1. Introduction to Database Systems
Objectives:
Introduction to Database Concepts
Introduce Microsoft Access
Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports etc
Creating a simple database table
Indexing
Up until now you’ve worked with data using spreadsheets.. We haven’t really formally defined exactly what data is… and we’ve referred to setting up tables of information on spreadsheets…
Today we’re going to more formally define these terms as they apply to databases and database management system software. Also referred to as dbms’s.
We’ll first look at some theory about relational databases and then open up access and look at how its structured and quickly explore some of its most basic features.
While its almost guaranteed that many of you will have occasion to use Excel in your jobs – that is not necessarily the case for MS Access – microsoft’s database management system. But in the next few weeks – you will hopefully learn enough about how a dbms works.. So that your skills are transferrable to any or the myriad of dbms’s out there.. For while you might not be on access.. You most likely interface with a dbms every time you make a plane reservation, order on line.. Or even have to call your bank and figure out how to get rid of the automated voice on the other line.

2. Data, Information, & Database
Data : A collection of numbers and text :
Information : Meaning derived from data
SSN #
Database: A collection of related data stored in a specific format to simplify retrieval. The phone book and dictionary are examples of databases.
John Smith’s SSN #
DBMS – Database Management Systems are programs that help in the storage and retrieval of information from databases. (Access, Oracle)
Data – is just a collection of numbers and text.. Though we frequently use the term to imply information.. Data that has meaning … what is that ..but if I tell you it’s a social security number then you have some frame of reference.. And when I tell you its john smith’s ss#.. Then I’ve related this piece of information to another and created a database.
Excel is not a spreadsheet but software to create and manage spreadsheets. In the same way ms access is not a database but software to create and manage relatively modest size databases.. Also know as dbms’s.

3. DBMS Vs. Spreadsheets Store and retrieve data
Provide support for data “organizing” and selecting
Can do simple calculations
Efficient data handling
Customers of VISA with balance > 1000
Store and analyze data
Provide support for complex calculations
Can do simple data organizing and selecting
Inefficient data handling
What was the net profit of VISA
At the end of this semester we’ll go back and more formally learn some of the excellent database capabilities of Excel.. And you will find in the next few weeks that working with a database can take a significant amount of time to setup and structure…
So why even bother.. Why not just use Excel?
A couple of reasons..
- think of osu’s database of current and past students and faculty.. That’s got to be huge with over 50,000 student currently enrolled. And we’ll need to keep each students personal info, their classes and grades. Imagine trying to even load just this info for current students onto a spreadsheet? Exactly how many columns and rows would be required.. Is your memory even big enough..?
When excel loads a workbook the entire contents must fit into RAM memory.. Remember that from the beginning of the quarter.. The random access memory available to the cpu.. This is sort of like dumping the contents of a large file cabinet onto your desktop…the result might not be pretty. A database is designed to more efficiently handle large amounts of information - having features that allow you to retrieve only the specific info requested or update on a small portion of the database’s information w/o having to load it all into memory. Thus making it much better for working with large datasets.
And remember that lookup function you learned in excel.. What if you had to take a customer’s number and lookup their orders on another table.. And then from their order.. Lookup the price associated with an item number on another table and perhaps even match that against the shipping list on a 4th table.. Nesting lots and lots of lookups… A database can do this – simply and easily using queries.. Even some table views can automatically display linked information. So if you’ve got a lot of related data... the dbms features will also be very powerful

4. Access DBMS Objects When you open access it looks something like this.
On top is the same quick launch toolbar and ribbon structure you’re used to. But after that it looks nothing like word, powerpoint or even excel.
On the left is the objects pane.. Listing access objects – tables, reports, forms and queries.. That we will define in a moment.
When one of these objects is selected – it will appear in the large blue area.

5. Access DBMS “objects”:
Tables - a list of data organized into fields and records
Queries - question structures to sort, filter and select specific information
Forms - structures for screen views of data
Reports - structures for written output of data
Program Modules - program code to perform specific actions
What are database objects. In excel you have a spreadsheet, in powerpoint a slide. In access you’ve got 5 different objects.
The backbone of any dbms system is the data table.. All of the other objects will use the data tables.
Queries are questions about the data – that give a new dataset based on your specific specifications – whether they be information from one or more tables – sorted or filtered to show only certain information. We will be spending the next several lectures learning in much greater detail how to use queries.. As most non-MIS workers will not be creating any significantly sized databases – they will undoubtedly be querying them to extract the information they need.
Once we open up access – we will view a table.. Which can be displayed similar to the way we display information in excel – in columns and rows. But access also allows us to design other formats – to display information other than a tabular form.. These displays on the monitor are referred to as forms.. And those designed for paper or stand alone electronic missives.. Are know as reports.
The last access object is the program module.. Code that tells the database what specific combination of tasks you’d like to perform. We will not be working with macros or program modules in the course.. But will shortly explain their role in the dbms.

