1. MS Access 2016
Concepts

2. Why do we need databases
There are many ways to store and analyze data (documents, spreadsheets, text files, images, Instagram, social media feeds, etc.)
More structure => more powerful ways to use the data
E.g., you can do much more with data in a spreadsheet compared to data in a document
There are many things you cannot do any other way than using a database:
Have multiple views of the data for different uses
Ensure data is consistent and error free
Easily select subsets of data as needed for a particular purpose
Understand and visualize relationships between data
Avoid data duplication
… and many, many more
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

3. Databases & DBMS
Formally, a "database" refers to a set of related data and the way it is organized.
Access to this data is usually provided by a “DataBase Management System" (DBMS) which is an integrated set of computer software that allows users to interact with the databases, provides access to all of the data contained in the databases, and the tools required to work with them.
Relational databases are databases that define and manage relationships between entities (tables of columns and rows, with a unique key identifying each row).
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

4. Tables and Entities
Generally, each table/relation represents one "entity type"
E.g., Products
The rows represent instances of that type of entity
Also referred to as a record
E.g., CoffeeMaker
The columns represent values attributed to that instance
Also referred to as a field
E.g., ProductCode (key), Make, Model, Price, etc.
Tables are usually viewed as a datasheet (much like a spreadsheet)
A value is the intersection of a row and a column
E.g., Nespresso might be the value of the Make field for the CoffeeMaker record in the Products table
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

5. Queries A query is a request for information from the database
Based on a certain set of criteria for selecting the relevant information
Usually specified in a query language
SQL - Structured Query Language
DBM systems usually have tools for building a query visually
The data returned by the query is presented in a table format
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

6. Forms and Reports
A form is a window or screen that contains numerous fields, or spaces to enter data.
Each field holds a field label so that any user who views the form gets an idea of its contents.
A form is more user friendly than generating queries to create tables and insert data into fields
A database report is the formatted result of database queries and contains useful data for decision-making and analysis.
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

7. Creating a DB
The first step is to design the various DB objects (tables, queries, forms, reports, etc.)
The better your design is, the better your DB and its usage will be
Good design will be beneficial later, when you need to expand, enhance and upgrade
Principles of good design:
Never duplicate data
Build in as many safeguards against bad data entry as possible
Understand as best you can how the DB will be used
Understand how the job is done now, and what are the issues with the current approach
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

8. The Welcome Screen
When you start Access 2016 you will see a screen like this
You can:
Open any of the DB files you have worked with recently listed (top left)
Search your computer for other DB files (just below)
Create a new empty database (click on top leftmost icon in the right pane)
Create a new DB file using a template from the right pane (click the relevant icon in the right pane)
Templates are pre-designed databases which you can modify later to suit your specific needs
Search for a template on the web (top middle)
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

9. Creating a Blank DB Most often, we start with an empty DB
When you click on the Blank DB icon, you will get a screen like this
It shows the Access interface, with:
one table (named Table1)
with a default primary key named ID (a sequential integer)
opened in datasheet view
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

10. Access Interface – The Ribbon
At the top of the screen we have the ribbon, consisting of:
A row of icons, containing the most frequently used tools (Quick Access Toolbar)
You can customize this row by clicking on the rightmost icon
A row of tabs for navigating to all other tools
Clicking on each tab brings out all corresponding tools right below the menu
Over and above the 5 tabs in the images to the right, contextual tabs appear when appropriate
Greyed out icons are for tools that are not applicable in the current context
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

11. Access Interface – The Navigation Pane
At the left of the screen we have the navigation pane (first image to the right)
It contains a list of all DB objects, grouped by type: Tables, Queries, Reports, Forms, etc.
Each category has a double arrow icon pointed up when the category is expanded or down when it is hidden
On the top right we have two more icons:
A double arrow pointing left, for shrinking the navigation pane; when shrunk, the navigation pane looks like the second image on the right, and the icon changes to a double arrow pointing right, for expanding it again
A circle containing a triangle pointing down, for organizing the navigation pane differently
By date of creation
By date of modification,
Filtered by group
Custom
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

12. Tabbed Windows
As you open different objects all information about those objects is displayed in the main pane
Each object cases the creation of a tab on the main pane, so you can easily navigate between objects
The contents of the main pane is different depending on:
What type of object it is
What view was selected for that object
We will detail these as we go through the details of creating each type of object
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

13. Table (Entity) Relationships
Table (entity) relationships become important in order to sort out what belongs where
When entities are related, we need a simple way for one of them to refer to the other
E.g., Customers and Orders – each order must have a customer
Customer data lives in the Customer table and Order data lives in the Order table
A specific order (a row in the Order table) must be able to refer to a specific customer
Therefore, Customers must have a unique identifier, say Customer_ID; this is called a primary key
Orders on the other hand, must have a data item (say Ordering_Customer) which will contain the unique identifier of the customer whose order this is; this is called a foreign key
It is not unusual to use the same field name for both primary key and foreign key in the two tables, because this helps us identify the relationship
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

