MICROSOFT OFFICE ACCESS

- Is known as a desktop database system because its functions are intended to be run from a
single computer.
- Uses database – a collection of data and objects related to a particular subject, which is
organized and categorized by tables
- It is a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), because it stores information in
multiple related tables and can be treated as a single storage area and pull information
electronically from different tables in whatever order meets your needs; designed primarily
for home or small business usage
- Previously known as Microsoft Access, is a database management system from Microsoft
that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface
and software-development tools.

MS ACCESS Features
- Users can create tables, queries, forms and reports, and connect them together with
Macros
 Macros in Access can be thought of as a simplified programming language which you
can use to add functionality to your database. It contains actions that perform tasks,
such as opening a report, running a query, or closing the database. Most database
operations that you do manually can be automated by using macros.
- Access also has report creation features that can work with any data sources that Access
can “access”.
- Other features include: the import and export of data to many formats including Excel,
Outlook, ASCII, dBase, Paradox, FoxPro, SQL Server, Oracle, ODBC, etc.
- It also has the ability to link to data in its existing location and use it for viewing, querying,
editing, and reporting.
- It can perform heterogeneous joins between data sets stored across different platforms. It
is often used by people downloading data from enterprise level databases for manipulation,
analysis, and reporting locally.
- Microsoft Access offers parameterized queries. These queries and Access tables can be
referenced from other programs like VB6 and .NET through DAO or ADO. From MS Access,
VBA can reference parameterized stored procedures via ADO.
- Microsoft Access is a file server-based database. Unlike client-server relational database
management systems, Microsoft Access does not implement database triggers, stored
procedures, or transaction logging.
 MS Access vs MS Excel
 MS Excel
 Spreadsheet
 Flat database
 all information has a one-to-one relationship
 MS Access
 like multiple spreadsheets that are connected to one another
 one-to-many relationships
 many-to-many relationships
 Examples
 Printed Phone Directory (White Pages)
 Flat Database: one-to-one relationships
 Library Catalog
 Relational Database: Many-to-many relationships
** Library patrons check out many books
** Books are checked out by many patrons
 University Class Schedules
 Students have many professors.
 Professors have many students
 Classes can be held in many classrooms
 Working in Access 2007
When you create or open a database, it opens in a database window. The new Access database
window interface is designed to more closely reflect the way people generally work with a
database or database object.

Microsoft Office Button

Quick Access Toolbar Ribbon TitleBar

Navigation Pane Document Window

The interface includes the following elements:

 Microsoft Office Button – when clicked, contains the commands related to managing
databases (such as creating, saving, printing, backing up, and publishing)
 Quick Access Toolbar – displays some commands that are represented by buttons; by
default, it displays Save, Undo, and Redo buttons, but you can add commands here
 Title bar–displays the name of the active database object and the Minimize, Maximize
and Close buttons
 Ribbon – new representation of commands rather than the more-traditional menus or
toolbars; organized into task-specific tabs, which are further divided into feature-
specific or task-specific groups of commands
 Navigation Pane – displays filtered lists of database objects; you can change the objects
included in the list by clicking the list header and then clicking the category or group of
objects you want to display.
 Tables

 Tables – core database objects; purpose is to store information

 Field – represented with columns; a specific type of information (e.g. about an
employee: last name, first name)
 Record – represented with rows; all the information (e.g. about a specific employee:
last name is Ignacio, first name is Lareina)
 Datasheet View – is a display of data from a table, form, or query in a row-and-column
format; this view allows the user to modify table’s data
 Field name – is a unique name given to each field in a table, usually an instantly
recognizable name that easily correlates to data it represents
 Primary Key – is a unique value that identifies each record in a table and ensures only
one record will be created for that particular piece of data
 Design View – is the display of the design of a table, query, form, or report; this view allows
the user to modify table’s structure
 Data type – describes the type of data a field or variable can hold, for example the
field Cost can hold a data type of Currency.
 AutoNumber – an auto-number is a unique number that is automatically
created for each item added to a table
 Currency - a currency field is comprised of dollar amounts with features such
as dollar signs, commas, decimal points
 Date/Time – data type contains the date and time values for the years 100
through 9999. This data type can be formatted in various ways, including
general, long, short, and medium date/time
 Hyperlink – data type is text saved as a link to another document using the
other document’s “address” or URL
 Lookup wizard – the lookup wizard allows the usage of a value from another
table or list by using a list-box or combo box. The data type of the field chosen
from the outside table
 Memo – a memo data type allows a large amount of text and numbers, such as
notes or descriptions, to be use in a field
  Number – a number field can only be comprised of numbers, either positive or
negative. Usually, this data type is chosen for data that will be used in a
mathematical operation
 OLE object – an OLE object is an object from another program ( such as an excel
spreadsheet, a Word document, graphics, or sounds ) that are linked or
embedded in an Access table
 Text – a text data type is a character field that contain at most 225 characters
 Yes/No – data type used for fields that have an either/or value, such as yes or
no and true or false
 Description – is simply a detailing of the field, which allows for easier understanding
of the data
 General Tab:
 Field size- the size/type of numbers/characters allowed to be entered into the
field. (EX: 255 characters, 100 numbers, etc.)
* For number fields
 Byte – stores whole numbers from 0 to 255
 Integer – stores whole numbers from -32,768 to 32,767
 Long Integer – (The default.) Stores whole numbers from -2,147,483,648
to 2,147,483,647
 Single – stores negative numbers from -3.402823E38 to -1.401298E-45
and positive numbers from 1.401298E-45 to 3.40282E38
  Double – stores negative numbers from -1.79769313486231E308 to --------
-4.94065645841247E-324 and positive numbers from
1.79769313486231E308 to 4.94065645841247E-324
 Decimal – stores numbers from -10^28 -1 through 10^28 -1