6. A Database Management System
Data Tables
Relationships
Data Input:
Onto Tables
Onto Forms
From files
Reports
Query
Results
DBMS
Queries
A more visual interpretation of how these objects work together in a dbms is shown here. Information may be input into data tables directly or onto forms. Users may design queries to extract specific information. Once this information is fed to the dbms.. Tables are updated, requested outputs are created..
The dbms.. Works with the data tables that you have setup with defined relationships.. Which we will discuss in much greater depth.. Once the data is put into or retrieved from a table.. The appropriate outputs are created.
Output
Files
Program Modules

7. An Inventory Database System
Forms:
Order
Transactions
New Vendors &
New Customers
New
Products
Shipments
Program Modules
Tables:
Current
Inventory
Customer
Accounts
Vendor
List
Orders
Order
Details
Program Modules
Now consider that most corporate dbms’s are not just one copy on one desk.. They are usually integrated systems that can run company supply chains.. Such as the one illustrated here.
Say you call an online retailer via the phone.. The person on the other end enters your data into a form – perhaps you’ve reached an operator in India – and have requested the delivery of 100 widgets.
Information is apportioned to the appropriate tables and then the appropriate reports are generated by a pre-coded program module that some computer geek wrote when the system was designed.. – so in the California warehouse a shipping list is issued to the warehouse manager and the inventory totals are automatically adjusted, while an invoice prints in Maryland at the accounts payable center and is readied to be mailed to your firm. And finally the factory in Thailand is informed of low inventory in California and the scheduler will inform the factory that another run of widgets is required.
Amazing.. But that’s what they use database system’s for. But we will start with something much more simple.
Customer
Invoices
Daily Ship
List
Accounts
Payable
Inventory
Low Message
Reports & Queries
Output File:

8. “Objects”: Tables Data is stored in objects called Tables
Data on tables are listed in rows called records
A record consists of one or more ordered categories called fields
Field types include Text. Number, Currency, Date etc. Certain fields are required fields and must be filled
Field Properties – format, validation rule, required, size, masks, defaults, ranges
A table is a listing of multiple records, all records in a table have the same fields
Lets go back to the basic database building block.. The table. Again if you open one in access it sort of looks like an excel spreadsheet with columns and rows..
But we use vastly different nomenclature to define the table elements..
Each row is referred to as a record.. It contains data in a very specific order – essentially giving meaning to the data to create information. Each part of the record is called a field. Sort of like your excel column headings.
So a record with your personal osu data might have the fields last name, first name, ssn#, address, city, state and zip. Each record on the table will have this info in this exact specified order of fields.. So what is stored is just the data.. And the table structure..
And each field is further defined by a field type and property. For example last name would most likely be defined as a text field, while date of birth might be defined as a date field…and their might be a yes/no boolean field to say fees paid..

9. Primary Key
A field, or combination of fields, which uniquely identifies a record in a database
Recall that I talked about relating information.. Consider that we have a table listing your autumn schedule. Your id#, semester, and course id#.. Would we want to place the info here for the room number, times and faculty member.. Or on some other table and relate the two? If we put it on one table then if the room changes.. We’d need to change it for every record of every student in the class.
So what we’d do is setup two tables and relate them.. Maybe using that course id#. But what if that course id# is not unique… perhaps physics 101 and math 310 both have the code Then its going to be difficult to manage. So we’ll often want to define a field on a table that we force to be unique.. And this type of field is known as a primary key.

