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MS Access 2003 Guided Tour


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Objectives

This course will enable Microsoft Access users to construct basic relational databases in Microsoft Access 2003

Duration

One Day

Delegates will learn ...

To easily navigate around the Microsoft Access 2003 application environment
How to open, close, create and navigate around Microsoft Access 2003 Databases
How to design data structures that model situations in the real-world
How to create Tables and relationships between them - Normalisation and de-normalisation of data
How to work with Tables - enter and edit data, search for data and records, add and delete records
How to use "Select Queries" to derive useful information out of raw data
How to use calculations and joins in queries to derive useful information out of data
How to create and use Microsft Access Forms to streamline user interaction with your database
How to create and use Microsoft Access Reports to improve the presentation of derived information
How to copy Forms, Reports, Queries and Tables between databases
Database concepts that help to consolidate the experience gained

Who Should Attend

This course provides an introduction to database design in MS Access 2003. Delegates who are expecting to be using MS Access as a user only, will also benefit, as the course also covers common data entry, editing, searching, and reporting.

Prerequisites

This course is suitable for new users to MS Access 2003 or users who have had no formal training and have been using MS Access for a few of months. Delegates may have experience of using MS Access databases from a user perspective, but are not expected to have any database design experience. No prior knowledge of Microsoft Access 2003 is required, although a good understanding of the Windows environment is recommended.

Topics covered

Beginning our Tour of Access

Where we're heading - a demonstration of some of the power of desktop databases
Why bother with MS Access? - what's wrong with a spread sheet?
An overview of database concepts
An introduction to Access concepts
What is a relational database?
Succinct discussion of database concepts

First Pass overview of Microsoft Access 2003

Starting Microsoft Access
The Microsoft Access development environment
Opening, closing and creating Databases
Understanding the database window
Navigating around a ready-made database
Tables, Queries, Forms and Reports
Navigating within a table
The Designer view and the User view

Creating Tables

Discussion of "records" and "fields"
Viewing ready-made tables and seeing how they have been designed
Discussion: User view and design view, as it applies to Tables
Alternative methods for creating new tables - design view
Adding and deleting fields using the design view
What is a primary key? - How to set one and use one
How to set field "properties", and why you might want to

Working with Tables

How to find a record and edit it
How to undo changes made to fields and records
How to select and delete records
How to add a new record
How to copy values and copy records
How to filter records by the current selection
How to sort records according to field values
How to check spelling automatically

Using "Select" Queries

What is a "Select" query? What can it do for you?
Discussion: User view and design view, as it applies to Queries
Different ways to create sorting queries
How to create and run queries and view results
Using the "Like" operator, wildcard and comparison operators
How to combine conditions in queries with And and Or
What is a "null" value?
How to filter tables for records with "null" values

Calculations and Joins in Queries

How to use calculated expressions in queries
How to use the "expression builder"
How to create aggregation queries to apply calculations across multiple records (eg. Sum)
Examining the design of a multi-table query
Joining tables in a query
How and when to edit data in the query results window

Creating and Using Forms

Opening a form
Navigating records and fields within a form
Use the Form Wizard and Autoform buttons to create a forms automatically
Discussion: User view and design view, as it applies to Forms
Moving, sizing & aligning controls
Sorting records in a form

Creating a user-interface Form

Discussion of Forms, Controls and Properties
Creating a form in design view
How to add controls to a form
How to add command buttons, and assign actions to happen when they are pushed
How to make actions happen automatically when a database is opened
How to hide and unhide the database window

Creating and Using Reports

Using ready-made reports, and examing how they have been designed
Discussion: User view and design view, as it applies to Reports
How to use the Report Wizard to create a reports with minimal design expertise

Copying MS Access items between databases

How to copy Tables, Queries, Forms and Reports from one database to another