The Visibooks Guide to Access 2003

Transcription

1 The Visibooks Guide to Access 2003 by Tony Fowlie

2 The Visibooks Guide to Access 2003 Copyright Copyright 2006 by Visibooks, LLC. All rights reserved. Trademarks and Disclaimer Visibooks is a trademark of Visibooks, LLC. All brand and product names in this book are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Visibooks makes every effort to ensure that the information in this book is accurate. However, Visibooks makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy, quality, reliability, or freedom from error of this document or the products described in it. Visibooks makes no representation or warranty with respect to this book s contents, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or fitness for any particular purpose. Visibooks disclaims all liability for any direct, indirect, consequential, incidental, exemplary, or special damages resulting from the use of the information in this document or from the use of any products described in it. Mention of any product does not constitute an endorsement of that product by Visibooks. Data used in examples are intended to be fictional. Any resemblance to real companies, people, or organizations is entirely coincidental. ISBN

3 Table of Contents Database Basics... 1 Create a new database...2 Create tables...13 Create records...21 Create forms...28 Create queries...40 Create reports...47 Working with Tables Modify tables...64 Create new tables...82 Specify data types...86 Specify field properties Edit records Find records Sort and filter records Create table relationships TABLE OF CONTENTS i

4 Working with Forms Modify forms Add/delete records Edit records Find records Filter records Working with Queries Create queries Sort results Add criteria Employ Boolean operators Find duplicate records Create Update queries Create Delete queries Working with Reports Format reports Create mailing labels ii TABLE OF CONTENTS

5 Database Basics In this section, you ll learn how to: Create a new database Create tables Create records Create forms Create queries Create reports DATABASE BASICS 1

6 Create a new database 1. Start Microsoft Access Your screen should look like this: 2 DATABASE BASICS

7 2. In the Getting Started pane, click Create a new file. DATABASE BASICS 3

8 3. When the New File pane appears, click Blank Database. 4 DATABASE BASICS

9 4. When the File New Database window appears, create a new folder in the My Documents folder called Practice Access Files. Tip: To create a new folder, double-click the My Documents folder so it appears in the Save in drop-down list. Then click the icon. DATABASE BASICS 5

10 5. Double-click the Practice Access Files folder. It should appear in the Save in box. 6 DATABASE BASICS

11 6. In the File name box, type: Friends.mdb Tip: The file extension for Access databases is.mdb. Just like Word files are something.doc, and Web pages are somethingelse.html, Access databases are database.mdb. MDB stands for Microsoft DataBase. DATABASE BASICS 7

12 7. Click the button. The window for the Friends database should open: 8 DATABASE BASICS

13 Identify database elements Elements of databases A database stores information in an organized way, and makes it easy to get information in and out. Tables store data within the database. Forms make it easy to put data into tables. Queries pull out specific data. Reports put data in an easily-read format. Form Query Table Table Report DATABASE BASICS 9

14 1. In the Objects list, click Tables. 2. Click Queries. 10 DATABASE BASICS

15 3. Click Forms. 4. Click Reports. DATABASE BASICS 11

16 5. Click Tables. 6. Click the button. The Friends database window should expand to fill the screen: 12 DATABASE BASICS

17 Create tables 1. Double-click Create table by entering data. A blank table should open: DATABASE BASICS 13

18 Name fields 1. Double-click the Field 1 column header. 2. Type: First Name 3. Press the ENTER key on your keyboard. The column header should look like this: 14 DATABASE BASICS

19 4. Double-click the Field2 column header. 5. Type: Last Name It should look like this: 6. Press the ENTER key on your keyboard. 7. Double-click the Field3 column header, type: City then press ENTER. DATABASE BASICS 15

20 8. Double-click the Field4 column header, type: Zip then press ENTER. 9. Double-click the Field5 column header, type: Phone Number then press ENTER. The table should now look like this: 16 DATABASE BASICS

21 Delete unused fields 1. Right-click the Field6 column header. 2. When the menu appears, click Delete Column. DATABASE BASICS 17

22 3. When the alert window appears, click the button. 4. Right-click the Field7 column header. When the menu appears, click Delete Column. When the alert window appears, click the button. 5. Delete the Field8, Field9, and Field10 columns the same way. The table should now look like this: 18 DATABASE BASICS

23 6. On the Menu Bar, click File, then Save. 7. When the Save As window appears, type: Friends of Mine in the Table Name box. 8. Click the button. DATABASE BASICS 19