10. Table Datasheet View: Bank Customers
Now a little bit more about tables.. Lets take our theory of records, fields, and primary keys and apply them to a set of data for bank customers. Each account has a unique account number and is associated with a social security number, last name, first name address, city, state and zipcodes. Where each of these column titles represent the fields contained in the table.
The data populating those fields are records.. One set of related information. The last record is circled is for acct Antionio Moreno.
Why not just make the last name field the primary key or the social security number.. That’s a unique number right? Well what if you have 2 different accounts at the same bank.. One for checking one for savings.. All of the data would be identical for the 2 records if you didn’t have a unique account number.. Then you wouldn’t know which account you want to make your deposity into.
Record
Field
Primary
Key

11. What’s the Primary key on this table?
A Second Table - “Transactions” keeps track of all deposits and withdrawals
What’s the Primary key on this table?
Here is a second table.. Of bank transactions – the account number the date and value of the transaction.. Positive for deposits and negative for withdrawals..
What’s the primary key on the table? That’s a trick question.. There isn’t any. A table can have a combination of fields that uniquely identify a record.. Called a compound primary key.. Would any combo here uniquely identify a record? Well since you could theoretically make a $50 deposit now and a 2nd one into the same account on the same day – the answer is no.
So is this legal.. Its is definitely do-able in access to setup a table w/o a primary key.. Though those who design databases for a living would definitely not recommend it.. What might you do here to give it a primary key? You know those pesky transaction numbers you get when you get a bank receipt.. Well that number is what they would use to uniquely identify each transaction.

12. Walkthrough: Setting up a Table using Design View
When you open excel you just have rows and columns and can start typing. You can also do this on a new access table.. But that’s not necessarily the best method. If you click on an existing table such as the account table and then click on the View button the upper left corner of the home ribbon.. You can select what’s known as the design view..
This view will display the specification of your table. Notice we have 8 fields defined. Next to the field name is its type and perhaps a few comments.. And down below are specific attributes about the field depending on the field type.. You will have a different set of properties that can be defined.
Go into the software and demo.. First using an existing table and then creating your own similar one in a new database. Stop before doing the address field and do the next slide… complete the different fields as you discuss the points on the next 3 slides.

13. Divide Tables into Inseparable Fields
Address as 1 field –
17 Main St. New York, New York 10002
Address as 4 fields
Street Address - 17 Main St.
City - New York
State - New York
Zip code – 10002
If you wanted to filter the table to get a list of only New York City residents how would this work with these two different Table structures
A few more things you should think about before proceeding.
How much information should be in each field? For example do you combine first and last names in a single field.. Do you put the entire address in a single field. To answer the question think about how you want to use the information. Will there ever be a need to search by just city or by zip code. Will you ever need to separate out street number from street name.
Consider if you want to be able to address a letter to each person on the list. If there entire address is in one field.. How will you tell it to put the number and street on one line and the city separated by a comma then state and zip code on a second.. ? It might be do-able but it would get complicated.
So if you think you might ever need this info separately use two fields. Well why not just put each letter in a separate field.. Well then its not really “information”… and how many fields would you need? So plan how you want to use the info.. And think of the groupings.. Before designing your data table.

14. Defining Properties for each Field in a Table
For a person’s social security number use:
What field type?
Text, Number - Short Integer, Number- Long Integer etc.
Should it be optional or required?
Does the value need to be within certain limits or from a predefined list?
Is there a default value?
Would an input mask be appropriate
Another consideration is the field type. Some are obvious.. Your name belongs in a text field. Your payment a currency field, your date of birth a date field, perhaps the number of people on the account in an number- integer field.
So what about something like an account number or social security number. Can ssn’s start with a zero? Yes.. Those born in nyc in the earlier part of the 1900’s were assigned numbers starting with zero.. What happens if you enter into a number field? Well the first zero would be lost.. Also know as leading zeros. That could be very problematic. The solution – define the ssn# as a text field with 9 characters.
What would you use to represent zip codes..? Could those ever start with a zero? Is anyone from Boston?
What about the account number.. – well if you know for sure it won’t ever have leading zero’s .. Even if you don’t need to ever add them.. Its just fine to leave them stored as numbers.. In fact it will take up less storage space… why? Well numbers as stored as binary representations.. Remember that from our first lectures.. While each letter is stored as a unicode represented binary code.. … if each letter has 16 bits 0,1’s.. It would take 16* the number of characters in the acct number to save it.. Way more than the binary representation.

