Using Microsoft Access 56:150 Information System Design

Introduction In its simplest form, Access is a database application It uses a relational database management model, which means you can relate each piece of information to other pieces of information by joining them.

Create Tables By using wizard By entering data By design view specify field name, data type set general attributes set primary key

Field data types Text: Text or numbers that don’t require calculations, such as phone number Memo: Lengthy text Number: Numerical data. Set the specific number types in the field size property. AutoNumber: A unique sequential (incremented by 1) number or random number assigned by Microsoft Access whenever a new record is added to a table. AutoNumber fields can't be updated. Date/time

Field data types OLE Object: An object linked or embedded in the table. Yes/No Look Up: This field allows you to choose a value from another table or from a list of values by using a listbox or combo box. Currency Hyperlink

Important Field Properties Field Size: specify data type for numerical data. Validation rule: set constraint on field Validation text: message when validation rule isn’t satisfied Default Value Required Indexed: To speed up the search and sorting on the field. But may slow updates.

Establish Relationships Click the relationships button on the toolbar Tables are related by matching fields. Enforce Referential Integrity Referential integrity is ensure that relationships between records in related tables are valid, and that you don't accidentally delete or change related data. Set Join type inner join, left outer join, right outer join

Six types of Queries Select query Update query Append query Delete query Make table query Crosstab query

Create Queries By using wizard select table, fields Not convenient to design complex query By design view By SQL view Input SQL sentence directly

Design Reports By using wizard By design view Example, Report “Invoice”