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INTRODUCTION TO MS ACCESS 2003
Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 Some Theory 1
2.1 What is a Database? 1
2.2 Where does Microsoft Access 2003 fit in? 2
2.3 Steps in Designing and Building a Database 2
3 Case Study 2
3.1 About the Educational Institutions 3
3.2 About the orders 3
3.3 Analysis 3Doc 5.131 Ver 2 Introduction to Access 2003 3.4 Data Types
4 Creating a database 5
5 Working with tables 7
5.1 Creating Tables 7
5.2 Entering Data into a table 8
5.3 Sorting Data 9
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6 Queries 11
6.1 What are Queries? 11
6.2 Query Wizard 11
6.3 Adding criteria to a query 12
6.4 Joining tables in a query 12
6.5 Calculated criteria 14
6.6 More practice at working with queries 14
7 Forms 15
7.1 What are forms? 15
7.2 Create a form with Form Wizard 16
7.3 Entering Data with a form 16
7.4 Modify the form design 16
7.5 Create an object on a form 18
7.6 More practice at working with forms 19
8 Reports 19
8.1 Modifying a report 20
8.2 More practice at working with reports 21
8.3 Mail Merge 21
9 Relationships 22
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9.2 Types of relationships 23
9.3 A sample database 23
9.4 Finding out More about Database Design 24
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1 Introduction
The aims of this training material are:
To introduce basic techniques for creating a database using the
Microsoft Access 2003 relational database management system
(RDBMS). In this introductory material we will not cover the more
advanced features ofMicrosoft Access 2003 such as macros and modules.
These topics are necessary for the development of full-blown applications
To demonstrate the need for requirements analysis before attempting
a database design. Before you create a document with a word-processor,
you need to do some planning of the content and appearance. For a
simple document you may begin typing straight away. However, adatabase needs much more planning before you even think of using a
RDBMS such as Microsoft Access 2003
To build a simple database. You will start by learning about the topics
needed to build a single table database, that is the simplest type of
database, such as a list of names and addresses. Topics include what is a
database, steps in designing and building a database, Tables, Forms and
Reports and Queries
To become familiar with using some ofWizards that are provided with
Microsoft Access 2003
To introduce terminology commonly used in database design and in
the Windows 2000 environment. In order to understand the on-line help
d th f th di d t b f ili ith th
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2 Some Theory
2.1 What is a Database?
A database is a simplystructuredcollection of data, with the emphasis very
much onstructured. Everyone encounters databases in their daily lives, even
if they are not in electronic form. Telephone books, diaries, and mailing
order catalogues are all instances of databases.
Computerised databases are created, stored, manipulated and maintainedusingDatabase Management Systems (DBMS); DBMS are the programs or
groups of programs through which we gain access to databases. In the
personal computer world, DBMSs are often referred to as database packages
or database applications.
Depending on the way data is modelled, we have relational, network,
hierarchical, and object-orienteddata models. The data model defines how
real-world data is represented in the database. DBMSs are typically tied to
one type of data model.
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Microsoft Access 2003 is based on the relational model and is therefore a
relational DBMS, or RDBMS.
Relational databases are built up ofTables. The column headers in the tableare calledfields. The rows of data in the table are called records. RDBMSs
are extremely fussy and insist that each recordis uniquely identified by one
or morefields. We will see when we design tables how a unique identifier or
key is used.
2.2 Where does Microsoft Access 2003 fit in?
You should consider building your database with Microsoft Access 2003 if
your data structures can be represented by the relationalmodel. This is
true of most business applications, and the sample databases provided
with Microsoft Access 2003 demonstrate this. Microsoft Access 2003 can
be used for quite large, complex database applications. However, even if
your data structures are quite simple, and could be easily held in a card
index, you may want to consider using Microsoft Access 2003, as it works
well with Word. If you frequently need to send out mail shots then
Microsoft Access 2003 is particularly suitable for use with the mail merge
tool in Word
There are more specialist databases available for bibliographic databases
(ITS supply Endnote in workstation rooms). Contact ITS Reception/Help
Desk on our website for information on available documentation
If the data contained in your tables is mostly numeric data, then you are
probably better off using a spreadsheet program such as Excel.