15. Memory and Field Size
Why adjust the field size for Social security number?
Text:
Up to 255 characters
Memo:
Up to 65,535 characters
Numbers:
Integer - 2 bytes - 16 bits
Long Integer - 4 bytes - 32 bits (*)
Byte (character) - 1 byte
Single - 4 bytes - -precision 7
Double - 8 bytes - -precision 15
This leads us into field size in general. Many databases save a specified amount of memory for each record… or field depending on how they store information. So if you were to setup a field for the state abbreviation containing a max of 2 letters.. By default a text field has a size of 255 characters.
So if you had a million records.. Each with 253 unneeded character spaces.. And each character took 16 bits.. Or 2 bytes/characther * 253 extra characters per record * 1million records – you’d have 50 meg bytes of nothing.. If you had a 32 bit computer.. It would be 100 meg of wasted space. Multiple that by a billion records and wasted space in every field and you’d see how you’d be spending money on a lot of unneeded drive space.
So its always a good idea to give a generous but realistic number of characters for a field.. Too few.. Ever had it where you want to type something into an internet survey and it cuts you off mid-sentence. .. Vs. too many and you’re paying for lots of extra storage space.

16. How should you decide what information goes on which table?
If a fact appears in more than one record of a table, then this fact should probably be defined in another table.
Example: Account number
Each fact change should change in only one place
Example: Address
Calculations shouldn’t be part of the database
Example: Current Balance
Select a Primary Key where applicable so you can relate your tables
Now we’ve just constructed on the accounts table.. Why not just add a customer’s transaction directly to it. Well if each customer only had 1 transaction.. That would be fine.. But in fact they can have multiple transactions.. And we certainly don’t want to have to retype each customer’s personal info each time they make a deposit.
What we can do is create a 2nd table listing the account number and then the transaction amount. Then you can uniquely identify the customer who made the transaction by relating the 2 tables.. Using the primary key – the unique account number of the accounts table.
There are an extensive set of rules and conventions that database programmers use to do what they call normalize database tables... we won’t go into the details of these conventions except to summarize them to say..
Each fact should appear only once on a table.. Otherwise it should be listed on another table. .. By fact I’m not referring to account number but something like the name on the account. If I make 10 transactions.. We’ll use the account number to identify which account it goes to.. But who is associated with the account.. That info can reside on another table.
The other rule is if a piece of information is easily calculated from other data – it should not be stored as a separate field.. But be calculated when and if/needed.

17. Tools: Sorting and Filtering
Sorting - allows the user to temporarily order the records by a specific field
Ascending or Descending order
Single or multiple sort fields
Filtering - allows the user to view only specific records that meet the criteria
Filter by form or filter by selection
Specify a single criteria or use Boolean and/or for multiple criteria in multiple fields
What else can you do on tables..
Well its easy to sort or filter the data in place.. And then you can choose to save it or discard these changes when you close the table.

18. Storing and Retrieving Records from Tables
How are DBMS systems designed to efficiently handle data?
Data is stored on magnetic or optical disk in a linear fashion
To retrieve a specific record one would have to search them one at a time until the desired record is found.
To make data retrieval more efficient one can “index” a table based on a specific field.
Search routines could then be used on that field to more efficiently find the record
Example: Alphabetically sorting a dictionary and then analyzing the first letter of the criteria in the sorted list.
Which leads us to one other important point regarding saving access databases. Unlike excel where information is not stored until you save your file.. Access forces you to name your file and tables as you set them up. Each time you make a change or add a record.. The computer automatically updates the saved file.. This makes sense since the entire database or even an entire table need not be loaded into RAM.
These files are saved to storage.. Such as a hard drive.. In a linear fashion.. Just lists of the information one after another. Each database software will use some sort of separator to define when a field and record start and stop. The specs you setup for the table tell them which field is which…. If you’re 3rd field is amount.. Then the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th piece of info listed will all represent amounts.. If they are numbers.. Then the computer will use the correct binary representation to de-code them.
This efficient storage system combined with the search routines will help us quickly find what we need.

19. Linear Search on Un-indexed Field
Find the name of student for ss#
Go to the first record to see if matches If no match then check the next record until a match is found.
Here it must check 11 items before you find the correct one. On average it will have to check #entries/2
We can also impact how quickly things are found my organizing our data efficiently.. What does that mean?
Supposed you want to find someone’s name based on their ssn number? What would you need to do? Well you could go down the list one at a time.. My luck is that who I’m looking for is way down at the bottom. On average if the list contained 1million records.. This would take ½ million separate record checks.. Ouch.

