Access 2003 in Pictures

When the New File pane appears, click Blank Database... When the menu appears, click Delete Column... When the alert window appears, click the button.. When the menu appears, click Delet

Access 2003

In Pictures

by Tony Fowlie

www.inpics.net

Access 2003 In Pictures

Copyright

This book is provided under a Creative Commons license at:

creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/

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However, it is illegal to sell this book, or change it in any way

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Trademarks and Disclaimer

Visibooks™ is a trademark of Visibooks, LLC All brand and product names in this book are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies

Visibooks™ makes every effort to ensure that the information in this book is accurate However, Visibooks™ makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy, quality, reliability, or freedom from error of this document or the products described in it Visibooks™ makes no representation or warranty with respect to this book’s contents, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or fitness for any particular purpose Visibooks™ disclaims all liability for any direct, indirect,

consequential, incidental, exemplary, or special damages resulting from the use of the information in this document or from the use of any products described in it Mention of any product does not constitute an endorsement of that product by Visibooks™ Data used in examples are intended to be fictional Any resemblance to real companies, people, or organizations is entirely coincidental

ISBN 1597061018

TABLE OF CONTENTS i

Table of Contents

Database Basics 1

Create a new database 2

Create tables 13

Create records 21

Create forms 28

Create queries 40

Create reports 47

Working with Tables 59

Modify tables 60

Create new tables 78

Specify data types 82

Specify field properties 97

Edit records 100

Find records 104

Sort and filter records 109

Create table relationships 115

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ii

Working with Forms 123

Modify forms 124

Add/delete records 138

Edit records 142

Find records 145

Filter records 148

Working with Queries 151

Create queries 152

Sort results 159

Add criteria 162

Employ Boolean operators 165

Find duplicate records 171

Create Update queries 179

Create Delete queries 187

Working with Reports 195

Format reports 196

Create mailing labels 213

DATABASE BASICS 1

Database Basics

In this section, you’ll learn how to:

• Create a new database

DATABASE BASICS

2

Create a new database

1 Start Microsoft Access 2003

Your screen should look like this:

DATABASE BASICS 3

2 In the Getting Started pane, click Create a new file

DATABASE BASICS

4

3 When the New File pane appears, click Blank Database

DATABASE BASICS 5

4 When the File New Database window appears, create a new

folder in the My Documents folder called Practice Access Files

Tip: To create a new folder, double-click the My Documents

folder so it appears in the Save in drop-down list

DATABASE BASICS

6

5 Double-click the Practice Access Files folder

It should appear in the Save in box

DATABASE BASICS 7

6 In the File name box, type:

Friends.mdb

Tip: The file extension for Access databases is .mdb

somethingelse.html, Access databases are database.mdb

DATABASE BASICS

8

The window for the Friends database should open:

DATABASE BASICS 9

Identify database elements

Elements of databases

A database stores information in an organized way, and makes it easy

to get information in and out

Tables store data within the database

Forms make it easy to put data into tables

Queries pull out specific data

Reports put data in an easily-read format

Table

Query

Report Form

Table

DATABASE BASICS

10

1 In the Objects list, click Tables

2 Click Queries

DATABASE BASICS 11

3 Click Forms

4 Click Reports

DATABASE BASICS

12

5 Click Tables

6 Click the button

The Friends database window should expand to fill the screen:

DATABASE BASICS 13

Create tables

1 Double-click Create table by entering data

A blank table should open:

3 Press the ENTER key on your keyboard

The column header should look like this:

DATABASE BASICS 15

4 Double-click the Field2 column header

5 Type:

Last Name

It should look like this:

6 Press the ENTER key on your keyboard

7 Double-click the Field3 column header, type:

City then press ENTER

DATABASE BASICS

16

8 Double-click the Field4 column header, type:

Zip then press ENTER

9 Double-click the Field5 column header, type:

Phone Number then press ENTER

The table should now look like this:

DATABASE BASICS 17

Delete unused fields

1 Right-click the Field6 column header

2 When the menu appears, click Delete Column

DATABASE BASICS

18

3 When the alert window appears, click the button

4 Right-click the Field7 column header

When the menu appears, click Delete Column

When the alert window appears, click the button

5 Delete the Field8, Field9, and Field10 columns the same way

The table should now look like this:

DATABASE BASICS 19

6 On the Menu Bar, click File, then Save

7 When the Save As window appears, type:

Friends of Mine

in the Table Name box

DATABASE BASICS

20

9 When the alert window that reads There is no primary key

defined appears, click the button

Access will insert an ID field—the Key field—in the table:

10

The key field

When the alert window popped up, and you clicked the Yes button,

Access added the ID field to the table

The ID field is now the table’s primary key, or key field That means it

can’t contain any duplicates

Every table should have a key field

For example, if a hospital keeps a database, each patient can have a unique ID number in the key field

That way, if it has more than one patient named John Baker, it can easily distinguish John Baker, ID #326 in for a checkup, from John

Baker, ID #298 who needs his gall bladder removed

3 Press the TAB key on your keyboard

The table should now look like this:

4 Type:

Presley then press the TAB key

5 Type:

Baltimore then press TAB

DATABASE BASICS

22

6 Type:

21212 then press TAB

7 Type:

4105551212 then press TAB

The table should now look like this:

Tip: Notice how the cursor in the row selector has moved down

to the second (new) record When you move on to a new record, Access automatically saves the previous record

DATABASE BASICS 23

Add new fields

1 Right-click the Zip column heading

2 When the menu appears, click Insert Column

The table should now look like this, with a new blank field:

3 Double-click the column heading and type:

State

4 Press the ENTER key

7 Press TAB until the cursor moves down to a new record

Record number 1 is saved and complete

DATABASE BASICS 25

Move fields

1 Click the Phone Number column heading

The entire column should be selected

2 Place the cursor on the Phone Number column heading

Then drag the column so the cursor rests between the Last Name and City columns

3 When you see a thick black line between the two columns,

release the mouse button

The Phone Number column should now rest between the Last Name and City columns:

DATABASE BASICS

26

4 On the Menu Bar, click File, then Close

5 When prompted to save the changes to the table layout, click the

button

DATABASE BASICS 27 The Friends database window should now look like this:

DATABASE BASICS

28

Create forms

1 In the Objects list, click Forms

2 Double-click Create form by using wizard

DATABASE BASICS 29

3 When the Form Wizard window appears, click the button

DATABASE BASICS

30

All the table fields should be added to the form:

DATABASE BASICS 31

5 When the next screen appears, leave Columnar selected, then

click the button

DATABASE BASICS

32

6 When the next screen appears, make sure Standard is selected,

then click the button

DATABASE BASICS 33

7 When the last screen appears, type:

Friends of Mine Data Input Form

in the box

DATABASE BASICS

34

8 Click the button

The form should open and look like this:

DATABASE BASICS 35

Add a new record

1 In the form window, click the button

A blank record should appear:

4 Type:

Diddley then press the TAB key

5 Type:

Richmond then press the TAB key

6 Type:

VA then press the TAB key

DATABASE BASICS 37

7 Type:

23220 then press the TAB key

8 Type:

8005557890

The form should now look like this:

DATABASE BASICS

38

9 Press the TAB key again

The form should progress to a new, blank record:

The old record has been saved

DATABASE BASICS 39

10 On the Menu Bar, click File, then Close to return to the database

window

A query is a way to get specific information from the database

Essentially, it’s a question You use queries to ask the database things like, “Who are my customers in Montana?”, or “How many pipe fittings have I sold this month?”

DATABASE BASICS 41

2 Double-click Create query by using wizard

3 When the Simple Query Wizard opens, double-click First

Name in the Available Fields list

DATABASE BASICS

42

First Name should appear in the Selected Fields column:

DATABASE BASICS 43

4 Click the button

This should add the Last Name field to the Selected Fields list:

DATABASE BASICS

44

5 Double-click Phone Number

DATABASE BASICS

46

7 When the final screen appears, type:

Names and Numbers

8 Click the button

The query is automatically saved and executed

It should look like this:

9 On the Menu Bar, click File, then Close to return to the database

window

DATABASE BASICS 47

Create reports

1 In the Objects list, click Reports

2 Double-click Create report by using wizard

DATABASE BASICS

48

3 When the Report Wizard window appears, click the

Tables/Queries drop-down arrow

When the list appears, click Table: Friends of Mine

DATABASE BASICS 49

4 Click the button to move all the fields into the Selected

Fields list

DATABASE BASICS

50

5 In the Selected Fields list box, click ID, then click the

button

The ID field should be removed

The report wizard should now look like this:

6 Click the button

DATABASE BASICS 51

7 When the next screen appears, click the button

DATABASE BASICS

52

8 When the next screen appears, click the first drop-down arrow,

then click State in the list

9 Click the button

DATABASE BASICS 53

Choose layout and style

1 When the next screen appears, make sure Tabular is checked in

the Layout section

Then click the button

DATABASE BASICS 55

View the report

1 When the final screen appears, type:

My Friends

in the box

Then click the Preview the report radio button

DATABASE BASICS

56

The report is automatically created, saved and opened

It should look like this:

3 On the Menu Bar, click File, and then Close to return to the

Friends database window

DATABASE BASICS 57

4 On the Menu Bar, click File, then Exit to close Access

DATABASE BASICS

58

WORKING WITH TABLES 59

Working with Tables

In this section, you’ll learn how to:

• Modify tables

• Create new tables

• Specify data types

• Specify field properties

• Edit records

• Find records

• Sort and filter records

• Create table relationships

WORKING WITH TABLES

60

Modify tables

1 Open a web browser and go to:

www.inpics.net/books/acc2003

2 Right-click the FoodStore1.mdb link

When the menu appears, click Save Target As

3 When the Save As window appears, open the Practice Access

Files folder on your hard drive

WORKING WITH TABLES 61

4 Wait for the database to download completely, then close the

web browser

WORKING WITH TABLES

62

Open an existing database

1 Start Microsoft Access

2 In the Getting Started pane, click More

WORKING WITH TABLES 63

3 Open the Practice Access Files folder, then double-click

FoodStore1.mdb

WORKING WITH TABLES

64

4 When the database opens, click the button in its window

The FoodStore1 database window should now look like this:

WORKING WITH TABLES 65

Employ an input mask

1 Make sure Tables is selected, then right-click the Customers

table

WORKING WITH TABLES

66

2 When the menu appears, click Design View

WORKING WITH TABLES 67

The Customers table should open in Design View

3 Click in the Phone Number row

WORKING WITH TABLES

WORKING WITH TABLES 69

6 When the Input Mask Wizard window appears…

…make sure the Phone Number input mask is selected

Then click in the Try It: box

WORKING WITH TABLES

WORKING WITH TABLES 71

9 When the next screen appears, click the button

WORKING WITH TABLES

72

10 When the next screen appears, click the radio button in front of

With the symbols in the mask, like this

Then click the button

WORKING WITH TABLES 73

11 When the final screen appears, click the button

The Input Mask for the Phone Number field should now look like

this:

WORKING WITH TABLES

74

12 On the Menu Bar, click View, then Datasheet View

13 When the alert window appears, click the button to save

the Customers table

14 Use the TAB key to move across the first record until you are in

the Phone Number field

WORKING WITH TABLES 75

15 Type:

3015551212

16 Press the TAB key four times to move to the next record

The new phone number has been saved

17 On the Menu Bar, click File, then Close

You should return to the FoodStore1 database window

WORKING WITH TABLES

76

Adjust table layout

1 Double-click the Customers table to open it

2 Place your cursor on the divider between the Company Name

and Address 1 column headings

WORKING WITH TABLES 77

The cursor should turn into a double-headed arrow:

3 Double-click

The Company Name column should resize to fit the widest

piece of data in that field:

Tip: Instead of double-clicking, you can also drag column heading dividers to set column widths manually

4 Double-click the divider between the Address 1 and Address 2

column headings

The Address 1 field should resize to fit the data in it

5 Click the window’s button to close the Customers table

6 When the alert window appears, click the button to save

changes

WORKING WITH TABLES

78

Create new tables

1 Double-click Create table in Design view

WORKING WITH TABLES 79

A blank table will open in Design View:

WORKING WITH TABLES

80

2 In the first box in the Field Name column, type:

Order ID then press the TAB key

It should look like this:

3 On the Toolbar, click the icon

WORKING WITH TABLES 81

4 When the Save As window appears, type:

Orders

in the Table Name box

6 When the alert window appears, click the button

Tip: You’ll assign a Primary Key later

WORKING WITH TABLES

82

Specify data types

Assign the AutoNumber data type

1 In the Data Type column beside the Order ID field, click the

drop-down arrow

When the list appears, click AutoNumber

2 In the Description column, type:

This is the Generic Order ID Number then press TAB

Tip: Filling in a Description is optional, but it helps you to remember what sort of information is supposed to be stored in a field