14. Relationship Cardinality
When entities are related, there are several types of relationships, depending on how many instances of each entity are involved in the relationship; this is called cardinality
One-to-one relationships are relationships where exactly one instance of each entity is involved
E.g.: Person and Passport (a person can have only one passport, and a passport belongs to one person – ignoring dual citizenship)
In this cases, we want to instinctively treat them as one entity (i.e., put all the passport info such as date of issue, expiry, passport number, etc. as fields in the Person table). Don’t do that. These are different entities logically, and we may need (now or later) to work with them separately. It would be hard to generate a list of passports expiring next month, if that data is in the Person table
One-to-many relationships are relationships where one instance of one entity can be associated with multiple instances of the other; these are the most frequent relationships
E.g.: Customer and Order (an order has exactly one customer, but a Customer can have many orders
Placing a CustomerId field as a foreign key in the Order table allows this relationship to be used in the DB
Many-to-many relationships are relationships where several instances of one entity can be associated with several instances of the other
E.g.: Book and Author (A book can have multiple authors, and an author can write multiple books)
This relationship requires the creation of a special table, called junction (join) table
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

15. Relationships Example
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

16. Referential Integrity
When relationships exist between tables, it is important that certain rules be followed for the data to make sense
In a payroll application, any check must refer to an employee; it is essential that such an employee exists (as in the employee id referenced in the check record must exist in the employee table)
You cannot delete an employee record while check records exist referring to that employee
If for some reason the id of an employee changes, all checks issued to that employee have to also change to use the new id
Referential integrity rules ensure that operations that would result in corrupted or meaningless data cannot occur
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

17. Referential Integrity Rules
Referential integrity operates based on key fields
RI Rule #1: No Primary Key can contain a null value (i.e.: you must provide a unique value for the Primary Key of each record
RI Rule #2: All Foreign Key values must be matched by a corresponding Primary Key value
More specifically:
Rows cannot be added to the “many side” table if a corresponding record does not exist in the “one side” table
The Primary Key value on the “one side” cannot be changed if the “many side” already contains records containing that value;
A record on the “one side” cannot be deleted if the “many side” already contains records containing the Primary Key value of that record
Benefits of Primary Keys:
Primary Keys are always indexed, so searches in keyed tables are faster
Access forces you to enter a unique value in a Primary Key field, ensuring integrity
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

18. Creating Relationships in Access
Select Database Tools tab and click the Relationships tool
You will see the list of tables to the right
Click Add to add tables to the relationship window
Drag the Primary Key from the “one side” to the Foreign Key of the “many side” to open the Edit Relationship window below
Select the Integrity Rules you want
Click Create
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

19. Types of Tables
While in Access tables are created, managed, updated, etc. the same way, we can classify them into three categories based on their use:
Object tables are the most common, and they are tables that hold information about a real world object
A Customer is a real world concept, and a table like tblCustomer holds all the relevant information about each customer
A special subtype of object tables are Lookup tables; they are very simple tables, usually containing some reference data, such as a list of provinces, list of countries, list of currencies, list of locations, etc.
Transaction tables are tables that hold information about an event
Placing an order for a book, is an event. A table like tblBookOrder will hold all the details about an order.
Typical fields in a transaction table are date/time stamps, and one or more references to records in other (object) tables, identifying entities that are party to this transaction (such as customer id, book id, etc.
Join tables are tables that implement many-to-many-relationships
E.g.: a book may have many authors, and an author may have written many books
You can’t put author names in the book table, because you don’t know how many fields to allocate for that;
Conversely, you cannot put a book title field in the authors table, because of the same reason
A join table resolves this issue; it usually has a name that explains the association (e.g., tblAuthorBook) and three fields:
A unique identifier for one book-author association (primary key)
A unique identifier for each side of the relationship (author and book) – two foreign keys
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

20. Naming Conventions
It is important to have a good approach to naming DB content
As the DB grows, names that are simple, clear, and descriptive are more and more important
Choosing the right name upfront is very important, because if you change it later, it will break almost every object based on that table
It is typical to use a three letter prefix to designate the type of object
tbl for tables
frm for forms
rpt for reports
qry for queries
Names should be descriptive for the entity the tables represents (up to 64 characters)
So called “Camel Case” is used (prefix starts with lower case, every English word in the name is uppercase
Spaces are allowed in a name, but avoid them; some special characters are also allowed
Join tables usually refer to both entities involved
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

