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WHAT IS DATABASE?

Somewhere at home, or maybe

in your office, you probably
have a file cabinet or desk
drawer filled with information.
Perhaps you have organized
the information into file
folders. This is a database.

ACCESS 2007

Is a relational database
management system. In
relational database
systems, data is organized
in tables that are related
or linked to one another.
Each table consist of rows,
called records, and
columns called fields.

FIND INFORMATION

You can quickly search the

table to locate a specific
record based on the data in a
field. In manual system, you
can usually locate a record by
knowing one key piece of
information.

ADD, DELETE AND MODIFY RECORDS

It is also easy to add and

delete records from the
table. Once you locate a
record. You can edit the
contents of the fields to
update the record or
delete the record entirely
from the table.

SORT AND FILTER RECORDS

The capability to arrange or sort records
in the table according to different
fields can provide more meaningful
information. You can organize records
by name department, pay, class or
any other category you need at a
particular time. Sorting the records in
different ways can provide information
to different departments for different
purposes.

ANALYZE
You can analyze the data in a table and
perform calculations on different fields of
data. Instead of pulling each record from a
filling cabinet, recording the piece of data
you want to use, and then performing the
calculation on the recorded data, you can
simply have the database program perform
the calculation on all the values in the
specified field.

GENERATE REPORTS

It includes many features that help you

quickly produce reports ranging from
simple listing to complex,
professional-looking reports. You can
create a simple report by asking for a
listing of specified field of data and
restricting the listing to records
meeting designated condition.

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS IN

LABORATORY
LAB 1: You will learn how to design and create the structure for a
computerized database and how to enter and edit records in
the database. You also will print a simple report of the records
you enter in the database.
LAB 2: You will continue to build, modify and use the employee
database of records. You will learn how to sort the records in a
database file to make it easier to locate records.
LAB 3: You will learn how to query the database to locate specific
information. You will learn how to create a report and link
multiple tables.
OVERALL RESULTS: You will learn how to share information
between applications by incorporating database information
from access into a word memo.

CONCEPT 1 PREVIEW
DATABASE A database is an organized collection of related information.
OBJECT An access database is made up of several types of objects, such as a
table or report, consisting of many elements. An object can be created,
selected and manipulated as a unit.
DATATAYPE The datatype defines the type of data the field will contain. Access
uses the data type ensure that the right kind of data is entered in a field.
FIELD PROPERTY A field property is a characteristic that helps define the
apperance and behavior of a filed.
PRIMARY KEY A primary key is a field that uniquely identifies each record.
LOOKUP FIELD A lookup field provides a list of values from which the user can
choose to make entering data into that field simpler and more accurate.
SUBDATASHEET A subdatasheet is a data table nested in another data table
that contains data related or joined to the table where it resides.

STEPS IN DESIGNING A NEW

DATABASE
1.

PLAN The first step in the development of a database is to define the purpose of the
database in writing. This includes establishing the scope of the database, determining its
feasibility, and deciding how you expect to use it and who will use it.

2.

DESIGN Using information gathered during the planning step, you can create an
implementation plan and document the functional requirements This includes finding and
organizing the information required for the database and deciding how this information
should be divided into subject groups. You also need to think about the types of questions
you might want the database to answer and determine the types of questions you might
want the database to answer and determine the types of output you need such as reports
and mailings.

3.

DEVELOP Using the design you created, you are ready to create tables to hols the
necessary data. Create separate tables for each of the major subjects to make easier to
locate and modify information. Define fields for each item that you want to store in each
table. Determine how each table is related to another and include fields to clarify the
relationships as needed. Try not to duplicate information in the different tables.

4.

IMPLEMENT After setting up the tables, populate the tables by entering sample data to
complete each record. Then work with the data to make sure it is providing the information
you need.

5.

REFINE AND REVIEW Refine the design by adding or removing fields and tables and
continue to test the data and design. Apply the data normalization rules to see if the tables
are structured correctly. Periodically review the database to ensure that the initial
objectives have been met and to identify required enhancement.

CONCEPT 2 PREVIEW
PART 1:
OBJECT Use.
TABLE Store data.
QUERY Find and display selected data.
FORM View, add and update data in tables.
REPORT Analyze and print data in a specific layout.

PART 2:
DATASHEET VIEW Provides a row and column view of the data in tables or
query results.
FORM VIEW Displays the records in a form.
REPORT VIEW Display the table data in a report layout.
DESIGN VIEW Used to create a table, form, query, or report. Displays the
underlying design structures, not a data.

KEY SHORTCUTS
RIGHT One character to right.
LEFT One character to left.
UP Up to current field in previous record.
DOWN Down to next line.
CTRL + RIGHT One word to right.
CTRL + LEFT One word to left.
HOME Beginning of field in single-line field.
END End of field in single-line field.
CTRL + HOME Beginning of field in multiple-line field.
CTRL + END End of field in multiple-line field.

CONCEPT 3 PREVIEW
TEXT Use in fields that contain alphanumeric data (words, combination of words and
numbers, and numbers that are not used in calculations). Text field entries can be up to
255 characters in length. Names and phone numbers are examples of text fields entries.
Text is the default data type.
MEMO Use in fields where you want tot store more than 255 characters of alphanumeric
data. A memo field holds up to 1GB of characters or 2GB of Storage, of which 65,535
characters can be displayed. Text in this field can be formatted.
NUMBER Use in fields that contain numeric data only and that will be used to perform
calculations on the values in the field. Number of units ordered is an example of a number
field entry. Leading zeros are dropped. Do not use in fields involving money or that require
a high degree of accuracy because number fields round to the next highest value. Fields
that contain numbers only but will not be used in calculations are usually assigned a text
data type.
DATE/TIME Use in fields that will contain dates and times. Access allows dates from AD
January 1,100 to December 31, 9999. Access correctly handles leap years and checks all
dates for validity. Even though dates and times are formatted to appear as a date or time,
they are stored as serial values so that they can be used in calculations. The date serial
values are consecutively assigned beginning with 1, which corresponds to the date January
1,1990 and ending with 2958465 which is December 31,9999.
CURRENCY Use in numbers fields that are monetary values or that you do not want rounded.
Numbers are formatted to display decimal places and currency symbol.

AUTONUMBER Use when you need a unique, sequential number that is automatically
incremented by one whenever a new record is added to the table. After a number is
assigned to a record, it can never be used again, even if the record is detected.
YES/NO Use when the field contents can only be a YES/NO, True/False or ON/OFF value. Yes
values are stored as a 1 and no values as 0 so that they can be used in expression.
OLE OBJECT Use in fields to store an object such as a graphic (picture), sound, document, or
graph. The object is converted to a bitmap image and displayed in the table field, for, or
report. An OLE server program must be on the computer that runs the database in order to
render the object. Generally, use the attachment field type rather than OLE Object because
the objects are stored more efficiently and it does not require the supporting program.
HYPERLINK Use when you want the field to store a link to an object, document, web page or
other destination.
ATTACHMENT Use to add multiple files of different types of fields. For example, you could
add a photograph and set of resumes for each employee. Unlike OLE object fields, the files
are not converted to bitmap images and additional software is not needed to view object,
thereby saving space. Attachment also can be opened and edited from within access in
their parent programs.