Spreadsheet programs are specifically designed to handle numeric data
2.3 Steps in Designing and Building a Database
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Decide what real world things ( entities) you need to store information
about. For example Employees, Products, Customers, Orders. Entities are
represented by tables in the database
Decide what facts ( attributes) you need to know about each entity, e.g. an
Employees date of birth, salary. Attributes are represented by fields in
the tables
Decide on the relationshipsbetween the entities in the database; i.e. what
attributes do they have in common. Relationships are formed in the
database between entities that have common attributes. They have
common fields in the related tables. For example, customerFred Bloggs
can place an order for product eggs. So the Orders table has
relationships with Customers table and Products table
Decide what information you need to extract from your data. This will
allow you to design the queries
Design Forms that will allow users to enter data values for running queries
or entering data
Design Reports that will print information extracted from the database
To illustrate what this means, we will examine a sample case study, and then
build a very simple database to provide the required functions.
3 Case Study
The database that you are going to build is to hold the records of theSoftware Made Simple company. The company sells training material to
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institutions. They need to keep details of the Institutions that they deal with
and the orders that they place.
3.1 About the Educational Institutions
The details SMS need to know about each institution are:
A unique identifier for each institution
The number of students in the institution this helps to know the potential
size of the market for their products
The educational sector whether pricing is covered by special deals for
certain types of institutions
The name, address, phone, fax, email of the institution. For simplicity we
will include only the institution name in our sample database
The company deals only with a named contact at each institution. SMS
needs to know who this person is
3.2 About the orders
The training material is provided either as printed books or on a CD-ROM.
For each order SMS need to know
The institution code. This links each order to the institution that placed it
The order number. This uniquely identifies the order
If the order is for books then they need to know the number. Since all the
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The value of the order
The order type i.e. whether it is for books or CD-ROM
CD Renewal date. Sites buy an annual licence to make copies of the
material on the CD-ROM so SMS need to know the renewal date
3.3 Analysis
The important thing at this stage is not your knowledge of computers, but an
understanding of the problem. As this is not a course in Systems Analysis,
the analysis has been done for you, so that you can practise using Microsoft
Access 2003 straight away. TheEntities about which to keep information are
Institutions and Orders, so we will start with two tables in our database.
Since the institution is represented by the site contact, the table representing
the institution will be called Contacts. We will call our other table Orders.Tables are structured into fields (columns) and records (rows). All records
must have the same fields, though as we shall see in this example there may
be instances where a field is redundant in some records but not in others.
The Attributes (i.e. the details that we need to know) of a Contactare the
institution code, the number of students, the name of the institution, the
educational sector and the contacts forename and surname. Since the
contact is representing an institution the institution code must be unique
The attributes of an Orderare the order number, which must be unique,
the institution code, the value of the order and the order type (CD-ROM
or books). For book orders we need the number of books and for CD-
ROM orders we
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need the licence renewal date. For CD-ROM orders the number of books
field is redundant. For book orders the renewal date is redundant.
However, we must include the field for all records to maintain a
consistent structure
In order to identify the Relationshipbetween an institution (represented in
the database by its Contact) and its orders we will give each institution a
unique identifier in the Contacts table. We will include this identifier as a
field in the Orders table. It is good practice, when designing a database,
to use unique identifiers. In our example each contact is uniquely
identified by the institution code. There are good reasons for this. The
contact might change in the future. In order to link an institution to the
orders it has placed we need to maintain consistency. Even if the contact
name changes the institution code remains the same so we still know
where to send the order. In addition, there may be several institutions
with contacts named (say) John Smith
3.4 Data Types
(SMS 2.10)
Having decided what tables we need, and what fields we need in the tables
we need to decide what type of data we are going to put in each field. Is it,
for example, a number, a date, or some text. When you are building a
database from scratch you will usually make use of the Microsoft Office
2003 autonumber to allocate a unique identifier for each record. Note
however that if you are building a database to contain data that already exists
with a unique identifier (e.g. Student number, National Insurance number,
bank account number), you should use your existing unique number in
preference to an autonumber.
The field that uniquely identifies a record in a database is called the
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Table 1 Fields for Contacts table Field Name Data Type
Surname Text
Forename Text
Edu Sector Text
Institution Text
Num Students Number
Institution Code Autonumber
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Table 2 Fields for Orders Table Field Name Data Type
Institution Code Number
Order Num Autonumber
Num Books Number
Value NumberOrder Type Text
CD Renewal Date: dd/mm/yy
4 Creating a database
Microsoft Access 2003 also provides wizards. Wizards are software tools that help
you with a programmes features. However, in this document you will learn how to
create your database from scratch, so that you are better able to match the database
to the requirement. SMS guide 2.4 describes how to create a database using a
wizard.
