1. Databases
Introduction AC

2. We are reaching the core of the course :
We are going to deal with information
Business computing is about
presenting information (Word, PowerPoint),
treating information (Excel),
communicating (PowerPoint) information
classifying information (database softwares : Access),
and finding (all the Web) information
The great underlying unifying theme to the course is how to deal with information AC

3. Access is the core of the course :
It is concerned with classifying information
Therefore : it deals with information that can be classified (!) AC

4. « Classifiable » information :
As soon as there is a repetitive pattern to the information we deal with, we can store it into a database
Examples :
cookbook recipes
football player cards
clients
sales, etc. AC

5. Cookbook recipes : What are the repetitive information pieces ?
Data about the ingredients
Flour based or not (slow sugars)
eggs or not, etc. (proteins)
Data about the type of cuisine
Mediterranean
Thai
Savoyarde
Carribean
Chinese, etc.
Data about the type of consumers
Data about the preparation process AC

6. Data about the type of consumers
Diet oriented cuisine
Bio oriented cuisine
Feast oriented cuisine
Examples :
Christmas cuisine
Christmas pudding belongs to the Christmas cuisine type
Easter
etc. AC

7. Data about the preparation process
How long does it take ?
Oven or not ? Frying pan ?
Do we need a mixer ?
Level of sophistication required from the cook
etc. AC

8. This information has a repetitive pattern
Therefore it is suited to be stored into Access AC

9. A second example : football players
We want to start a football player card collection
We shall record :
the lastname
firstname
the team (the club)
nationality
age
transfert price
number of goals in the last season
position in the field
(we can add plenty more fields…) AC

10. A question
Why are football players easier to put into cards than cookbook recipes ? AC

11. Use of Access to set up our football player card collection :
We shall set up the electronic equivalent to a shoebox with cards in it
Each card will correspond to one football player
On each card there will be formatted information concerning one player AC

12. Some technical terms : The shoebox is called « a table »
Example : the player table
One card is called « a record »
Example : the card for Ronaldo
One information item like the name of the player is called « a field » (the container)
Example : the field for « lastname »
And the content of one field is called « an elementary piece of data »
Example : « Ronaldo » AC

13. Fields In the field « age » of the card for Ronaldinho…
…what will be the « elementary data » entered ?
Let’s change our mind : let’s record the « date of birth » (it is a better piece of data)
For Ronaldinho : 21 march 1980 AC

14. We belong to the Internet generation :
No more effort to find any publicly available information (eg. Ronaldinho date of birth)
The Google Reflex
Some years ago, it’d have required perhaps an hour of search. Now : a few seconds !
So we can concentrate on
thinking
communicating
i.e. value-added stuff AC

15. Let ’s go to Access AC

16. Of the importance of being respectful :
Escem is a school of commerce (Ecole supérieure de commerce et de management)
« Commerce » means « Exchange »
« Je commerce avec ma tante » means « I exchange things or ideas with my aunt »
To exchange efficiently we must be respectful of the interlocutors
with respect (no putting down, no despise, no absent-mindedness, no yawning, etc.) everything is possible
without respect : exchange is much more difficult ; it requires some sort of brute force... AC

17. Of the importance of being respectful (2) :
People will be much more open to your propositions if you show them respect
They will be much more willing to collaborate with you
They will be much more willing to help you
Life will be more cheery
Reptilian behavior leads to disaster : cf. « Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf » AC

18. Start in the table creation modeAC

19. We define ONE table Go to the table creation mode Define the fields
Call the table « players »
It is empty, at first
but we have prepared the card structure
we prepared the field « lastname »
« firstname »
« date_of_birth »
« club »
« weight »
(Let the program create a « primary key ») AC