20. A Binary Search on an Indexed Field
Find name of student for ss#
This table is sorted by SSN
First go to the middle record of the table and compare values to see if >
If it is greater, continue checking only from this midpoint to the end. Otherwise continue checking only from the beginning to the midpoint
Then go to the midpoint of this subsection. The process continues until a match is found
Now if we sort the list by the field we’re searching on.. Will that help.
Once we’ve organized the records ..there are any number of searching routines that can be used.. Lets look at one the simplest search routines.. Known as a binary search.
A binary search would compare the search value to the middle record of a sorted list... if the search value is higher than the middle record.. It would eliminate all records less that the middle record and then continue searching by going to the middle record of the ones that remain.. Until a match is found.. Eliminating first half, then half again.. So you’ve got 750,000 out of those 1mm records eliminated with just 2 steps!
There are lots of other types of searches that programmers use to help you find information quickly and easily.. You’re probably familiar with alphabetical searches.. Think of a dictionary that isn’t alphabetized.. Not much use. Once alphabetized.. We look at the first letter and eliminate 25 out of 26 possible sections,,,
Indexing can aid in querying efficiency using algorithms such as binary search (1/2,1/2 again) vs. a linear search (1 at time from top to bottom). A binary search cuts the processing time significantly for large databases

21. Indexing vs. Sorting
Sorting your table & saving permanently changes the record order.. Use an index instead.
ssn# is associated with record 14
The previous slide said you used an indexed field but we used the word SORT.. What actually is the difference?
If we sort the records via a particular field and save it.. That order is permanently changed and the old sequence is lost. Sometimes.. We don’t want to necessarily lose the original sequence.. But even more importantly you might also want to search on the last name field for one customer and the ssn for the next..
Access allows you to check a field property for one or more fields of a table to create a cross-referencing index. On the right is the list of bank customers in no particular order.. On the left is a saved index.. This index is sorted by ssn next to each ssn is the associated record number where this ssn can be found.. So the index is a sorted list – but the actual data table need not be sorted.. If we needed an index by last name.. We could index that field as well..
Then when you go to do the search.. The computer references the appropriate index.. And can much more quickly retrieve your record.

22. From Tables to a Relational Database
We have carefully looked at tables in our database how to set them up, define fields etc. The real advantages of a DBMS however are in their ability to relate information.
Thus far we have customer names on one list and transactions on a separate list. How do we match a customer’s name to specific transaction?
We need a way to relate these two tables to extract useful information. We can relate these two tables by matching the account numbers.
Now lets go back again to this notion of relating tables.. We had the table with account numbers and account info.. Uniquely identified by an account number.
We also had a table of transactions with no primary key.. No unique record identifier. Can we relate these two tables?...
If we match the account number from the transaction table will we be able to uniquely identify its owner?

23. One to Many Relationship
Acct#/Account No. is the Foreign Key
The answer is yes.. Data tables can have relationships and a relationship is defined by its foreign key.. The fields used to relate the two tables.
here are a few rules for defining valid foreign keys.. Think about this.
What if the customer table didn’t have a unique account number.
What if the account number of the transactions table are credit card account numbers and the account numbers on the customer’s table are checking account numbers..
What if the data type used for account number on one table is text and on the other its been setup as an integer?

24. A Foreign Key is a field that defines the relationship between 2 tables:
A valid foreign key must have all of the properties listed below:
Must be a primary key (unique) in at least one of the tables
The field names on each table do not have to match as long as the information is the same. Fields with the same name does not necessarily mean they are the foreign key.
The related fields must be the same data type (number, text etc)
There are in fact 3 rules.. Which must be adhered to for a foreign key to be valid.. While access might physically setup other relationships.. They will not necessarily result in the correct record correspondence.
First the foreign key field used must be a primiary key on at least one table.. This is referred to as a one-to=-many relationship.. It may be primary on both.. But it must be primary on at least 1.
While the field names of the foreign key do not have to be the same.. We called one acct# and the other account#.. They must represent the same information.. Credit card account numbers are not bank account numbers.. Perhaps there is both a credit card # 1234 and a bank acct # If they are not the same info.. These would represent 2 different sets of customers.. So relating them has no meaning.. Your osu id# might be the same as your confirmation code on your airline ticket.. But that doesn’t mean they have any valid relationship.
The 3rd requirement is less obvious.. But if you recall back to excel if you tried to sum the text numeral 1 to the value 1.. It didn’t always equal 2.. That was because we learned that these two things are stored very differently… Access will not allow you to relate a text field to an integer field.. It won’t even let you relate and integer field..(number – property integer) to a floating decimal field.