Exercise 1 Starting Microsoft Access 2003 on ITS workstations
At the Windows log in prompt, type your username in the Username box. Press
the TAB key to move to the Password box, and type your password. Then
press the ENTER key or click on OK Wait a few minutes while Windows 2000
checks your username and password, and allocates your network resources
Click on the Startbutton on the taskbarat the bottom of the screen. The Start
Menu will appear
Click on Programs on the Start Menu
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Click on Microsoft Office on theProgram menu and then on Microsoft Access
2003
Exercise 2 Create a new database
On the menus, choose File New
Select Blank Database from the task pane on the right-hand side of the screen
In theFile New Database dialogue box make sure that you have selected the My
Documents folder on yourN: drive, and replace db1.mdb in the Filenamebox
with sms contacts.
Click on Create
You have now created a file that will become the database. Unlike programs such
as WordandExcel,Access saves the objects that you create and the data that you
enter automatically to this file.
When you create a new database it will look something like Figure 4-1.
On the left of the window are buttons representing various database objects.
Select the class of object that you wish to work on by clicking on the button.Tables are the foundation of the database; just as you start building a house by
laying the foundations you start building a database by creating the tables. The
first time that you use the database the table button is selected by default
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On the right of the window you will see a list of tasks that you can perform on
the selected class of object. If a wizard matches your requirements, then it is the
simplest way to create a table (see SMS section 2.7). In this document we will
learn how to create a table from scratch
Figure 4-1 New database
5 Working with tables
5.1 Creating Tables
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In the analysis section we looked at the tables needed, what fields should appear in
the tables and what data types those fields should have. It is important to realise
that we are talking about the data structures in the database. We are not talking
about the data values which will ultimately be contained in the tables. For example
the field forename is a part of the contacts table data structure. When we enter
names (Tony, Eleanor, Nurinder) we are entering data values into the table.
Exercise 3 Create a table
Select Create table in Design view and click on the Newbutton
In the New Table window select Design View and click on OK
Enter the field names and data types that we discussed in the analysis section.
(Surname, Forename, Edu Sector, Institution, Num Students, Institution Code)
By default the field type is text. Use the TAB key to move between fields
To change the data type display the data type menu. To do this:
eitherclick in the data type field, then click on the drop down arrow that
appears in the right of the
orpress the ALT+DOWN ARROW keys together
Choose the data type that you require. Your table structure should look like
Figure 5-1
Figure 5-1 Contacts Table in Design View
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Choose Save As from the File menu and save your table as Contacts
When Microsoft Access 2003 asks if you want to create a primary key now click
on Yes
5.2 Entering Data into a table
Exercise 4 Entering data into a table
Click on the datasheet viewbutton (see right). It is situated at the right hand end
of the tool bar. You do not need to enter the Institution Code as it is an
autonumber Access will do it for you. Note that if you make a mistake and
delete a record Microsoft Access 2003 will not reuse a number; your numbers
may therefore be different to those given in the examples. You should use your
numbers inyourdatabase.
Enter the data values shown in Table 3. You can use the TAB key to movebetween fields. Use the BACKSPACE or DELETE key to correct mistakes
Table 3 Data values for Foren Edu Institu Num Institu
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Contacts table Surname ame Sector tion Studen
ts
tion
Code
Taylor Tony School Callow
Grammar
500 1
Blake Victor Univer
sity
Lermo
uth
120000 2
Ambrose Guy Univer
sity
Mawle
y
8000 3
Patterson Peter Colleg
e
North
Cambe
r
8000 4
Keenan Penny School Abdul
Kamee
r
600 5
Wright Eleano
r
Colleg
e
Callow 1000 6
Waverley David Univer
sity
Newbri
dge
160000 7
James Philip School Robert
s High
700 8
Su Chi Hong School Southfi
elds
Tech
700 9
Patel Nurind
er
Univer
sity
Westch
ester
150000 10
Clarke Lenny School Wyre
High
800 11
Patrick Roger School Westm
outh
800 12
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Parkinson Helen School Schofi
eld
Tech
900 13
Mathews Karen University
Waverley
9000 14
Quentin Terry Colleg
e
Eastma
n
7000 15
Walters Trudy Univer
sity
Aberda
re
100000 16
Peabody Ruth Univer
sity
Bradbu
ry City
9000 17
Young Alice Univer
sity
Folkla
nds
140000 18
Lomar Shiree
n
Univer
sity
Persho
re
12000 19
Booth Charlie Colleg
e
Truma
n
5000 20
Cazinaska Dimen Colleg
e
Trowb
ury
5000 21
5.3 Sorting Data
(SMS Section 4.0)
Each record in the contacts table is stored in the order in which it was entered. You
will often want to view it in a different order for example sorted by date or
alphabetic order.