 Format- the layout displayed for the field. (EX: general date, short time, etc)
 Input Mask- a selection of patterns for data entered into the field. (EX: SSN, zip
code, etc)
 Caption- the label used on a form to identify the field
 Default Value- a value that is automatically entered as a default
 Validation Rule- expression that can precisely define the information that will
be accepted in one or several fields in a record
 Validation Text- the text message that appears if the validation rule fails
 Indexed- determines if duplicates are allowed in a field or not
 Required- is this a required field?
 Lookup Tab:
 Display Control- a drop-down menu from which to decide the control type for a
form. (EX: textbox, drop-down list, list box)
 Look-up Field – is a field that displays either a field that looks up data from existing tables or
queries or a list that stores a fixed set of values
 Relationships – association between common fields in two tables to link information in one
table to information in another table
 One-to-one relationship – in which each record in one table can have one and only
one related record in the other table
 One-to-many relationship – an excellent way to display this is through the use of a
form containing a subform; the main, or primary, form displays one record from the
“one” side of the one-to-many relationship, and the subform lists all the pertinent
records from the “many” side of the relationship
 Many-to-many relationship – which are really two one-to-many relationships tied
together through a third table
 Relationship window –displays the tables and relationships in a database; it is possible to
view, create, and modify relationships between tables and queries within this window.

Creating Relationships
1. To create a relationship, click TOOLS then RELATIONSHIPSfrom the toolbar, to activate
the relationships window.
2. To view the tables to which you wish to add relationships, clickRELATIONSHIPS then
SHOW TABLES from the toolbar.
3. At the pop-up window, select the tables you desire to addrelationships to and then click
the ADD button.
4. Highlight the field you wish to relate to another table byclicking it once.
5. Next, drag and drop it to the corresponding field name in the appropriate table.
6. A pop-up window will appear titled “Edit Relationship.” Thiswindow will clarify what
type of relationship you are creatingin the lower right corner of the window.
7. Select ENFORCE REFERENTIAL INTEGRITY if you wantto ensure that the relationships you
create between tables isvalid. The options CASCADE UPDATE and CASCADEDELETE are
then available. These options ensure that if achange is made to data in a table that is
linked, the changes arereflected in the corresponding linked table.
8. Click CREATE to create the relationship.
 Reports

 Report –Summary of data for a professional look and enable sharing and printing
 Report view – where you can scroll through the information in the report without the page
breaks inserted when it is printed

 Print Preview – in which you see your repot exactly as it will look when printed
 Layout view – which displays the data in report but enables you to edit the layout

 Design view – in which you can manipulate the design of a report without the page breaks
inserted when it is printed
 Queries
 Queries – are the means of manipulating the data to display in a form or a report. Queries
can sort, calculate, group, filter, join tables, update data, delete data, etc. Their power is
immense. The Microsoft Access database query language is SQL (Structured Query
Language). The need to know SQL is not required in the early stages of learning Access.
Microsoft Access writes the SQL for you, after you tell it what you want, in the Design view
of the queries window.
 Select query – retrieves data from one or more tables and displays the results in a
datasheet; can also be used to group records and calculate sums, counts, averages,
and other types of totals
 Duplicate query –locates records that have the same information in one or
more fields that you specify
 Unmatched query – locates records in one table that don’t have related records
in another table
 Parameter query – prompts you for information to be used in the query – for
example, a range of dates
 Crosstab query – calculates and restructures data for easier analysis
 Action query – updates multiple records in one operation; performs an action on the
results of the selection process
 Delete queries – delete records from one or more tables
 Update queries – make changes to records in one or more tables
 Append queries – add records from one or more tables to the end of one or
more other tables
 Make-table queries – create a new table from all or part of the data in one or
more tables

Creating Queries

1. Click the Create tab.

2. In the Other group, click Query Design. The Show
Table window appears (see Figure 1, below).
3. On the Tables tab, click tblDemo.
4. Click the Add button.
5. Click the Close button.

Enter Query’s First Criterion

1. Click in the first Field: cell.
2. Click the down arrow button to display the list of field
names (see Figure 2).
3. Click the Donation field name.
4. Click in the Criteria: row, first cell.
 5. Type <1 (indicating less than 1).
6. See Figure 3 for query criteria.

Enter Query’s Second Criterion

1. Click in the second Field: cell.

2. Click the down arrow button.
3. Click the Last Name field (see Figure 5, below).

Enter Query’s Third Criterion

1. Click in the third Field: cell.

2. Click the down arrow button to display the field names menu.
3. Click First Name (see Figure 5).
Run and Save the Query

1. From the Design tab, in the Results group, click Run (see Figure 7).

2. Click the Save button on the toolbar.

3. In the Save As dialog box, enter qryDemofor the name of the query.
4. Click OK.
5. The query results display (see Figure 8).
6. Close or minimize the query.
 Macros and Modules
 Macro – simple program that performs multiple actions; used to make routine database
actions available as command buttons in forms, which help less experienced users work in
your database
 Modules – are Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programs; used to carry out
tasks that are too complex to be handled with macros