21. 5 Steps to Creating a Table
Create a new empty table
Add fields (with their datatypes and properties)
Set the primary key (if needed)
Create indexes for the appropriate fields (if needed)
Save the table design
Tip: pay attention to field names:
Like table names, they should be descriptive, clear, and follow a naming convention
Adding fields later is almost never a problem, but changing field names is always a big headache
Because of that, Access provides an Auto Correct function; most developers turn it off, because it adversely affect performance, and its ability to correct is still limited
To turn it off, click File, Options, Current Database and scroll down to “Perform name AutoCorrect” and clear the checkmark
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

22. Creating a New Empty Table
Click the Create tab to bring up the relevant tools
Clicking the Table button adds a table with a default id and no fields and opens it in datasheet view looking like this:
Clicking the Table Design button adds a table
with no fields that looks like the image on the right
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

23. Adding Fields in the Datasheet View
Type data in the space under “Click to Add”
Hit the Enter (or Tab) key
The text in the field name changes to Field1, Field2, etc. and a new column is created, also headed as “Click to Add”
Right click on Field1, Field2, etc. and select “Rename Field” to provide the correct field name
As data is entered, you will notice various greyed out tools “coming to life” allowing you to select data types and properties for the field
More about that later
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

24. Adding Fields in the Design View
In Design view, you do not actually add any data
Instead, you add the field name, its data type, and its description
As your cursor is in a specific field, the table below provides a list of properties
The contents of the properties table changes by data type
You set up the properties by editing the lines in the properties table
Most people prefer the design view for creating tables, because it allows you to focus on the design of the table (as opposed to the data content).
When you are in the Design View, a new tab is added to the ribbon, the Design Tab
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

25. The Design Tab
One or more rows are selected by clicking (and dragging) on the grey box in front of each row
Tools in the ribbon act on the selected row(s)
Primary Key sets the selected field(s) as the primary key (more about that later)
Insert Rows inserts a row in the design view to allow you to place a new field between two existing fields
Many people prefer to have a specific order of fields, although it does not matter to the DB
Delete Rows deletes the fields in the selected rows
Property Sheet opens the property sheet for the entire table (as opposed to property sheet for each field
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

26. Field Name Rules Up to 64 characters
Letters, numbers and special characters, except ! ` [] () . and control characters
Cannot start with a space
“Camel Case” is commonly used
Make names significant and descriptive
Remember: if you have to change field names later, after reports, forms and queries have been created, you are in for a long and tedious effort, so chose well upfront!
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

27. Data Types
Data Types are a shorthand for describing what kind of data is going to be stored in a field and what kind of operations will be performed with that data
Additional properties will be set using the properties table
Short Text
Up to 255 characters, but you can set a lower size
Access uses variable length fields to store data
if you set the limit to say 25, but use 5 in a given record, only 5 characters are saved
Good practice to set field sizes correctly
Long Text
Variable amount of data up to 1GB
Only actual needed space is used
You do not specify a size for these
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

28. Data Types - Number Number
Used for numeric data (as in data to be used in calculations, as opposed to data consisting of digits)
Quantity is numeric data
Phone number and SIN are not
Design your tables taking a very conservative view about large values
If you don’t, and eventually the database needs larger values, the DB application will fail
On the other hand, use the most economical reasonable size, because storing small values in large size fields impacts performance
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

29. Data Types - Cont’d Date/Time Currency
Specialized for storing date and time (together)
Easy to do specialized calculations
Don’t separate date and time
Currency
Specialized number
No rounding
15 digits of precision to the left of the decimal point
4 digits of precision to the right of the decimal point
Faster than regular numeric
Interacts with Windows regional settings
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

30. Data Types - Cont’d AutoNumber Yes/No
Another specialized number field, limited to one per table
Inserts a long integer starting with 1 and incremented by one every time a new record is added
Can be used as a default primary key, but cannot be edited
Yes/No
Another specialized number field, stores -1 for Yes, 0 for No
Uses one bit of storage, and is used for binary values
yes/no, true/false, on/off, etc.
Shows as check box in datasheet view
OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) Object
Stores entire objects created in other OLE enabled applications such as Word, Excel, etc.
Beyond our scope
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

31. Data Types - Cont’d Hyperlink Attachment Calculated Lookup Wizard
Most often used to link to a web resource (such as a web page)
Attachment
A more generic way of placing an entire file in a DB field
Even though the source file is usually on your computer, a copy of the file is stored within the DB, so the size of the DB grows fast with attachments… so use sparingly
Calculated
A number field whose value is calculated (as a formula) based on other fields (such as [quantity]*[unitPrice]
Lookup Wizard
A mechanism for setting up a field whose values can only be selected from entries in another table (called lookup table) such as a list of Provinces in an address
Actual type end up being Short Text, with Lookup property filled out
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