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Exercise 5 Sorting Data
Click in the Surname field to select it
Click on the Sort Ascending button (see right) to sort the records in ascending
alphabetic order. What is the seventh surname in the list?
5.4 More Practice on working with tables
Now practice using the techniques that you have just learnt to create another table,
enter and sort data.
Exercise 6 Create Orders Table
Make the sms contacts database window the active window (either by clicking
on it or choosing it from the Window menu)
Using the techniques that you learnt in Exercise 3 create a table called Orders,
with the field names and data types shown on the right
Note that the date for renewing CD licences (CD Renewal) needs to be expressed
in Short Date format. To change the format select the CD Renewal field, click
in the Format field in the Field Properties section of the table design view
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window. Click on the down arrow to display the format menu and choose the
option that you want see Figure 5-2
Save the table as Orders
Figure 5-2 Field Property
Exercise 7 Entering & Sorting Orders Data
Using the technique that you learnt in Exercise 4 enter the data shown in Table 4
into the Orders table. As Order Num is an autonumber there is no need to
enter it yourself
Table 4 Orders Data
Institution Code
Order
Num
Num
Books
Value Order
Type
CD
Renew
al
8 1 200 1,190.
00
Books
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14 2 540 3,213.
00
Books
11 3 0 170.0
0
CD 31/12/0
117 4 0 720.0
0
CD 05/05/0
2
20 5 0 720.0
0
CD 01/08/0
2
16 6 0 720.0
0
CD 04/08/0
2
13 7 0 170.0
0
CD 01/07/0
2
4 8 3200 19,04
0.00
Books
5 9 100 595.0
0
Books
1 10 53 315.0
0
Books
2 11 0 720.00
CD
9 12 0 170.0
0
CD 04/03/0
2
10 13 0 720.0
0
CD 05/06/0
2
15 14 0 720.0
0
CD 20/10/0
2
12 15 20 119.0
0
Books
7 16 0 720.0
0
CD 19/11/0
1
3 17 340 2,023. Books
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00
6 18 0 720.0
0
CD 25/01/0
2
21 19 0 720.0
0
CD 27/02/0
2
19 20 0 720.0
0
CD 18/12/0
1
18 21 44 261.0
0
Books
12 22 50 298.0
0
Books
3 23 400 2,380
.00
Books
1 24 352 5,095
.00
Books
8 25 32 190.0
0
Books
12 26 70 416.0
0
Books
Sort the table in ascending order on the Value field. What is the fourth value?
6 Queries
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6.1 What are Queries?
You use queries to view, change, and analyze data in different ways. You can also
use them as the source of records for forms and reports. The examples that we will
build today is called a Select Query because we are selecting fields and records
from the database.
The steps in designing a query are:
Decide on the type of query to design
Add the tables that contain the fields to be displayed
Add the fields which contain the data to be displayed
Add any criteria you want to use. Criteria are instructions that you use to tell
Access which records to display. When you come to design your own
databases you should use the on-line help to search for examples ofcriteria
expressions
6.2 Query Wizard
A query creates a dynamic subset (called a dynaset in database terminology) ofthose records in the underlying tables that satisfy the criteria specified in the
query.
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The next task is to create a query that finds all the records in the Contacts table.
We will then see how to apply criteria to the query to return dynasets.
Exercise 8 Create a simple select query
In the database window select the Queriesbutton
Double click on Create query by using wizard. The query wizard starts
In the box labelled Tables/Queries select Table: Contacts from the drop down
menu
Click on >> to move allthe fields from the Available fields list to the Selected
fields list
Click on Next >
In the next step select Open the query to view information (it should be
selected by default) and click on Finish. Your query will return data and should
display the data that you entered into the contacts table
In the above example you moved all the available fields from one table. However,
if you only need some fields
Click on the field name in the
Available fields list
Click on > to move it to the Selected fields list
Repeat this for all the fields that you need
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If you need fields from another table or query select the other table or query from
the Table/Query list
If you change your mind about a selected field, select it in the Selected fields list
and click on < to return it to the Available fields list.