25. Walkthrough: Establishing relationships
Primary Key on Accounts table: acct#
These relationships are formally defined within the database in the relationship window.. .. So the computer always knows when you use these 2 tables.. How they can be associated.
Go into software – go to the database tools ribbon and select the relationships button. This will bring up the box seen here..
If no previous relationships are available.. The window will be empty.. If not already displayed – right click and select show tables .. To get a list of available tables. Click on the table name and it will appear in the box. Repeat for additional tables.
Now to setup the relationship.. Use your mouse to highlight the foreign key on one table.. And then holding down the right mouse button drag it over to the name of the field you wish to relate it 2 on the 2nd table. Another window will appear.. To confirm the relationship.. Click create and a line will appear between the 2 tables in the relationship window. We will be working with these in more detail in another few lectures.
Foreign Key: acct#/Account#

26. Once Relationships are established you can gather information from one or more tables to answer questions like:
Create a list of account numbers and owner names and total transactions
What are the total deposits made by accounts starting with 5?
What is the total balance of all accounts held by Jane Doe ?
Once this type of relationship has been established – access has the means to create reports containing account numbers names and total transactions, total transactions for a specific name and much more.
To extract this type of information.. We will be learning to write queries.
These requests are known as Queries

27. “Objects”: Queries
To extract information from the Database use a Query which is a “question” or “request”
The query is not the data that results but a set of instructions specifying how specific records or combinations of records should be extracted - it lets the user:
prepare lists, sort, filter
choose records to met specific criteria
do calculations on the data
Summarize data by a specific grouping
match up the data to related information
Just in the way of a brief definition.. We will be spending the next several lectures detailing how to write queries..
A query is a question.. In access.. You define a query using the qbe query by example feature.. And define the information you need and the specific ordering, filters, calculations and summarizations that will be required to answer that question... so it’s the question itself nor the results.. But the methodology used to get the desired results.

28. Walkthrough: A Simple Query
Create a query to list the first name, last name and transaction amount for each transaction
Design:
Dynaset Result:
On the left is the query by example – or qbe grid that we will be using to setup our queries on the right is the dynaset that will be generated.. Which is sort of a table..
The difference is that we don’t save the dynaset.. Only the query – the instruction.. So each time we run the query.. We’ll get the most up to date version of the answer based on the exact contents of the tables.. When it is run.
Show an example on access
We will spend the next 1-2 weeks learning, in greater detail, how to use the query tool.

29. Walkthrough: Setting up a form
“Objects”: Forms
A form is not data that results but a set of instructions specifying a screen view format of the data. These forms are designed to simplify data display, inputting and editing.
You will also be learning to write simple forms in the first access lab – using the wizard to quickly put together alternate views of the data..
Here instead of a tabular list.. If you select an account.. It will show the account information in a much more readable format.. And the related transaction information for that account.
Demo forms
Walkthrough: Setting up a form

30. Walkthrough: Setting up an AutoReport
“Objects”: Reports
A report is not the data that results but a set of instructions specifying the format of written output. Reports allow users to vary :
The type of text formatting
Report & Page headers, footers, titles
Which data fields (from tables, queries and/or calculations) to be used
Sorts, Filters, Groupings of fields
Similarly we can create both pre-package or customer reports.. Including headers, footers, groupings and even summaries. Based on our data tables and our previously saved queries.
Walkthrough: Setting up an AutoReport

31. Sample Report: Transactions by Customer
Here is an example of transactions by customer
Demo report

32. “Objects”: Macros &Modules
Programmed instructions
updating tables/queries from inputs
customer address
account balance
retrieving data from other sources
performing tasks if a certain criterion is met
monthly bank statement
balance > 20000
send letter offering estate planning service
As stated earlier.. There are also ways to program instructions so that access will automatically carry out a specific action either at a set time or following a specific action…
Perhaps it will automatically update the customer information.. From a table of customer updates.. On a daily basis..or automatically flag your account to a banker if the balance goes above or below a certain amount.
This course will not cover the Macros & Modules - we can
refer you to more Advanced books on Access & Visual Basic

33. A Review of Database Theory
Information is stored in objects known as tables consisting of records or related information categorized into fields.
A field that uniquely identifies a table is known as a primary key field
Tables can be related to each other using valid foreign key fields.
Queries, Reports, Forms are objects which can be created using the data on tables to dynamically extract/display information in a specified format.
We will be moving on to spend most of the next week or two taking about queries.. It is important to thoroughly understand the rudiments of database theory that have been presented her.. And the key terms..
So that we can know how to properly structure tables and write queries..that will assist us in our future jobs!..