32. Field Properties
Field properties are a very powerful feature of Access
They help maintain correctness, consistency, etc.
They are enforced by the DB engine
Each data type has its own set of properties
Number fields have Decimal Places property
Text fields have Text Align
Property values can be:
Free format, where the values are typed in (perhaps with constraints)
E.g.: Field Size for Short Text is a value between 1 and 255
Fixed values, usually represented by keywords
You cycle through possible values by double clicking the value
E.g.: A Number can have a Field Size of: Byte, Integer, Long Integer, Single, Double, ReplicationID, and Decimal
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

33. Commonly Used Field Properties
Field Size
Applicable to: AutoNumber, Short Text, and Number (although specified in different ways)
Number between 1 and 255 for Short Text, expressing the maximum number of characters allowed in the field
Various values for Number fields
Format
Applicable to: every data type except Attachment
Describes ways of presenting the data after being entered (in views, reports and forms
Does not change the actual data (it affects only the presentation)
Input Mask
Applicable to: Short Text, Number, Date/Time and Currency
Forces data to be entered in a predefined format
Useful for data items like ZIP codes, phone numbers, etc.
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

34. Commonly Used Field Properties – cont’d
Decimal Places
Applicable to: Number (depending on Field Size setting) and Currency
Specifies the number of decimal positions after the decimal point
Caption
Applicable to: all data types
Specifies a label to be used to identify the field in forms and reports
If not present, the field name is used instead
Useful when field names are not very user friendly
Default Value
Applicable to: all data types except AutoNumber, Attachment and Calculated
Specifies a value to be pre-filled during data entry
Useful for data items like ZIP codes, phone numbers, etc.
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

35. Commonly Used Field Properties – cont’d
Validation Rule
Applicable to: all data types except AutoNumber, Attachment and Calculated
Specifies business rules that limit the values entered in the field
E.g.: date must be past a certain date, value must be at least 100, etc.
Validation Text
Error message to be displayed when data entry fails the validation
Usually explains the user what the validation criteria is
Required
Applicable to: all data types except AutoNumber, Yes/No and Calculated
If set to Yes, forces users to enter some data in this field
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

36. Commonly Used Field Properties – cont’d
Allow Zero Length
Applicable to: Short Text and Long Text
Specifies if an empty string is allowed as input
A string with no characters in it (empty string) is logically different from not entering a value at all (null value)
Indexed
Applicable to: all data types except Attachment and Calculated
If specified creates a mechanism that speeds up searching this table on this field
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

37. Format
Access provides built-in formats related to the Region and Language setting in Windows (or similar Operating System settings in other Operating Systems)
Formatting options vary by data type; E.g.:
Date/Time has a general format (complete) and then Long, Medium and Short Date and the same for Time
Yes/No has formatting options to show as Yes/No, True/False or On/Off
Numbers can be formatted as general, currency, scientific notation, percentage, etc.
You can create custom formats
Important: formatting does not change data, it only affects how data is displayed
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

38. Custom Numeric Formats
Custom numeric formats are created using the following symbols
. (period) for the location of the decimal point
, (comma) for the thousands separator
0 for a digit, which if not present will be replaced by a 0
# for a digit, which if not present will be replaced by a space
$ for the dollar sign
% multiplies the value by 100 and adds the % sign
E- or e- uses the scientific notation and shows a minus sign for negative exponents
E+ or e+ uses the scientific notation and shows a plus sign for positive exponents
You can specify a format for each of: positive values, negative values, zero values, null values, in this order, separated by a semicolon; you can also insert a color for each section
E.g.: 0, [Green]; (0,000.00) [Red]; “Zero”; “-”
Will show all numbers with exactly 6 digits, padded with 0’s as need, in green if positive, or in red and in parenthesis if negative; If zero, no numbers are shown, the text “Zero” is entered instead; if no value was entered, a dash is shown
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

39. Standard Numeric Formats
General: equivalent to #.###
Currency: equivalent to $#,##0.00;($#.##0.00)
Euro: equivalent to € #,##0.00;(€ #.##0.00)
Fixed: equivalent to #.##
Standard: equivalent to #,##0.00
Percent: equivalent to #.##%
Scientific: equivalent to 0.00E+00
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

40. Standard Date/Time Formats
General Date:
Displays only date, if no time specified in the data, and the other way around
Date is displayed in Short Date format
Time is displayed in Long Time format
Long Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Medium Date: 1-Nov-16
Short Date: 11/1/2016
Long Time: 6:30:00 PM
Medium Time: 6:30 PM
Short Time: 18:30
These options are more than enough, but you can customize further (see text for codes)
Use upper or lower case for AM / PM, leading zeros, and combinations of the formats above
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

