Tricks Island

The first step in building a Microsoft Access database is creating the tables. Creating tables in Access is quite different from tasks in other Microsoft Office programs, so let’s walk through the process step by step. Step 1: Create a new table in Access – When you have completed your database design, you’re ready to begin creating tables in Access. Click the “Create” tab at the top of the screen and then you should see a number of choices in the “Tables” section of the ribbon: If you click “Table”, Access will open a new table and you can immediately begin entering your data. Sounds great, right? Well, it is easy, but this option will create a table with generic column names (Field1, Field2, etc) and Access will make a best guess as to whether you want the field to have text, numeric values, or some other data type. Choose “Table Design” from the ribbon for a more usable and professional database. Step 2: Enter fields and specify field types – Clicking the “Tabl...

Microsoft Access can be overwhelming for new users, especially if you have limited experience with databases. Let’s walk through the major components in Access and learn about how they fit together to create a usable database application. Tables – Tables are the foundation of a database. You can think of tables like a set of spreadsheets that are linked together to store data. Without data in tables, your database won’t really do much. It’s important to understand that unlike a spreadsheet, the data in your database will probably be broken across a number of tables. Search for information about data normalization to understand how to design tables. A sample table in Microsoft Access looks very similar to a spreadsheet: Forms – Tables are the only component required to have a working Access database, but if you’re doing any data entry, forms can make your life much easier. Forms serve as a front end for tables, allowing you to view, edit, and create one record at a ...

As MS Office’s database application, Access is one of those organizational tools that can be tremendously useful... and incredibly confusing all at once. But those who don’t know how to use Access miss out on the benefits. Those who take the time to learn the program get a lot of organizational goodies out of the program. Access is generally the program people turn to when it’s time to organize large chunks of data. Event planning is made easy with Access, for instance, as the various tasks can be managed in detailed fashion using Access’s many features. Access picks up where normal Word or Excel scheduling leaves off, allowing for management of potentially problematic data with a few clicks. When you start Access 2010 for the first time, you’ll be greeted with the new Microsoft Backstage View screen. This will let you open up an existing database, create a new database, or even find information about other databases that you can work with. You can also view featured c...