Intro to Access 2007 Lindsey Brewer CSSCR September 18, 2009

What we will be learning today Access vs. Excel Starting with Access 2007 Create a database Tables Forms Relationships between data Queries Reports Where to find more information

When should I use Access vs. Excel? Excel is designed for flat data structures analysis of data is the primary goal Excel is designed to store numbers rather than text Access is designed for relational data structures relational data divides your data into different pieces through different tables using separate tables can help make data easier to manage storage of data is the primary goal Access can hold much more data than Excel and is better at storing text Access is also a better choice when there are multiple users working on one data file since Access only locks a record when a user is changing it.

Access 2007 and older versions The file extension for Access 2003 is.mdb, and Access 2007 is.accdb. To go between the different versions of Access, you can save and upgrade files into different formats with the Save As button.

Open Access 2007 Click START Click ALL PROGRAMS Click MICROSOFT OFFICE Click MICROSOFT OFFICE ACCESS 2007

The getting started page This page has categorized templates that you can choose from. If you are creating a new template, you can select a blank database option and give it a new name in the far right pane. You can also download an existing database.

Create a database Click on BLANK DATABASE at the top of the getting started page Give the file the name SURVEY on the right Click CREATE

Tabs of Access 2007 Home Create External Data Database Tools Datasheet

Tables – option 1 Tables are places to store your raw data in a spread-sheet like format There are two different ways to make tables. First, you can select a table template which is a table already set up for you by Access. Click on CREATE. In the TABLES group, click TABLE TEMPLATE. This can be handy if you want to create a table for the areas that Access has already established.

Creating a table – option 2 Click on the HOME tab You can create a more customized table by selecting DESIGN VIEW in the upper left hand corner. Give the Table the name CONTACTS

Adding field names to a table The ID field name is already filled in when you create a table Enter LAST NAME FIRST NAME PHONE NOTES MOST RECENT CALL INTERVIEWER ID Change the data type of for MOST RECENT CALL to DATE/TIME

Table creation continued Click VIEW in the upper left hand corner and switch to DATASHEET VIEW Click YES when you are prompted to save your table Another way to save a table is to right click on the tables tab Now we can enter data into our new table After entering information, right click on the contacts tab and click SAVE

Forms The form gives you a easy to use interface for data entry and editing. Forms arent necessary, but they can make data easier to manage. Click the CREATE tab Click FORM in the FORMS group When you are in LAYOUT VIEW, you can easily delete parts of a form by right clicking and selecting delete. This will not delete the field name from your table. Right click and select SAVE.

Creating a new entry using forms To enter data into your table, you can use forms. Switch the form into FORM VIEW Click NEW (BLANK) RECORD at the bottom of the form box Enter your new data in the form Save your form, and hit the REFRESH button to see your data appear in your CONTACTS table

Creating split forms Split forms allow you to view the datasheet and the form at the same time Click on the CREATE tab In the FORMS group, click SPLIT FORMS

Queries Queries enable you to specify the information that you want to display. It is important to note that the query data is live. That means that if you change the data in the query results, it will be changed in the entire database. Deleting data in a query deletes the data everywhere!

Run a query Click on the CREATE tab Click QUERY DESIGN Select the table that we want to query. Select CONTACTS. In CONTACTS, double-click the fields that you want to see in the results of the query. Add fields LAST NAME and NOTES and MOST RECENT CALL In the RESULTS section, click RUN!

Putting parameters on a query Click on the CREATE tab Click on QUERY DESIGN Add table CONTACTS Add LAST NAME, NOTES, and MOST RECENT CALL In the CRITERIA row, enter the criteria that you would like to put on the query. Enter Between Date() And Date()-6 under MOST RECENT CALL This will find all data for calls that have happened in the past week To find the syntax for other criteria, type in EXAMPLES OF QUERY CRITERIA into the help menu. Click RUN!

Create a report – option 1 Reports are ways of presenting your data. Select the table or query that you would like to be the basis of your report. In this case, CONTACTS. Click the CREATE tab. In the REPORTS group, click REPORT. Access will create a report using the data from CONTACTS.

Create a report – option 2 Use the REPORT WIZARD to create a report Click the CREATE tab In the REPORTS group, click REPORT WIZARD Select the options that you would like for your report

Editing your report View your report in LAYOUT VIEW Use the commands in the FORMAT, ARRANGE, OR PAGE SETUP tabs. View your report in DESIGN VIEW Change the titles and other design features.

Relationships Relationships bring tables together so you can gather the information that you need. Relationships are made by including one field from one table as a field in another table. Primary key – the field which is included in another table to create a relationship. Each table has a primary key. Foreign key – the name of the new field once the primary key is shared with another table.

Three types of relationships One-to-one: A single record in one table is related to a single record in another table, and vice versa. One-to-many: A single record in a table is related to many records in another table. These are the most common type of relationship in databases. Many-to-many: Several records in one table are related to several records in another table.

More information To learn more about Access 2007, you can visit Microsofts website us/access/default.aspx. They have tutorials, demos, and webcasts available. us/access/default.aspx CSCCR has a handout about Access 2000 and relational databases on its website.