41. Custom Text Formats You can use the following format codes:
< to force all text to lower case
> to force all text to upper case
@ to indicate a mandatory position (a position where either provided input or a space is displayed)
& to indicate an optional character (a position where if no input is present, nothing is displayed)
Any text you type appears as typed, in the appropriate spot
You can specify three format strings separated by semicolon, for strings, zero- length strings, and no content respectively, in that order
would:
Keep the text as typed if any
Display “None” if you type an empty string
Display “Unknown” if nothing was entered
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

42. Other Formats Yes/No data type Hyperlink data type Yes/No True/False
On/Off
;”Text for Yes values”;”Text for No values”
E.g.: ;”Training completed”;”Must attend training”
Any format you chose, the data stored is still -1 for Yes (or equivalent) and 0 for No (or equivalent)
Hyperlink data type
Display text#URL
E.g.: Prof. Pateanu’s Website#
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

43. Input Mask
An Input Mask is used to force users to enter data in a prescribed way to help avoid errors
Enter SIN numbers as exactly 9 digits
Enter phone numbers as 10 digits
Enter Canadian postal codes as a sequence of letter, digit repeated three times, separated by a dash in the middle and with upper case letters only
Input masks have three parts, separated by semicolons:
The mask itself
The digit 0 or 1, indicating whether special characters in the mask are to be stored with the data (0) or not (1)
A character to be used as placeholder for the content until actual data is entered
Placeholders provide a visual clue as to how many characters are expected
They are replaced by actual content as you type
# or * is used most often
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

44. Input Mask Codes Codes used:
Separators: . , : ; - / (depend on system setting for Region and Language)
< and > to force lower and upper case respectively
! To start entering data from left to right
\ to show the following character as is
“text” to insert the text as typed
Codes in the table below:
Input Required
Code if Mandatory
Code if Optional
Digit without sign 9
Letter L ?
Letter or digit A a
Any character or space
& C
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

45. Input Mask Examples Canadian Postal Code Canadian SIN
>L0L\-0L0;1;#
Canadian SIN
000\-000\-000;0;#
International standard phone number
\+990\(990\)9000\-0000;1;#
Allows 1-3 digit country codes
Allows 1-3 digit area codes in parenthesis
Allows 7 or 8 digits in the phone number, with the last 4 digits preceded by a dash
Note: Formats take precedence over input masks; typically one or the other is used
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

46. Validation Rules
Setting up validation rules can create sophisticated formulae for making sure data is logically valid for the designed purpose
Validation can involve macros and other coded functions, which are out of our scope
Here are some simple examples of validation rules:
Is “M” OR “F” allows only the upper case M or upper case F as input – might be good for gender field
Is IN (“ON”,”QC”,”AB”) would allow only ON, QC or AB as entries – might be good for province codes
Is Like would allow at least one character followed followed by at least one character followed by . Followed by at least one character – might be good for an
>=0 allows only positive numbers
Between 0000 and 9999 allows only 4 digit numbers
Is Like ????? Accepts exactly 5 characters
Is Not Like “*[!a-z]*” accepts only letters
Is Not Like “*[!0-9]*] accepts only digits
< #1/1/2019# requires a date no later than 2018
Don’t forget to set up a Validation Text to let the user know what is expected
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

47. Validation Rules - Examples
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

48. Validation Rules - Examples
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

49. Lookup Property The Property table has a second tab labelled Lookup
It allows you to select different visual controls associated with field
The usual visual control for entering data is Text Box – a box where you type data
Yes/No fields have another visual control, the check box
Text fields can also have Combo Box or List Box as visual controls (known as drop down)
The two are similar; the differences are beyond our scope, so use Combo Box as default
Additional properties on the Lookup tab allow you to specify:
The source of data, typically another table, or a list of values (when short)
How many rows to display in the drop down
How wide the drop down should be
Whether the user must chose from the list provided, or can add new values
Whether multiple choices are allowed or not
You can also do multiple column lists, but that is out of our scope
Lookup is very useful for keeping data consistent and correct
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

50. Primary Keys
Often we need to uniquely identify every record in a table
To do so, a field in the table (or a combination of fields) must hold unique values across the entire table
Such a field is called a Primary key
AutoNumber type fields are an automatic way of creating a primary key, but often other fields are more appropriate (e.g.: student number, SIN, Driver’s License, etc.)
To create a primary key
Select the field(s) and click the Primary Key icon in the ribbon, or
Right click on the field and select the Primary Key option (only works for single field key)
Save the table, and when asked allow Access to create an AutoNumber primary key
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