6.3 Adding criteria to a query
You enter criteria in the criteria cell, that is the intersection of a row and a column.
You may use a text value as a selection criteria; e.g. a persons surname or you
may use mathematical values e.g. >=10
Exercise 9 Select a contact
In the query window switch to design viewby clicking on the Design viewbutton
on the tool bar In the Criteria Row and Surname column type Parkinson.
Your query should look like Figure 6-1
Figure 6-1 Select Query example
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Run the query by clicking on the Run button on the toolbar at the top of the screen
(see right)
Close your query by clicking on the close button (x) at the top right corner of the
query window. (When asked if you want to save changes click on No.)
6.4 Joining tables in a query
You can also create a query that uses more than one table. For example, if we want
to find all the orders made for institutions with more than 10,000 students we need
to know the institution and number of students, which is held in the Contacts
table, and the order numbers which are held in the Orders table. The institution
code in
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both tables allows us to link together the information. In database terminology it
identifies a relationshipbetween the tables.
When working with several tables, designers often use the Table.Field notation to
clarify the specification. In the following exercise you will see this notation used;
for example Contacts.Institution Code refers to the Institution code field in the
Contacts table.
Exercise 10 Joining tables in a query
In the database window double clickon Create Query in Design view
In the Show Table window click on contacts, then click on add to add the table
to the query.
Do the same fororders, then click on Close
A query design window appears. Add the following fields by double clicking on
the field name
Contacts.Institution Code (i.e the institution code field from the contacts
table)
Contacts.Institution
Contacts.num students
Orders.Institution code
Orders.Order num
In the Criteria row, Num students column type >10000
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Save as Large Institutions Query. Your query in design view should look like
Figure 6-2
Figure 6-2 Joining tables query
Run the query. The results should look like Figure 6-3
Figure 6-3 Results of Large Institution Query
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Close Large Institutions Query
If you do not want to display a field then clear the check box in theShowrow in
the designer view.
The records are sorted in ascending order by Institution code. In design view
you can choose to sort on a different field by clicking in the Sort row of the
column for your chosen field. You can select a sort order from the drop down
menu.
6.5 Calculated criteria
You can group records based on fields that have the same value. You can calculate
mathematical functions such as totals or averages. To do this you need to add the
Totals row to the design view window.
Exercise 11 Calculate the sector Average
In the database window open a new query in design view
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Using the techniques that you learnt in Exercise 10, add the contacts table, then
add the fields Edu Sector and Num Students
Click on the Totalsbutton on the toolbar (hint: it looks like a ). A totals row
appears in the QBE grid
In the Edu Sector field choose Group By from the totals menu
In the num students field choose Avg (average) from the totals menu
Run the query
Save the query as Sector Average Query
7 Forms
7.1 What are forms?
Forms provide an alternative and more accessible way of presenting and entering
data than using a datasheet. The form permits the viewing of a single record at a
time, and the design of the form may be easily customised to suit your
requirements.
Other advantages of forms are:
they are familiar, as they are similar to a paper form
it is often quicker to enter data using a form rather than the datasheet
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data can be presented in a more attractive and accessible manner and can include
graphs and pictures
Each form is based on either a table or a query. In order to create a form that uses
fields from more than one table you will need to create a query that contains all the
necessary fields. The quickest way to create a form is by using the form wizard.
7.2 Create a form with Form Wizard
We will create a columnar form based on the contacts table, using the Form
Wizard. The contacts table is the record source of the form, i.e. the source from
which it retrieves data.
Exercise 12 Create a form with Form Wizard
In the database window select the Formsbutton
Double click on Create form by using wizard. The form wizard starts
In the box labelled Tables/Queries select Table: Contacts from the drop down
menu
Click on >> to move allthe fields from the Available fields list to the Selected
fields list then click on Next >
Select columnar layout and click on Next >
Select standard style and click on Next >
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Type Contacts Form in the title box, select Modify the form design and click
on Finish
7.3 Entering Data with a form
To enter data using the form you simply type the data into the boxes, using the
mouse or clicking on the TAB key to move to the next field.
7.4 Modify the form design
In Access jargon everything is called an object. Tables, Forms, Queries and
Reports are all Objects. The labels, boxes, text boxes and other items on a form or
report are a special type of object known as a control. Before you can do anything
with an object you have toselectit, by clicking on it when you are in design view.
