Access 2007

by MacDonald, Matthew

• ISBN13: 9780596527600
• ISBN10: 0596527608
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-29
• Publisher: Oreilly & Associates Inc

Summary

Compared to industrial-strength database products such as Microsoft's SQL Server, Access is a breeze to use. Access 2007: The Missing Manual was written from the ground up for this redesigned application. With it, you'll learn how to design complete databases, maintain them, search for valuable nuggets of information, and build attractive forms for quick-and-easy data entry. You will even delve into the black art of Access programming (including macros and Visual Basic), and pick up valuable tricks and techniques to automate common tasks -- even if you've never touched a line of code before. You'll also learn all about the new pre-built databases you can customize to fit your needs, and how the new complex data feature will simplify your life. Packed with plenty of downloadable examples, this objective and witty book will help you master Access's new style quickly so you can build great databases in record time. It will turn an Access neophyte into a true master.

Author Biography

Matthew MacDonald is an author, educator, and programmer extraordinaire. He's the author of over a dozen books about .NET programming, and the author of Excel: The Missing Manual. In a dimly remembered past life, he studied English literature and theoretical physics.

Table of Contents

The Missing Credits Introduction

Storing Information in Tables

Creating Your First Database

Understanding Access Databases

Getting Started

Creating a New Database

Understanding Tables

Creating a Simple Table

Editing a Table Saving and Opening

Access Databases

Making Backups

Saving a Database with a Different Name or Format

Opening a Database

Opening More Than One Database at Once

Opening a Database Created in an Older Version of Access

Creating Another Database

The Navigation Pane

Browsing Tables with the Navigation Pane

Managing Database Objects

Building Smarter Tables

Understanding Data Types

Design View Organizing and Describing Your Fields

How Updates Work in Design View

Access Data Types

Text Memo Number Currency Date/Time Yes/No Hyperlink Attachment AutoNumber

The Primary Key

Creating Your Own Primary Key

Field Six Principles of Database Design

Choose Good Field Names

Break Down Your Information

Include All the Details in One Place

Avoid Duplicating Information

Avoid Redundant Information

Include an ID Field

Mastering the Datasheet: Sorting, Searching, Filtering, and More

Datasheet Customization Formatting the Datasheet

Rearranging Columns Resizing Rows and Columns Hiding Columns Freezing Columns

Datasheet Navigation

Sorting Filtering

Searching Advanced Editing

The Spell Checker

AutoCorrect

Special Characters

Printing the Datasheet

Print Preview

Fine-Tuning a Printout

Blocking Bad Data

Data Integrity Basics

Preventing Blank Fields

Setting Default Values

Preventing Duplicate Values with Indexes

Input Masks

Using a Ready-Made Mask

Creating Your Own Mask

Validation Rules

Applying a Field Validation Rule

Writing a Field Validation Rule

Creating a Table Validation Rule

Lookups Creating a Simple Lookup with Fixed Values

Adding New Values to Your Lookup List

Linking Tables with Relationships

Relationship Basics

Redundant Data vs. Related Data

Matching Fields: The Relationship Link

Linking with the ID Column

The Parent-Child Relationship

Using a Relationship

Defining a Relationship

Editing Relationships

Referential Integrity

Navigating a Relationship

Lookups with Related Tables

More Exotic Relationships

One-to-One Relationship

Many-to-Many Relationship

Relationship Practice

The Music School

The Chocolate Store

Manipulating Data with Queries

Queries

That Select Records

Query Basics

Creating Queries

Creating a Query in Design View

Creating a Simple Query with the Query Wizard

Understanding the SQL View Queries and Related Tables

Joining Tables in a Query

Outer Joins

Multiple Joins

Essential Query Tricks

Calculated Fields

Defining a Calculated

Field Simple Math with Numeric Fields

Expressions with Text Query Functions

Using a Function

The Expression Builder

Formatting Numbers

More Mathematical Functions

Text Functions

Date Functions

Dealing with Blank Values (Nulls)

Summarizing Data

Grouping a Totals Query

Joins in a Totals Query

Query Parameters

Queries That Update Records

Understanding Action Queries

Testing Action Queries (Carefully)

The Action Query

Family Update Queries

Append Queries

Creating an Append (or Make-Table)

Query Getting Auto Numbers to Start at Values

Other Than 1 Delete Queries

Tutorial: Flagging Out-of-Stock Orders

Finding Out-of-Stock Items Putting the Orders on Hold

Analyzing Data with Crosstab

Queries and Pivot

Tables

Understanding Crosstab Q

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