51. What Can Queries Do?
Chose one table, or combine data from several tables
Chose specific fields needed for a purpose, while omitting fields that are not needed
Select only certain records in the table(s) based on specific criteria
Sort the selected records in some specific order
Perform calculations (over and above calculated fields in a table)
E.g.: averages, totals, counts, etc.
Create new tables based on their output
Feed their output to a form or report
Use the output of another query as a data source for a new query
Modify data in a table based on their results (these queries are called action queries)
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

52. How Queries Work The data output of a query is called a recordset
By default, recordsets are displayed in the datasheet view
You cannot tell a table from a recordset just by looking at the output
Recordsets are dynamic
Only the defining structure of the query is stored in the query object
The actual data is collected anew every time the query runs
So if you run a query, then change data in tables and run the same query again, your table changes will be reflected in the recordset
When the recordset is bound to a form or report, the query is re-run every time the form or report is opened
Recordsets can be also used in macros and VBA procedures (out of scope)
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

53. Using the Query Wizard
For a few basic kinds of queries you can use the Query Wizard
Select the Create tab and click the Query Wizard icon to get to the screen on the top right
Click OK to get to the screen at the bottom right
Select the tables you want, successively, using the Tables/Queries dropdown
For each table select the fields you want by clicking on a filed in the Available Fields box and then on the right arrow in the middle
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

54. Using the Query Wizard – cont’d…
Click Next when you are done, to get to the screen at the right
Enter the name of your query at the top
Decide if you want to run the query first or go straight to modifying the design
Note that you did not have an opportunity to put in criteria, sorting, show, etc. so in most cases further design work is needed
Click Finish to complete the process
While it can be a modestly faster way to put together a query, since most of the time additional design is needed the wizard is not all that useful
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

55. Working with Fields in the QBE
Select a field by clicking in any place in its column, or the field selector (the grey box above the field’s name in the QBE)
Reorder fields by dragging the field selector to a new location
Resize the column of a field by positioning the cursor on the vertical line between field columns until the cursor becomes a double arrow and drag the separating line to where you want it
Remove a field by:
Selecting the field and clicking the Delete Column icon
Right clicking in the field selector and selecting Cut
Insert a field by:
Clicking in an existing field, and clicking the Insert Column tool (empty column inserted at the left of the existing field, then you drag a field to that column)
Drag a field name over a column already in use; the new field is inserted before the field you dropped it on
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

56. Criteria for Text Fields
Record selection criteria for text fields fall into three kinds:
Equality, where records selected contain in that field the text specified in the Criteria row
E.g.: Entering the text “car” in the criteria for a Category field of a Product table will select only the cars from that table
Inequality, where records selected contain in that field any text but the text specified in the Criteria row
E.g.: Entering the text “not car” in the criteria for a Category field of a Product table will select only the records for items that are not cars from that table
List of values, which works like equality, but with multiple values
Each subsequent value is entered in a a new row in the or section of the QBE, or
Use In(“a”, “b”, “c”)
You can use Like and Not Like with strings containing the * symbol
* is called a wild card, and it “matches” any string
Like *ina selects any record that has a text value ending in “ina”
Like [A-D]* selects any record that has a text value starting with the letter A, B, C, D
You can use < or > before a string, to select records containing text lexically “less” or “more” then the following string
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

57. Criteria for other fields
Criteria for Number, Currency and AutoNumber fields
Pretty much the same as for text fields, except that strings here must be numbers
Criteria for Date/Time fields
Pretty much like numbers, but the date must be in the #mm/dd/yyyy# format
You can use the Date() function which return today’s date
E.g.: Between Date() and Date()-6 returns all records dated in the last week
You can use Year(), Month() and Day() with any date field as an argument to select based on that respective portion of a date
E.g.: Year([SalesDate]) = Year(Date()) selects records with the date in the current year
Use Is Null to find all records that have no value in a field
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

58. Parameter Queries
Sometimes we need to design queries that are very similar
E.g.: A sales database selling across Canada may want to determine at different times how many customers they have in a given province
Sometimes that would be Ontario, some other times Quebec, etc.
Dilemma: Do I need to design a query for every province?
Solution: design a parameter query
To transform a query into a parameter query you do this:
In the Criteria for the field in question (in the example above the Province field) enter a text in square brackets containing the prompt to the user indicating what to provide as a parameter
E.g.: [Enter province name: ]
Now when you run the query, a pop up shows the text you entered and provides a space for the user to enter a value, say Ontario
The effect is the same as if you entered Ontario in the criteria field instead of the prompt
Now the query can be used to find customers in any one province
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

59. Why We Need Forms
Forms allow us to view a record at a time showing all fields on a single page
Forms provide the ability to enhance the user experience with explanations, help, controls, etc.
Forms allow selective access to certain fields and protect others
Forms are usually the access control mechanism (users get to see only forms, not underlying tables or queries)
Forms can be used to navigate the application
Forms can provide calculations
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

