Access: You will have to Create a new blank database Import data from a text file and set up the fields correctly Add some records to the table Create some reports. o For these reports you will need to create a query for searching and sorting. You will have to add a calculated field in the query. o The reports could be: A normal printed report that is based on a query. You will have to add a calculated field to the report footer. A calculated query that asks you to total or count data. This is then exported to Excel A set of labels that can be printed out. Contents Access: You will have to... 1 Importing a text file to Access... 2 Getting the fields set up correctly... 3 Setting the number of decimal places... 4 Formatting a Boolean field... 4 Reports... 5 Having problems with the wizard?... 5 Creating a report... 6 Make a query for the report... 6 Use the wizard to make a report... 7 Formatting the report in design view... 9 Creating a calculated query... 10 Creating labels... 11
Importing a text file to Access 1 Find the file that you need to import. Do not open it. File, get External Data, import Find the file if you cannot see it then check you the right file type. It is normally a csv file that you import. 2 The wizard will launch, Click next 3 This is really important! 1. Make sure that you have the First Row Contains Field Names is ticked. 2. Make sure that you click on Advanced Change the field types to match the instructions on the question paper Most papers will ask you to set a currency and a Boolean field. Some papers will ask you to set a numerical field to 1 decimal place. Sort this tricky after the import. 4 Change the data types to match the ones in the question paper and then click ok Also check the date order is correct if you get import errors it might be because the d ate is MDY instead of DMY
5 Save it in a new table Click next and then skip this window: 6 You will be asked about the primary key this is a field that uses a unique value to identify that field. Choose your own Or let Access add one for you. Check what the question paper asks you to do. In this case VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number which is unique. Check the data and read the instructions 7 Finally save the table with a meaningful name Check that you have all the data that you need You might need to run the import process through again if some of the data doesn t import correctly. IF YOU HAVE IMPORT ERRORS YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CHANGED THE DATA TYPES Getting the fields set up correctly In this question you are asked to have Size formatted as number to 1 decimal place and have Stock item formatted as Boolean. This is not easy to do during the import process, but can be sorted out afterwards.
Setting the number of decimal places 1 Go to design view Can you see that record number 3, Flexifoil Rage, has a size of 1.8? All the other fields should have the same formatting. For example: ID 1, Peter Lynn Hornet should be 2.0 If you read the rest of the question paper it will ask you to add some data and give you a big clue! 2 In Design view click on the field size in the top half of the screen and then change the field properties in the lower half. Size formatted as number to 1 decimal place Change the format to Fixed and Decimal places to 1 3 Sorted! Lots of marks Formatting a Boolean field In design view Save and look at the data. This might be easier for searching than -1 and 0
Reports Having problems with the wizard? You need to set a default printer that Access can talk to. Click on the Printers and faxes option Double click on a printer then in the dialog box select printer and set as a default printer.
Creating a report You will have to create a report. This could be in one of three formats: a printed report, a set of labels an export of the data to Excel to make a chart The exam board won t tell you to but you will need to make a query and then one of the three options above. MAKE A QUERY THEN THE REPORT, LABEL OR EXCEL Make a query for the report 1 Use the Create query in design view, Add, close and add the fields to the query Dates: often need a # wrapper >=#1/1/2013# and <=#31/12/2013# Don t add quotation marks to words Access will do it if it needs them < less than <= less than or equal to > greater than >= greater than or equal to *snow* is a wildcard that will search for words containing snow like snowkite or snowflake AND OR NOT are magic words Look at the data as you build the query. You will be asked to create: a new field called Value which is calculated at run-time. This field will calculate the Price multiplied by the Number in stock Value: [Price] * [Number] Note the colon it is important You will also have to format it as currency: Right click on the field and change the properties.
Use the wizard to make a report 1 Start the report wizard 2 Select the query you have just made from the drop down list 3 Click on the double arrows to add all the data or the single arrows to add one field at a time. You need to check the instructions and check that you have all the fields that you need and no more The click on next 4 Ignore this, just click on next
5 IMPORTANT Check the instructions. For some questions you will have to do a double sort. For example sort by Model then by price. You can t do this in the query but you can here so check! 6 Choose tabular IMPORTANT Check which way round the paper should be by reading the instructions 7 Just choose soft gray it is the default and the easiest to sort out 8 Add in the title that you are told to use in the instructions Then click finish and the report will open in preview. You now need to
Formatting the report in design view 1 The first thing I would do is to change margins to 10mm all the way round. It gives a bit more room for the report and can make life a lot easier. Go to FILE PAGE SETUP 2 IMPORTANT Make sure you can read all the data. Resize the labels and the text boxes so you can read the text. If you don t then you are losing easy marks. 3 IMPORTANT You are asked to add your name. You must use a label for your name. Open the tool box and choose a label to label your name and other details 4 IMPORTANT You will be asked to add a field that does some calculation on the data in the report. You must use a text box for this. Open the tool box and choose a text box. It comes with a label which is good because you will have to label it. 5 Report header Where the title goes. Anything that is in the report header only appears on the first page of the report. Page header Where the field headings (labels go). Apart from resizing you shouldn t have to do anything here. Anything that is in the page header only appears on every page of the report. Detail Where all the data is. Page footer Do you need the Now() and Page numbers? Delete if not. You could add your name and other details here. It will appear on every page of the report. Report footer IMPORTANT This is where you will add the calculated field. It will only work in the report footer (it is the end of the report). 6 You will be asked to add a calculated field then format and label it. The functions are the same as in EXCEL. Note the square brackets they show that it is a field. In this question you are asked to add up the total value of the stock. Right click to format as currency.
Creating a calculated query In some papers you are asked to create a report that will allow you to create a chart. Don t panic! It is easier than you think In this paper you are asked to work out how many items of stock you have for each make of kite the value of the stock for each make of kite You will need to use the totals options We will use Make, Price and Make add them to the query Right click and then choose totals We will group by Make and then use: Sum of Price (this will work out the total value of the stock) Count of Make (this will count how many items of stock for each make). Access does a lot of this for you It looks like this Save it! Finally, Export the query to Excel to make the chart by using the Office links function. You can also open Excel, select the query and then drag it into the Excel window. Or copy and paste it into Excel
Creating labels Make a query then the labels: Note that you can sort You can search on fields but not show them in the report Reports New Label wizard Select the query you have just made Next Read the instructions! It will tell you how the labels should be formatted. In this case it is two labels wide Just check the number across and click next If you need to sort by a particular field you can do this here. You can also sort by a field even if you have already sorted it in the query belt and braces!
Add all the labels that you need here. Simply click on the next line to add the text You will need to add field labels. I have added all the labels in one go. IMPORTANT You then need to add the fields. Select the right part of the label and click on a field and then the arrow to add it. It will look something like this. Note that I have added a space before the field Make: {Make} Here the squirly brackets show that it is a field Sometimes you have to make the heading larger. Here I have gone into design view and then single clicked on the title and changed the font size and made it bold Finished labels