
– The database we will create will have
addresses.
Creating a new database
– Start Access
– Select “Create new database using blank
database”
– Assign a name for the new database
• AddressBook.MDB
Tables
Create New Table
Creating a new table
– In the database window, select the Tables tab,
then click on New
Table creation options
– Design View
• Manual table creation by user(maximum control over
table specifications)
– Table Wizard
• Automated table creation facility
– Import table
• Import data from external tables
– Link Table
• Link to data in external tables
Creating a new table in Design
View
For each field in new database,specify the
following items
– Field Name
• Descriptive name of field to be used in table
– 64-character maximum
– Prohibited characters:period(.), accent grave(‘), square
brackets([]), exclamation point(!)
– Data Type
• Drop-down list displays available data types
– Number, Date/Time, Currency,Auto number, Yes/No, OLE
Object, Hyperlink, Lookup Wizard
– Description
• Comment describing details of field. Appears on the
status bar in Datasheet view when you click a row in the
field's column
Access Data Types.
Data Type
Usage
Size
Text
Alphanumeric data
Up to 255 characters
Memo
Alphanumeric data—sentences and paragraphs
Up to 64,000 characters
Number
Numeric data
1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes (16 bytes
for ReplicationID and
Decimal)
Date/Time
Dates and times
8 bytes
Currency
Monetary data, stored with 4 decimal places of precision
8 bytes
AutoNumber
Unique value generated by Access for each new record
4 bytes (16 bytes for
ReplicationID)
Yes/No
Boolean (true/false) data
<1 bit/FONT>
OLE Object
Pictures, graphs, or other ActiveX objects from another Windows-based
application
Up to about 1 gigabyte
Hyperlink
A link "address" to a document or file on the World Wide Web, on an
intranet, on a local area network (LAN), or on your local computer
Up to 2048 characters
Fields properties
Field Property
Purpose/Note or Example
Field size
Specifies amount of storage for data in field
Note: Test maximum field size = 255 characters
Format
Predefined formats for field data
Ex: Short date =11/25/97
Input Mask
Formatting mask for user data input
Ex:Phone number input mask = (XXX)-XXX-XXX
Default Value
Specifies default value in field
Note: Speeds up data entry.
Required
Specifies that a value must be entered in field
Indexed
Tells Access to create an index for this data field
Note: Speeds up data searches based on this field
Setting a Primary Key
What is a primary key?
– Main index for table
– Must be unique for each record in table
• Example: Product number, Employee number, etc.
– If no such field exist, create a new field with the data
type “Autonumber” and specify it as the primary key
• Access will automatically create unique numbers for this
field
Assigning a field as the primary key
– Select field
– Click on Primary Key button on toolbar (or use “Edit
/Primary Key”)
• A key symbol will appear next to selected field
Saving the table
– Select “File/Save” or click on the close
button for the Table Design View
window
– Access will prompt you to enter a name
for the new table
• Table name can be up to 64 characters
Entering data into a Table
• Entering data using Datasheet view
– From the Access database window, select the table of interest
– Click on Open
» The table will be displayed in datasheet view
– Type new data directly into fields on datasheet
• Adding/Deleting records
– Add new records in empty record at bottom of datasheet
– Delete records by selecting record, then use Edit/Delete Record
• Sorting records
– Click on data field to be sorted
– Click on sort buttons on toolbar (Ascending and Descending)
• Disadvantages of datasheet data entry
– Clumsy to enter data into tables with large number of fields
– Forms are usually a better choice
Working with tables
Adding records – Insert / New Record
Modifying the table design – Format / Data Sheet
Finding and editing records – Edit / Find
Deleting, adding, and copying records and values – Edit /
Cut, Copy, Paste
Filtering and sorting – Records / Filter
Forms
Creating Forms
Form advantages
– Simplifies data entry process
– Able to display many entry fields on one
screen
Most commonly used form creation
options
New form options
Description
Design View
Manual form creation (maximum
control)
Form Wizard
Automated form creation
assistant
Auto form
Automatically creates form
without user intervention
Creating forms with Form
Wizard
– Using Form Wizard
• From the Access database window, click on
the Forms tab, then click on New
– The New Form dialog box will be displayed
• Select the name of the table or query to be
used to create the new form
– Form creation steps
• Field selection
• Form layout
• Style
Form layout
Field selection
Style
Using the New Form
– Form navigation
• The form wizard displays the new form at the end of
the form creation process
• The contents of the first record are displayed
– Record navigation controls(lover left corner of
form
Record navigation control
Action
|<
Move to first record
<
Move to previous record
>
Move to next record
>|
Move to last record
>*
Move to new blank record
Queries
Creating queries
– What is query?
• Structured request for specific ingomation
from database
• Created in Access using New Query
– Query created with graphical tools(Query by
example)
– Underlying code produced in SQL
– Creating a query in design view
• From Access database window, select
Queries tab, then click on New
• Select Design View
– Specify fields to show
• Select the fields to be displayed by clicking on the Show
checkbox
– Specify criteria
• Enter the criteria expression for the desired field in the
query grid
• In this example, we want to select all products whose
price is less than$4.75
– We will set the criteria for the Price column to “<4.75”
• if multiple fields have criteria set, they must all be
satisfied to select record (logical AND)
– Viewing SQL
• Use View/SQL to see a listing of the SQL statements
produced by the design
Reports
Creating Reports
Using the Report Wizard
– From the Access database window,
click on Reports tab,then click
Report creation steps
– Field selection
– Sort order
– Layout
– Style
– Title/preview
If you have any questions, please feel free to
contact Academic Computing
Jolanta Soltis, IT Consultant (973) 596-2925
e-mail soltis@adm.njit.edu