60. Create Form Ribbon Click on the Create tab
The Form section of the ribbon looks like this:
Use the Form tool to create a form for entering all fields in a table one record at a time
The form is created for the table currently highlighted in the navigation pane
Use the Form Design tool to create a form from scratch in the design view
Use the Blank Form tool to create a form from scratch in the layout view
Layout view and design view are very similar, and most tasks can be performed in either (but not all)
Design view shows more details related to the looks of the form, but no data, while the layout view shows the underlying data
Use the Form Wizard tool to guide you through the creation of a simple form
Unlike the Form tool, you can select only some fields in a table, you can chose from a few standard layouts, etc.
Use the Navigation tool to create a form for navigating through the application
A navigation form is essentially a tabbed sheet, each tab being further associated with another form
The options you see when you click this tool refer to the arrangements of the tabs
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

61. Controls Forms are essentially a collection of controls
Some controls are bound, meaning they are tied to a field in a table
The data in the field is displayed in the control
Text boxes, list boxes, combo boxes, check boxes, etc.
Other controls are unbound, meaning they help the user understand how to use the form
Labels, lines, boxes, graphics, calculated controls, etc.
When you start the creation of a form in design view, the ribbon will contain a collection of tools for creating the controls (see image below)
Arrow tool is for selecting items, not a control
These tools are located in the Design tab
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

62. Frequently Used Controls - 1
Text Box: bound control used to edit text data
Label: unbound control for displaying text that does not change
Button: unbound control usually used for running a VBA or macro
Tab: unbound control for organizing the form’s controls into a tabbed style interface
Hyperlink: unbound control for accessing another resource
Opens up dialogue screen (see top right) for selecting the resource
Resource is viewed in a separate window
Web Browser: unbound control for a mini browser window
Opens up dialogue screen (see bottom right) for selecting the page to display
Resource is viewed right there on the form
Control is bound to URL, not field in a table
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

63. Frequently Used Controls – 2
Navigation: bound control used to lay out multiple forms into a tabbed style interface
Looks like the tab control, but it holds different objects
Option Group: a control for a group of radio buttons, check boxes or toggle buttons
Can be bound, but the entire group is bound, not each individual button or box
In this case, each individual button has an associated value, and the field gets the selected value
Can be unbound, in which case the content is used for dialogue with the user that drives further action
Clicking the tool launches a wizard for construction the group
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

64. Frequently Used Controls – 3
Page Break: unbound control used to break long forms into multiple pages
Used as an alternative to scrolling
Requires setting up buttons or links to move between pages
Tabbed forms are simpler
Combo Box: bound control showing text fields with their Lookup property set to Combo Box
Much like a lookup for datasheet view
Clicking the tool launches a wizard for construction the control
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

65. Frequently Used Controls – 4
Chart: bound control used to display information in graphical format
Clicking the tool launches a wizard for constructing the graph (see below)
Line: unbound control used for esthetics (separating sections of the form)
Toggle Button: bound control for showing Yes/No fields as a button that can be depressed or not
List Box: bound control showing text fields with their Lookup property set to List Box
As discussed when data properties were studied, we will use Combo Boxes only
Rectangle: unbound control used for esthetics (separating sections of the form)
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

66. Frequently Used Controls – 5
Check Box: bound control for showing Yes/No fields as a checkmark
Option Button: bound control for showing Yes/No fields as a radio button
Image: bound control for displaying an image on the form
In this case the binding is to an image file on your computer
Usually used for esthetic reasons, such as logos, etc.
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

67. Adding Controls
By clicking a tool icon in the Controls section of the Design ribbon
Creates unbound control; if the control needs to be bound, do so using the property sheet
By dragging a field from the field list – preferred option because it is most efficient
Click the Add Existing Fields button on the ribbon to show a window for navigating to a field
The control created is bound to the field
MS Access choses a type of control that is consistent with the field data type
By double clicking a field from the field list
Same as by dragging a field, except MS Access decides where to put it (you can, of course, move it later)
By right clicking a field in the field list and choosing Add Field to View
Same as double clicking
By copying and pasting an existing control
Of course, you need to edit properties, otherwise you have useless duplication
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

68. Editing Controls To edit a control you must first select it
Click anywhere in the control to select it
Hold down the shift key and click successive controls to select multiple controls
Access handles appear on selected controls
Image to the right shows controls both selected and not selected
Resize controls by dragging handles
Cursor changes in standard Windows fashion
Move the control by dragging and dropping, or by selecting it and using the arrow keys
Use the Arrange tab on the ribbon to show a wide assortment of tools that help with esthetics
Sizing, alignment, spacing, etc.
Use the Format tab on the ribbon to change the look of controls
Colors, fonts, backgrounds, etc.
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

