What is a Database?

• A database allows you to store information related to a specific topic in an organized way. In addition to storing data, you can also sort, extract, and summarize information related to the data. One of the software programs that allow you to do this is Microsoft Office Access 2007, which is a database creation and management program.

INTRODUCTION TO MS ACCESSAccess 2007 is a program that allows you to create and manage databases. A database is a place where you can store information related to a specific topic. How you intend to use the information will determine whether you need an Access database or a different program to create and manage your data.

Microsoft Access: A Relational Database Application

Microsoft Access is a relational database application that is part of the Microsoft Office suite of applications. A database is an organized way to store data and database software usually provides features that allow a user to add, delete, update, and manipulate (transform) data. A relational database, like MS Access, stores data in tables. A table consists of rows (records) and columns (fields). Although the appearance of the records and the fields resembles the rows and columns you may have seen in a MS Excel worksheet, Access is a much more powerful tool than Excel for organizing, storing, and retrieving data. Much of this additional power comes from the relational model that is implemented by MS Access.

Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)

• Access is called a relational database management program, because the tables are linked, or related, as you can see in the image below.

• In this example, the Customer Info and Orders tables are linked by Customer ID and Book ID.

Introduction to Microsoft (MS) Access

After reading and completing the associated exercises, you will be able to:• Open MS Access• Create tables using MS Access• Create forms and use them to enter data into tablesNote: Be sure to work through the examples in this tutorial as you read. This is the way you will learn by doing.

Starting a New Access DatabaseOpen MS Access by clicking its icon on the desktop or selecting it from a Windowsmenu.

You should now see the“Getting Started withMicrosoft Office Access”screen shown in Figure

Click on the Blank Database icon.

A window will appear on theright of the screen that willprompt you to enter a filename for your database.We’ll enter Practice Access Files for now.Note that Access 2007 uses.accdb as the file extension for Access database files.After entering the file nameclick on the Create button.

The MS Access InterfaceContext

Table Ribbon

Navigation Pane

Object Window

Status Bar

Components of the Access User InterfaceComponent DescriptionContext tab The tabs on the ribbon allow you display

different commands based on the category that you choose.Status bar Provides information about the progress of

any ongoing process.Navigation Pane Displays the objects that are included in

your current database. You can use this to navigate to the object that you want to work on.

Ribbon Contains commands that reflect the active context tab and the object that you are currently working on.

Object Window The object window displays any open database objects.

The Home Ribbon

The Home ribbon contains the most commonly used Access commands. The Views group provides command that let you change how a particular object is displayed. Commands such as copy, cut and paste are located here in the Clipboard group. Formatting commands are provided in the Font, and Rich Text groups. The Records group provides commands for working with the records (rows) of an Access data table. The Sort & Filter group commands can be used to display only items that fit a given criteria. Finally, the Find group provides tools for searching for items in your database.

The Create Ribbon

The Create Ribbon includes commands that are used to create various Access object. The Tables group provides commands for creating tables, the Forms group provides commands for creating forms, and the Reports group provides commands for creating Reports. The Other group provides commands for other types of objects like queries and macros.

The External Data Ribbon

The primary purpose of Access is to work with data. The External Data ribbon provides commands that let you do more with your data. The Import group provides commands for bringing data in to your database from external sources. The Export group provides commands that allow you to use the data in your current database in other applications. The Collect Data group provides commands that let you collaborate to communicate or collect data. TheSharePoint Lists group provides commands that allow you to collaborate using Microsoft Windows SharePoint services.

The Database Tools Ribbon

The Database Tools ribbon provides commands that let you work with your database is various ways. The Macro group has commands that let you work with macros. A macro is a saved set of instructions for doing something in Access. The Show/Hide group has commands for working with relationships between objects in your database. The Analyze group has tools for checking your database and improving its performance. The Move Data group commandslet you make connections to a server to send or retrieve data. The Database Tools group provides miscellaneous commands that do not fit well in the other groups.

Database Basics

• In this section, you'll learn how to:• Create a new database • Create tables • Create records • Create forms • Create queries • Create reports

Create a new database

Open Microsoft Access. It should look like this

Click Blank Database

Click the open icon.

When the File New Database window appears, click New Folder.

Type: Practice Access Files

Then press the ENTER key on your keyboard

In the File name box, type: Friends

Click the create button.

The window for the Friends database should open:

Identify database elements

• Elements of databasesA database stores information in an organized way, and makes it easy to get information in and out.

Tables store data within the database.Forms make it easy to put data into tables.Queries pull out specific data.Reports put data in an easily-read format.

Click the Create tab

Rest the mouse cursor on the Tables bar.

Rest the cursor on the Forms bar

Rest the cursor on the Reports bar

Rest the cursor on the Other bar

Create tables

• Click the Datasheet tab

• In the Ribbon, click View

When the menu appears, click Design View

When the Save As window appears,

• Type Friends of Mine in the Table Name box

Then click the button

Name fields• Click in the second box beneath Field Name

• Type: First Name• Press the ENTER key on your keyboard

The table should look like this:

Click in the next box beneath First Name

•Type: Last NameThen press the ENTER key

The table should look like this

• In the next box down, type: City • then press ENTER. In the next box down, type: Zip • then press ENTER. • In the next box down, type: Phone Number • then press ENTER.

The table should now look like this

Notice the icon beside the ID field

This means the ID field is the table's "key" field

• What is the key field?• A table's key field can't contain any duplicates.• Every table should have a key field.• For example, if a hospital keeps a database, each

patient can have a unique ID number in the key field.• That way, if it has more than one patient named

John Baker, it can easily distinguish John Baker, ID #326 in for a checkup, from John Baker, ID #298 who needs his gall bladder removed

Create records

• In the Ribbon, click View, then Datasheet View

When the alert window appears, click OK the button

Click in the box under the First Name column header

•Type: Elvis •Press the TAB key on your keyboard.

The table should now look like this

• Type: Presley then press the TAB key. • Type: Baltimore then press TAB.• Type: 21212 then press TAB. • Type: 4105551212 then press TAB

The table should now look like this

TIP: Notice how the cursor in the row selector has moved down to the second (new) record. When you move on to a new record, Access automatically saves the previous record.

Add new fields

• Right-click the Zip column heading

When the menu appears, click Insert Column

The table should now look like this, with a new blank field

Right-click the column heading. When the menu appears, click Rename Column.

•Type: State Then press the ENTER key.

Click inside the new State field for the first record

•Type: MD Press TAB until the cursor moves down to a new record

Record number 1 is saved and complete

Move fields

• Click the Phone Number column heading

Place the cursor on the Phone Number column heading. Then drag the column so the cursor rests between the Last Name and City columns

When you see a thick black line between the two columns, release the mouse button.

The Phone Number column should now rest between the Last Name and City columns:

On the Title Bar, click the Save icon.