1 Selected Topics in Management Information Systems [MOIS470] Fall 2004 Nahed Amin MS Access (Control Extensions)
2 Introduction Once you have created your database tables, reports, forms, queries, you need to create controls for the database to make it easy for the end-user to operate Making the database easy to use prevents the user from doing redundant steps that could be performed correctly
3 Introduction The developer can exert more control on the database by: Creating a switchboard Setting startup options Setting a database password
4 Creating a Switchboard A switchboard is a special Access form that provides a simple, yet effective navigation system to your database Switchboards can open forms and reports, run macros, and even launch other applications To navigate with the switchboard, the user simply clicks a button adjacent to the desired item on the switchboard
5 Creating a Switchboard Items on the switchboard are modified in the switchboard Manager dialog box. This dialog box allows you to add, edit, delete, or change the order of the items in the selected switchboard Access allows you to create multiple switchboards within a single database. Multiple switchboards are used as sub-switchboards that contain specific information under a broad information topic
6 Setting Startup Options Access provides a variety of methods to customize your database, you can: Define the name of your database application and have it appear in the title bar Use a custom icon for your database application Display or hide parts of the database window Display a certain form or a switchboard to be the startup screen (to prevent the startup screen to be displayed, hold the Shift key while opening the database)
7 Setting a Database Password The most simple method you can use to control data access to your database is a database password. Database passwords prevent unwanted users from viewing or manipulating your database When using a database password, all database users must enter the password before they are allowed to open the database
8 Setting a Database Password Database passwords protect only the initial entry into the database. Once the database is open, the database password provides no further protection To implement database security measures for each database user, you must use Access’s user-level security options