69. Why We Need Reports
Reports present not just data from the tables, but also additional data, like:
Subtotals and totals
Statistics, like averages, median values, etc.
Graphics that can help visualize the data
Reports are designed to be printed, so they can be distributed (in paper or PDF format) to audiences who are not direct users of the DB system
Comparing reports to forms
They are very similar in many ways, and except data entry anything you can do with a form can be done with a report (forms can even be saved as a report)
Generally, forms are aimed at data entry and user interactions, while reports are aimed at data visualization
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

70. Steps to Creating a Report
Define the report layout
Decide on the report type, what information will be included and where each bit of information goes
Decide data organization such as grouping and sorting
Decide on the calculations, summaries, graphs, etc. to be included, and where they go
Decide on additional information such as headers, footers, legends, instructions, paging, etc.
Assemble the data
From a single database table
From a query that can combine data from many sources
Create the report with the report wizard or from scratch
Print or view the report
Save the report
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

71. Using the Report Wizard
The first dialogue screen of the report wizard allows you to select the data that goes into the report
Drop down on top allows you to select a table or a query
The fields in the selected source appear in the window on the left
Select fields you want in the report and click the single right arrow to add them
Click the double right arrow to move all fields into the report
Once fields are selected, the left arrows become available to reverse a selection
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

72. Report Wizard - Grouping
The second dialogue screen of the report wizard (image top right) allows you to select grouping levels
When you select a field to group by:
That filed becomes a heading
That field is no longer listed in every record
Remaining records are grouped under that heading, as long as they share the same value for the grouping field
If you select a second grouping field
The selected field becomes a subheading
Grouping occurs for records with the same value for both fields
Grouping Options (image bottom right) allows grouping on:
The full field content, or
The first 1-5 letters in the field
Other options for numeric or date fields
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

73. Report Wizard - Sorting
The third dialogue screen of the report wizard allows you to specify sorting
Groups are automatically sorted based on their data type
Sorting options are provided for the rest of the data
You can sort by up to four fields
Sorting is done on a precedence basis
In the example on the right, sorting is done on LastName, and if several records have the same last name, they will be further sorted based on FirstName
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

74. Report Wizard - Summaries
If numeric fields are present in your report, the sorting screen also displays a Summary Options button
When you click this button, you get the screen on the right
It shows all numeric fields, and checkmarks for selecting standard arithmetic calculations based on that field
Show options:
Default is Detail and Summary, to show both the actual data and the calculated values
Summary Only option creates a so called Summary Report (where the underlying data is hidden)
You can also add calculation of the percentage each sum represents out of the total of the relevant numbers
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

75. Report Wizard - Layout
The fourth dialogue screen of the report wizard allows you to specify a layout for the report and its orientation
Stepped Layout:
First grouping filed value is on one line
Second grouping field value is on the second line, indented
Records are on the 3rd, 4th, etc. line, further indented
Block Layout:
Records are laid out one per row
Grouping field values are listed only on the first row
Outline Layout
Similar to stepped, but column heading are repeated for each subgroup
Orientation is the way the paper is positioned when printing
Fields can be adjusted to fit to page
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

76. Report Layout Comparison
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

77. Banded Report Design Concepts
The concept of grouping (and related possible calculations) and the fact that reports are also naturally divided into pages, leads to thinking about and designing reports in sections (bands)
Hierarchy of sections:
Report
Page
Group (and subgroups)
Detail (records)
Each section except detail has a header and a footer containing relevant information
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

78. Headers
The Report Header prints at the beginning of the report and might contain:
The name of the report
Cover page with a summary of information describing the report and its use
Might be enhanced with an image, and printed on a separate page
Select the Report Header in the design view, click the Property Sheet icon and select After Section for the Force New Page property
The Page Header prints at the top of every page and might contain:
The name of the report (so unstapled pages can be organized correctly)
Column headings
Page number (can be in the footer)
Graphics (such as a line) to separate from the rest of the page
The Group Header prints at the top of each group and normally contains:
The field value defining the group
Graphics to visually distinguish the group
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

79. Footers
The Report Footer prints at the end of the report and might contain:
Grand totals and other report level statistics
Note: when a page footer is present, it is printed after the report footer
The Page Footer prints at the bottom of every page and might contain:
Page numbers (best to use Page x of y format)
Date and time of report printing
Page level control totals
The Group Footer prints at the bottom of each group and normally contains:
Statistics for the group
Graphics to visually distinguish the group
Note: be careful with group calculations vs. page calculations… they can get confusing
AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017

80. Report Sections AP/ITEC 1010 – Information and Organizations
January 8, 2017