On Forms and Reports you can make Multiple Selections; that is you can selectseveral objects at once.
All objects haveproperties that you can edit.
If you cannot see the properties window then click the rightmouse button and
choose Properties from the menu that drops down. The properties window is
displayed (see right). In the title bar is the name of the object that you have
selected (theform in this example).
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To change a property click in the relevant field. Some properties will display a
drop down arrow, allowing you to choose a value from a menu. For other
properties you will need to type a value.
To select several objects located next to each other, hold down the SHIFT key
and click on each object in turn.
To select several objects that are not next to each other hold down the CTRL key
and click on each object in turn
You may have used a similar technique when selecting files with Windows
Explorer. Windows applications use consistent techniques for performing
tasks. The techniques explained above work equally well for selecting emails
in Outlook and selecting files in Windows Explorer
All Windows applications require you to select an object before you try to do
anything with it. For example, you must select a block of text in Word before
you can copy it
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Exercise 13 Modify a form
The form should now be in design view. If it is not then switch to design viewby
clicking on the Design viewbutton on the tool bar
Click on the label Surname. Hold down the SHIFT key and click on the other
labels (forename, edu sector, Institution, Num Students and Institution
code). Your form should now look like Figure 7-1
Figure 7-1 Selected objects on a form
Still holding down the SHIFT key display the properties window (as explained
above). The properties window should have the title Multiple Selection
If the Format tab is not on top click on it to select it
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Click to select Fore Color (scroll down the window if you cannot see it). A
continuation button (), appears (see right). Click on it to see the choice of
colours
Select a suitable shade of red and click on OK
Click on the form and you will see that the text labels are now red
Select Save from the file menu to save your design
7.5 Create an object on a form
You can add objects such as labels to your forms. These objects are known as
controls.
You create controlsby clicking once on an object from the Toolbox (see right) and
clicking and dragging the mouse pointer to draw it on the form. When you point
(do notclick) to a control the name of the control appears as a small yellow label.
If you cannot see the Toolbox then, in form design view, select toolbox from theview menu.
We will start by creating a simple label on the form. However, some controls are
more sophisticated. For example you can use a combo box to display a menu of
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items that the user is allowed to select (see SMS section 5.3). You can use a
calculation as the control source from which a text box takes its data.
Exercise 14 Add a control to a form
Make sure that you have the Contacts form open in design view. Position the
mouse pointer between the headersection and the detailsections on the form
(see Figure 7-2). The pointer will change to a bar with a double arrow across it
Figure 7-2 Header/Detail sections
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Drag the detail section down so that a gap of about 1cm appears between the form
header and detail sections.
Click on the label tool on the tool box to select it. To find the tool move the
cursor along the tool barwithout clickingon the buttons. You will see a label
appear to indicate the function of the button. This is calledHover Help
Click in the space that you created between the header and detail sections, then
drag to draw a box. In the box type Software made Simple Contacts
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In the Format section of the properties box set the Text alignproperty to center,
font size to 10 and font weight to semi bold. Set the fore colour to a colour of
your choice
Save your changes
8 Reports
Reporting is the way in which you choose to present the contents of your database
as printed pages.
Reports enable you to select which fields will be printed out and what data
should be included. Reports can also summarise data in various ways
Microsoft Access 2003 gives you the opportunity to design the layout of a
particular report, including the position of headings, labels and the data itself
along with graphics such as pictures and logos
Reports can take their data from tables or existing queries or you may create a
query especially for the report
In order to create a report that uses fields from more than one table a query
should be created which contains all the necessary fields. For example you
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could create a report based on the Large Institutions Query that you created,
which uses data from the contacts and orders tables
The best way to create a report is by using the report wizard
We will use the Contacts table to create a report grouping the fields by Edu
Sector. We will sort on Institution and Surname fields in ascending order, and
display the report in landscape format.
Exercise 15 Create a report
In the database window select the Reportsbutton
Double click on Create report by using wizard. The report wizard starts
In the box labelled Tables/Queries select Table: Contacts from the drop down
menu
Click on >> to move allthe fields from the Available fields list to the Selected
fields list
Click on Next >
In the grouping window select Edu sector from the list of fields & click on >
Your window should now look like Figure 8-1
Click on Next >
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Figure 8-1 Group by Edu Sector
In the sorting window select Institution in the box labelled 1 and Surname in the
box labelled 2. The sort buttons are already set for ascending order. Click on
next >
In the layout window select Stepped layout and landscape orientation. Click on
next >
Select a style that you like and click on Next >
Type the title Contacts Report in the title box and click on Finish
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Your report will now appear as aPrint Preview. You can print it by either clicking
on the printbutton on the toolbar or by selecting print from the file menu.
