MICROSOFT OFFICE ACCESS 2007

Access 2007 Access 2007 is the database software in the Microsoft 2007 Office Suite. It allows you to order, manage, search, and report large amounts of information. This tutorial will show you how you might plan and build a database from scratch, including how to set up tables, create and use forms to enhance data integrity, design and run meaningful queries, and produce useful and attractive reports.

UNDERSTANDING DATA BASE CONCEPTS Why Do I need a data base Exploring an access database Thinking about database design

Building the database Setting up Tables and Fields Building up Table Relationship Entering and Editing Data in tables Creating and Using Forms Making forms more usable with controls Making forms more attractive

Analyzing and Reporting Data Sorting Records Filtering Records Using Queries to Make Data meaningful Using Reports to make Data useful to others

Why do I need a Database Access 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. we will describe here what a database does and how to decide whether you need a database to manage your information.

What Does a Database Do 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.

There are many types of data you may need to store and manage: text and numbers, for example. Depending on what you want your data to do for you, you may or may not need to use a database. You might be able to use a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel. How do you know which data can be adequately managed with Excel and which data really requires Access to manage it more efficiently? It depends on how much data you have to manage, and what you want your data to do for you. Let's try to answer this by looking at a bookstore scenario. If you work for a bookstore business, you might have to keep track of your customers and their orders. You could use Microsoft Excel to store and manage this type of data; however, Excel is a spreadsheet software program that is traditionally used to manage numerical information, like totaling up all purchases by one customer. While it can do an adequate job at storing some types of text-based data -- like the customer's name and contact information-- that is not really what Excel was designed to do. The following examples will show you why an Access Database may be a better choice for the bookstore business.

Excel Example: Customer List and Order Tracking However, if you want to see very specific results in your data, like how many orders a single customer placed in a year, Excel is not as efficient as Access at providing you with that data. Sorting and Filtering to Locate Data in Excel In Excel, you can store your data in a worksheet so that you can mail promotional information to the entire list or sort to find specific customers to target mail. You can even filter the customer information to display all the customers that live in a particular state, like in the following image. Additionally, you can sort the data to order it in a particular way.

Data Entry in Excel If you use an Excel spreadsheet to track your orders, each time a customer places an order, you would have to enter a new row of information in the spreadsheet. This would likely include the customer's name and address. If that customer orders from your company more than once, that information would have to be entered each time. You spreadsheet would contain redundant information. As you can see in the image above, customers Tonya Bullock and McKenzie Grant each placed several orders on different days and for different books. Their customer contact information was entered every time they placed an order. This is the limitation of spreadsheet software such as Excel because it is a single, flat file.

Entering Data in Access In addition to the table with customer information, you would probably also want a table with information about the products you sell, and a third table to hold data related to specific customer orders. These tables would all be linked together, to help you make the most out of your data. 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. Microsoft Access is designed to manage information. Access allows you to enter the client's name, address, and phone number- the first time they do an order. This information is entered into an Access table designed to hold basic customer information on clients. A table is a list of related information in columns and rows. In a table, each row is called a record and each column is called a field . An Access table in Datasheet View looks similar to an Excel spreadsheet, as you can see below.

Now, let's assume that you want to identify the book that was most popular in the state of North Carolina. With Access, this is possible because you can search and retrieve information from multiple tables at the same time. The Customer Info table contains information about the states, and the Order table includes information about which books were ordered. You will need information from both tables to identify the book that was most popular in a specific state. You could look at the information in these tables separately to answer your question of which book was most popular in North Carolina. In the Customer Info table, you could see all the customers from a specific state, NC. And in the Books table, you can see all the books that you have in stock. The real power of Access comes in being able to link and extract information from multiple tables to answer specific questions. As you can see below, the results of your specific question, or query, are displayed for you.

Access 2007 Exploring an Access Database

Introduction Once you have determined that an Access database will help you store and manage your data, you will need to learn the parts of a database, how to start using Access, and how to navigate the Access window. In this lesson, we will provide a basic overview of Access, including the parts of a database, and common tasks you can complete using a database.

Databases in Our Lives Think about all the information we encounter on a typical day that might be organized by a database. For example, if you go shopping at a department store for a toaster, the store inventory of products is information that has to be stored somewhere, along with the price of each product. When you make a purchase, the store needs to be able to store the sales information to determine the daily sales total and how to track the decrease in inventory. A database could store this information, and also allow the store to quickly determine how many Brand X toasters are in the inventory without needing to count the inventory on the shelves.

While this information could be managed without a database, it would be easier and more efficient to use one. Databases have an enormous impact in almost every area of our lives. Think About It Think about what is going on around you in everyday situations and whether there might be a database at work. Grocery Store: The grocery store is stocked with items. The items have to be ordered, shipped, and stocked in the store. The store has to pay for the items. Then, when the customer buys the items, the cash register retrieves prices and the customer pays for products. Where might databases be involved in the situation? Restaurant: Where does the food come from? How does management know when to reorder a product? How are bills paid? Traffic Lights: Who or what controls when the lights turn red or green? A database maintains order and structure in our lives. Databases are created using programs such as Microsoft Office Access 2007, which is a relational database program.

Getting Started With Microsoft Access 2007

When you start Access 2007, you will see the Getting Started window When you start Access 2007, you will see the Getting Started window. In the left pane, the template categories including the featured local templates are listed, as well as the categories on Office Online. Templates are pre-built databases focused on a specific task that you can download and use immediately.

In the example below, the featured templates are selected, and the template options are displayed in the center area of the screen. Featured templates include database template options that are available online, as well as templates available as part of the local version of Access.