Lesson Notes

Series: Benchmark
Application: Access 2007 (Level 1)
Chapter: 1 Creating Database Tables
Page number(s) in book: 7-19
Learning Objectives:
1) Open and close objects in a database
2) Design a table
3) Determine fields and assign data types in a table
Student file(s) needed for chapter in order of occurrence:
Projects:
SampleDatabase
Equipment Check:
You need to have Access 2007 loaded on your computer to complete the remaining
exercises in this class. You may obtain a free copy of Access 2007 by emailing your
instructor.
You will also need to have the Student Resources Disk that accompanies this textbook.
Lecture/Demonstration Notes:
This lesson is an introduction to using Microsoft Office Access 2007 to design and create
tables using Design view. In addition, an introduction to database terminology and
concepts is included.
LESSON LEAD-IN DISCUSSION
Database management systems are used in todays electronic business world to perform
everyday tasks that you will be familiar with that read and write data to a database such
as:
- withdraw cash from an ATM
- check a book out of the library
- look up a telephone number in a telephone book or online directory
- register for a course
- browse an online catalog
- purchase merchandise using a credit card
Access is a database management software program. A database is a file comprised of a
series of objects. At a minimum, a database will contain one object called a table. A table
contains data organized into fields and records in a logical manner that is defined by the
person creating the database. Define field and record.
Properties is the set of characteristics or attributes applied to each field in a table.
Properties provide the means with which you can control or validate the fields contents
to help ensure accuracy and consistency of data in records. As you work through creating
a new table, more information about fields and properties will be provided.
Many features you may have learned in other applications within the Microsoft Office
suite operate in a similar manner in Access; however, has the following:

Only one database file is open at a time

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Lesson Notes
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Working in a database involves opening, editing, and closing a series of objects in

a database window
Saving data in a database occurs automatically as a record is added, edited, or
deleted
The Save command in Access refers to saving changes to the layout or design of
an object

If you have access to a computer connected to a video display projector, demonstrate the
following tasks. If time is constrained due to previous discussion, focus the
demonstration on the tasks preceded by an asterisk:
- Copy the file SampleDatabase to your storage media C drive.
- Open Microsoft Access and open SampleDatabase.
- Enable the content at the Microsoft Office Security Options dialog box.

Review the Navigation Pane explaining tables, queries, forms and reports.
Initially you will be working with tables. Tables store all data and queries, forms
and reports are linked to the data in the tables.
If you turn to page 13 and review the section on Determining Fields it will explain
that a table is made up of a series of related fields. For each table, the following
information needs to be planned in advance:
o a list of fields to be created
o the name to be designated to each field
o the type of data that will be stored in the field (text, numeric, etc.)
o the properties for each field
Click Create a new file in the Getting Started task pane. (If the task pane is not
visible, click the New button.)
Click Blank database in the Getting Started screen.

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Lesson Notes

Type StudentPractice in the File name text box and click Create (browse to
ensure your database is saved on your storage media).

A table must first exist before a form, query, report, or page can be created.
Create a new table in the StudentPractice database as follows:
o Assume you are going to create a simple database that will store
information about each student in the Health Tech program. What type of
information about each student should be kept in the database? For each
unit of information that is included, a field name, data type, and a field
size are also determined.
Students Name (Break name down into three fields for first,
middle, and last names. Ask students why it is better to break the
name into three fields instead of just including the entire name in
one.) All of these are Text data types.
Student#
5
FirstName
20
MiddleName
20
LastName
20
Address (Break the address down into five fields.) All of these are
Text data types.
StreetAddress1
30
StreetAddress2
30
City
20
State
2
Zip
10

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Lesson Notes
Telephone - (How many telephone numbers should be stored?) All
of these are Text data types. Can you think of a reason why you are
creating a telephone number as a text field even though telephone
numbers are usually numeric entries. Since no mathematical
calculation is required for a telephone number, the field should be
set as text.
Land Phone 14
Cell Phone
14
StartDate Store date the student started in the program. Date
fields are automatically assigned a field size of 8.
EndDate Store data the student completed graduation
requirements for the program.
o Based on the above information create the table shown below in Design
view (Home/View/Design). You will be asked to name the table; name it
StudentInfo. As you enter the first field, move slowly through each
element and describe how to enter the information. Turn to page 15 and
look at Figure 1.6 for reference.

o Do not type any descriptionsdescriptions are optional. Use the

description information in the textbook.
o Point out that Student# was automatically defined as the primary key. The
primary keys will be explored in Chapter 2.
o Close the table saving the changes to the design.
Point out the table name added to the Navigation pane. Each object has at least
two viewsDesign view and a Datasheet view. Design view is the view in which
the object is modified or created and the Datasheet view is the view in which the
data is entered or modified.
Open StudentInfo in Datasheet view. The Datasheet view displays data in columns
and rows similar to an Excel worksheet. Each column is a field and each row is a
record.
Close the StudentPractice database. Click Yes if prompted to save changes to the

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Lesson Notes
layout. (Note: This file will be used in the next lesson.)
A database file is a series of objects and that a table is the first item in the list of objects.
Now that you have seen how the names and addresses for a student have been organized
into fields, consider how data should be set up for a table that will store invoices for
student tuition. A sample list of fields could include:
InvoiceNumber
InvoiceDate
ProgramName
Amount
InvoiceDueDate
Terms
FinancialAssistance
Scholarship/Bursary
Once you are finished viewing or editing data, you should close the object. If you leave
objects open this has the potential to cause problems in the future when you are
attempting to change a relationship.

Lesson Blueprint: Access_Level1_03