24 9. When the alert window that reads There is no primary key defined appears, click the button. Access will insert an ID field the Key field in the table: The key field 10. When the alert window popped up, and you clicked the Yes button, Access added the ID field to the table. The ID field is now the table s primary key, or key field. That means it can t contain any duplicates. Every table should have a key field. For example, if a hospital keeps a database, each patient can have a unique ID number in the key field. That way, if it has more than one patient named John Baker, it can easily distinguish John Baker, ID #326 in for a checkup, from John Baker, ID #298 who needs his gall bladder removed. 20 DATABASE BASICS

25 Create records 1. Click in the box under the First Name column header. 2. Type: Elvis 3. Press the TAB key on your keyboard. The table should now look like this: 4. Type: Presley then press the TAB key. 5. Type: Baltimore then press TAB. DATABASE BASICS 21

26 6. Type: then press TAB. 7. Type: then press TAB. The table should now look like this: Tip: Notice how the cursor in the row selector has moved down to the second (new) record. When you move on to a new record, Access automatically saves the previous record. 22 DATABASE BASICS

27 Add new fields 1. Right-click the Zip column heading. 2. When the menu appears, click Insert Column. The table should now look like this, with a new blank field: 3. Double-click the column heading and type: State 4. Press the ENTER key. DATABASE BASICS 23

28 5. Click inside the new State field for the first record. 6. Type: MD 7. Press TAB until the cursor moves down to a new record. Record number 1 is saved and complete. 24 DATABASE BASICS

29 Move fields 1. Click the Phone Number column heading. The entire column should be selected. 2. Place the cursor on the Phone Number column heading. Then drag the column so the cursor rests between the Last Name and City columns. 3. When you see a thick black line between the two columns, release the mouse button. The Phone Number column should now rest between the Last Name and City columns: DATABASE BASICS 25

30 4. On the Menu Bar, click File, then Close. 5. When prompted to save the changes to the table layout, click the button. 26 DATABASE BASICS

31 The Friends database window should now look like this: DATABASE BASICS 27

32 Create forms 1. In the Objects list, click Forms. 2. Double-click Create form by using wizard. 28 DATABASE BASICS

33 3. When the Form Wizard window appears, click the button. DATABASE BASICS 29

34 All the table fields should be added to the form: 4. Click the button. 30 DATABASE BASICS

35 5. When the next screen appears, leave Columnar selected, then click the button. DATABASE BASICS 31

36 6. When the next screen appears, make sure Standard is selected, then click the button. 32 DATABASE BASICS

37 7. When the last screen appears, type: Friends of Mine Data Input Form in the box. DATABASE BASICS 33

38 8. Click the button. The form should open and look like this: 34 DATABASE BASICS

39 Add a new record 1. In the form window, click the button. A blank record should appear: DATABASE BASICS 35

40 2. Press TAB to advance to the First Name box. 3. Type: Bo then press the TAB key. 4. Type: Diddley then press the TAB key. 5. Type: Richmond then press the TAB key. 6. Type: VA then press the TAB key. 36 DATABASE BASICS

41 7. Type: then press the TAB key. 8. Type: The form should now look like this: DATABASE BASICS 37

42 9. Press the TAB key again. The form should progress to a new, blank record: The old record has been saved. 38 DATABASE BASICS

43 10. On the Menu Bar, click File, then Close to return to the database window. DATABASE BASICS 39

44 Create queries What s a query? A query is a way to get specific information from the database. Essentially, it s a question. You use queries to ask the database things like, Who are my customers in Montana?, or How many pipe fittings have I sold this month? 1. In the Objects list, click Queries. 40 DATABASE BASICS

45 2. Double-click Create query by using wizard. 3. When the Simple Query Wizard opens, double-click First Name in the Available Fields list. DATABASE BASICS 41

46 First Name should appear in the Selected Fields column: 42 DATABASE BASICS

47 4. Click the button. This should add the Last Name field to the Selected Fields list: DATABASE BASICS 43

48 5. Double-click Phone Number. 44 DATABASE BASICS

49 This should add the Phone Number field to the Selected Fields list: 6. Click the button. DATABASE BASICS 45

50 7. When the final screen appears, type: Names and Numbers 8. Click the button. The query is automatically saved and executed. It should look like this: 9. On the Menu Bar, click File, then Close to return to the database window. 46 DATABASE BASICS

51 Create reports 1. In the Objects list, click Reports. 2. Double-click Create report by using wizard. DATABASE BASICS 47

52 3. When the Report Wizard window appears, click the Tables/Queries drop-down arrow. When the list appears, click Table: Friends of Mine. 48 DATABASE BASICS

53 4. Click the button to move all the fields into the Selected Fields list. DATABASE BASICS 49

54 5. In the Selected Fields list box, click ID, then click the button. The ID field should be removed. The report wizard should now look like this: 6. Click the button. 50 DATABASE BASICS