INTRODUCTORY MICROSOFT ACCESS Lesson 1 – Access Basics

1. INTRODUCTORY MICROSOFT ACCESSLesson 1 – Access Basics

2. Objectives • Understand databases. • Start Access and open a database. • Identify parts of the Access screen. • Identify the database objects. • Understand database terminology. • Create a new database and a new table. • Design, modify, name, and save a table. • Navigate a database and enter records. • Print a table and exit Access.

3. Database management system Datasheet view Design view Entry Field Field name Primary key Record Terms Used in This Lesson

4. See Figure 1-1 in student book, Access startup screen Start Access and Open a Database • Click the Start button, select Programs, and click Microsoft Access. • The Access startup screen appears, giving you the option of opening an existing database or creating a new one.

5. Open a Database • From the New File task pane, click More files and choose a database from the Open dialog box. • Create a new database by clicking the Blank Database option in the New section of the New File task pane.

6. See Figure 1-3 in student book, Access screen Identify Parts of the Access Screen • The Access screen has a title bar, menu bar, and toolbar. • The Status bar is at the bottom of the screen.

7. Identify the Database Objects

8. Understand Database Terminology • Record - complete set of database fields. • Field - categories of data that make up records. • Field name - name that identifies a field. • Entry - data entered into a field.

9. See Figure 1-6 in student book, Access startup screen Create a New Database • Create a new database by choosing New on the File menu. The Access startup screen appears. • In the New File task pane, choose Blank Database.

10. See Figure 6-3 in student book, New Table dialog box Create a New Table • Create a new table by clicking Tables on the Objects bar. • Click the New button and the New Table dialog box appears where you can choose a way to create a table.

11. Design, Modify, Name, and Save a Table • Design the table - enter the field name, data type, and description. • Save and name the table - choose Save on the File menu. • Modify the table – go to Design view and make changes.

12. Navigate a Database and Enter Records • To display a table in Datasheet view (table is similar to a spreadsheet), select the table and click Open or click the Datasheet View button on the toolbar. • Enter records directly into the table using Datasheet view. • Press Enter or Tab to move to the next field as you enter data. • Changes are saved automatically – no need to save.

13. Print a Table and Exit Access • Choose Print on the File menu or click the Print button on the toolbar to display the Print dialog box. • Choose to print all records, only those selected, or for long tables, the pages to print. • Click the Setup button to change the margins. • Click the Properties button to change the orientation. • Exit Access by choosing Exit on the File menu.

14. Summary • Access is a database management system which allows you to store, retrieve, analyze, and print information. • You can open an existing database from the File menu or from the New File task pane displayed on the right side of the screen. • A database is a collection of objects which work together to store data, retrieve data, display data, print reports, and automate operations. The object types are tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules.

15. Summary • A record is a complete set of data. Each record is made up of fields. Each field is identified by a field name. The actual data entered into a field is called an entry. • Creating a database creates a file that will hold database objects. To store data, a table must first be created. • As in other Office XP applications, you exit Access by choosing the Exit command from the File menu.