Access Trisha Cummings

Access 1.Microsoft Access is a relational database management system from Microsoft, 2.Skilled software developers and data architects use it to develop powerful, complex application software. 3.Relatively unskilled programmers and non- programmer "power users" can use it to build simple applications without having to deal with features they don't understand. 4.It supports substantial object-oriented (OO) techniques but falls short of being a fully OO development tool.

What is a Data Base  da·ta·base - A collection of data arranged for ease and speed of search and retrieval. Also called data bank.  Examples of Databases – recipe collections, libraries, grocery store inventory

History of Databases  The first database management systems were developed in the 1960s.  The earliest known use of the term data base was in June 1963  A pioneer in the field was Charles Bachman.  Bachman's early papers show that his aim was to make more effective use of the new direct access storage devices becoming available  Prior to that data processing had been based on punched cards and magnetic tape, so that serial processing was the dominant activity.

Database models  Flat model – This model consists of a single, two-dimensional array of data elements, where all members of a given column are assumed to be similar values, and all members of a row are assumed to be related to one another.  This model is the basis of the spreadsheet.

 Hierarchical model - In a hierarchical model, data is organized into a tree-like structure.  This structure allows one 1:N relationship between two types of data.  This structure is very efficient to describe some of the relationships in the real world.

 Relational model- The relational model was introduced in an academic paper by E. F. Codd in 1970  A relational database contains multiple tables, each similar to the one in the "flat" database model. Relationships between tables are not defined explicitly; instead, keys are used to match up rows of data in different tables. A key is a collection of one or more columns in one table whose values match corresponding columns in other tables  A key that can be used to uniquely identify a row in a table is called a unique key. Typically one of the unique keys is the preferred way to refer to row; this is defined as the table's primary key.

 Object database models - In recent years, the object- oriented paradigm has been applied to database technology, creating a new programming model known as object databases.  These databases attempt to bring the database world and the application programming world closer together, in particular by ensuring that the database uses the same type system as the application program.  Object databases suffered because of a lack of standardization: although standards were defined by ODMG, they were never implemented well enough to ensure interoperability between products.  Nevertheless, object databases have been used successfully in many applications: usually specialized applications such as engineering databases or molecular biology databases rather than mainstream commercial data processing.

Who uses Access  Access is widely used by small businesses, or within departments of large corporations, and hobby programmers to create ad hoc customized systems for handling the creation and manipulation of data. Its ease of use and powerful design tools give the non-professional programmer a lot of power for little effort.

Working with Access  Opening a new database

Design Menu

New Menu Option

X Feature