Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access is a powerful program to create and manage your databases. It has many built in features to assist you in constructing and viewing your information. Access is much more involved and is a more genuine database application than other programs such as Microsoft Works.

This tutorial will help you get started with Microsoft Access and may solve some of your problems, but it is a very good idea to use the Help Files that come with Microsoft Access, or go to Microsoft's web for further assistance. More

First of all you need to understand how Microsoft Access breaks down a database. Some keywords involved in this process are: Database File, Table, Record, Field, Data-type. Here is the Hierarchy that Microsoft Access uses in breaking down a database.

 

	Database File: This is your main file that encompasses the entire database and that is saved to your hard-drive or floppy disk. Example) StudentDatabase.mdb
	Table:A table is a collection of data about a specific topic. There can be multiple tables in a database. Example #1) Students Example #2) Teachers
	Field:Fields are the different categories within a Table. Tables usually contain multiple fields. Example #1) Student LastName Example #2) Student FirstName
	Datatypes:Datatypes are the properties of each field. A field only has 1 datatype. FieldName) Student LastName Datatype) Text

This tutorial will help you get started with Microsoft Access and may solve some of your problems, but it is a very good idea to use the Help Files that come with Microsoft Access (or any program you use for that matter), or go to Microsoft's web site for further assistance. More

Click the icon on the desktop, or   From Program Files from the Start menu.

Creating New, and Opening Existing Databases

The above picture gives you the option to:

The white box gives you the most recent databases you have used. If you do not see the one you had created, choose the More Files option and hit OK. Otherwise choose the database you had previously used and click OK.

Create a database using the Database Wizard

1. When Microsoft Access first starts up, a dialog box is automatically displayed with options to create a new database or open an existing one. If this dialog box is displayed, click Access Database Wizards, pages, and projects and then click OK.
   
   If you have already opened a database or closed the dialog box that displays when Microsoft Access starts up, click New Database on the toolbar.

2. On the Databases tab, double-click the icon for the kind of database you want to create.

3. Specify a name and location for the database.

4. Click Create to start defining your new database

Create a database without using the Database Wizard

1. When Microsoft Access first starts up, a dialog box is automatically displayed with options to create a new database or open an existing one. If this dialog box is displayed, click Blank Access Database, and then click OK.
   
   If you have already opened a database or closed the dialog box that displays when Microsoft Access starts up, click New Database on the toolbar, and then double-click the Blank Database icon on the General tab.

2. Specify a name and location for the database and click Create. (Below is the screen that shows up following this step)
   

   Next up....Tables >>