8.1 Modifying a report
(SMS Section 6.2)
A basic report is divided into three sections Page
Header
Contain data that will appear at the
top or bottom of each page of the
report. You might use this to
include information about the
source of the report, the date it was
completed or the page number.
Page Footer
Detail The most important section since
any fields added here display the
actual information from the
database for every record in the
table or query on which the report
is based.
8.3 Mail Merge
Although Microsoft Access 2003 is good for producing tabulated reports, there will
be occasions when you need something more flexible than Access. The Microsoft
Office suite of programs allows you to combine the data management features of
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Access with the formatting and layout features ofWord, using a feature called Mail
Merge.
Exercise 16 Mail Merge with Word
Make sure that the Contacts table is notopen
In the database window select the Contacts table by clicking on it once do not
open it
Move the cursor along the tool barwithout clickingon the buttons. You will see a
label appear to indicate the function of the button. This is calledHover Help
When you have located the Office Linksbutton click on it and select Merge it
with Microsoft Office Word
In the Mail Word Wizard dialogue box select Create New Document and
click on OK
When Microsoft Wordstarts type Dear followed by a space
You should be able to see the mail merge toolbar if not, choose View
Toolbars Mail Merge
Click on the button Insert Merge Fields. You will see a list of fields from your
contacts table. Double-click on Forename (or click once and click insert). You
will see a place marker in your document.
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Type a space, then insert the merge field surname
Type the some text in your letter so that it appears as shown below: Dear
Forename Surname
Please find enclosed an evaluation copy of the latest version of Software
Made Simple material on CD-ROM. We can also supply this material in
book form.
Yours Sincerely
Simon Simple
Use Hover Help to locate the button Merge to New Document. When you click
on this button Wordwill generate a set of form letters, based on yourAccess
data source. The names of the people in the contacts table have been substituted
for the place markers in yourmasterdocument. This document may be printed
9 Relationships
9.1 Why use Relationships
In the first session we discussed the tables needed for the database and introducedthe idea ofrelationshipsbetween the entities (mapped to tables) in the database.
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We have seen that by using the Institution Code as the primary key in the
Contacts table and as aforeign key in the Orders table, it is possible tojoin data
from the two tables into a dynasetusing the Large Institutions Query.
In the small sample data base that youve worked with you may wonder why we
did not combine all the data in one table SMS Orders (Table 5)
Table 5 SMS Orders Field Name Data Type
Order Num Autonumber
Institution Code Number
Surname Text
Forename T Edu Sector Text
Institution T
Num Students Number
Num Books Number
Value Number
Order Type Text
CD Renewal Date:
dd/mm/yy
Value NumberOrder Type Text
CD Renewal Date:
dd/mm/yy
Consider what would happen if an institution placed many orders. Institutions thatorder books sell them on to the students and re-order each academic year. For each
order the SMS Orders table would have repeated fields for all the fields shown
above in italics.
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matching records in Table A. This type of relationship is only possible by
defining a third table (called a junction table) whose primary key consists of
two fields the foreign keys from both Tables A and B. A many-to-many
relationship is really two one-to-many relationships with a third table.
A sample database
We will now use a Microsoft Access 2003 database template to build a rather more
complicated database than the simple example that we have looked at so far.
Exercise 17 Create a database using a wizard
OpenAccess
Close any databases that you have open and select New from the File menu
In the task pane, click on under Templates
Click on the Databases tab
From the database templates select Event Management and click on OK
In the File New Database dialogue box click on create
As the database wizard takes you through the steps click on next > until it is
finished
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After a few minutes Microsoft Access 2003 will create a database. From the Tools
menu select relationships. You will see that the relationships are rather
complicated! Let us look in more detail at the relationship between the Events,
Attendees and Registration tables.
Events.eventid is related to Registration.eventidby a one to many relationship
(shown as 1 to ).
Attendees.attendeeid is related to Registration.attendeeidby a one to many
relationship (shown as 1 to ).
The Registration table is the junction table used to model the many to many
relationshipbetween Events and Attendees. Attendees can attend one or more
events, events are attended by one or more attendees. Registration relates an
employee to an event