ACCESS chapter 1

Simple query wizard

the simple query wizard is the quickest and easiest way to create a query. this query displays the number, name, amount paid, current due,returns, and book rep number of all customers

Date time

The field can store dates and /or times

database

The term database describes a collection of data organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval, and use of that data.

design view

also allows you to make changes, but does not show you the actual report. design view is most useful when the changes you need to make are especially complex.

Form view

where data is displayed in a form in the screen, you usually can see all the fields, but only for one record.

report view

shows the report on the screen

description

you also can decide to enter a description for a particular field to explain important details about the field. When you select this field this description will appear on the status bar.

when the import process is finished

you can use datasheet or design view to modify these data types or to make any other changes to the structure, you feel are necessary.

Design view can be helpful

you easily can view the fields, and types and properties to ensure you have entered them correctly. It also easier to determine the primary key in Design VIEW.

list

which contain the customer data, is an example of the type of worksheet that can be imported, in this type of work sheet , the data is store as a list, that is , a collection of rows and columns in which all the entries in a column represent the same type of data.

criterion

A criterion is a condition that be records must satisfy in order to be included in the results.

database management system

A database management system is software that allows you to use a computer to create a database; add, change, and delete data in the database; ask and answer questions concerning the data; and create forms and reports using the data

primary key

A unique identifier also is called a primary key. ( a given customer number will appear only in a single record in the table. only one record exists, for example, in which the customer number is TSC02.

preview print

By previewing the contents of the table in Print Preview, you can make any necessary adjustment to the orientation or to the margins before printing the content.543wq

Field sizes for number fields

Byte- integer value in the range 0-25 integer- integer value in the range of -32,768 to 32,767 Long integer- integer value in the range of -2147,483,648to 2147,483,647. Singe- Numeric values with decimal places to seven significant digits- requires 4 byte of storage. Double- Numeric values with decimal places to more accuracy that single- requires 8 bytes of storage Replication ID- Special identifier required for replication Decimal - Numeric values with decimal places to more accuracy than Single or Double - requires 12 bytes of storage.

Two different views to create a table

Datasheet view and Design view.

data type

For each field in your database, you must determine the field's data type, that is the type of data that can be stored in the field.

determining the primary key

For each table, you need to determine the primary key, the unique identifier.

Short text , you can change the field size.

For fields whose type is Short Text, you can change the field size, that is , the maximum number of characters that can be entered in the field. If you set the field size for the State field to 2, for example, Access will not allow the user to enter more than two characters in the field.

relational database

In a relational database such as those maintained by Access, a database consists of a collection of tables, each of which contain information on a specific subject.

Datasheet view

In datasheet view, the table is represented as a collection of rows and columns called a datasheet. Toward the right edge are View buttons, which you can use to change the view that currently appears.

Object tabs

Object tabs for the open objects appear at the top of the work area. If you have multiple objects open at the same time, you can select one of the open objects by tapping or clicking its tab.

tables and fields

Once you created the database, you need to create the tables and fields that you database will contain.

Unique identifier

The customer numbers are unique; that is, no two customers have the same number. Such a field is a unique identifier.

Currency

The field can contain only monetary data. The values will appear with currency symbols, such as dollar signs, commas, and decimal points, and with two digits following the decimal point. Access assigns a size to currency fields automatically.

Records

The rows in the tables are called records. A record contains information about a given person, product, or event.( information about a specific customer's name, address, and other data.

status bar

The status bar, located at the bottom of the Access window, presents information about the database object, the progress of current task, and the status of certain commands and keys; it also provides controls for viewing the object.

row selector

To see the field size and/or caption for ta field, tap or click the field's row selector, the small box that precedes the field.

Navigation Pane

To the left of the work area is the Navigation Pane. The Navigation pane contain a list of all the objects in the database.

Access work area

You work on objects such as tables, form, and reports in the Access work area.

form

a form in a database is a formatted document with fields that contain data. Forms allow you to view and maintain data. forms also can be sued to print data, but reports are more commonly used for that purpose.

Queries

are simple questions, the answers to which are in the database. Access contains a powerful query feature that helps you find the answers to a wide variety of questions.

Simple Query Wizard

if the query involves no special sort order, restrictions, or calculations, you can use the Simple Query

Caption

if you assign a caption, access will display the value you assign, rather than the field name, in datasheets and in forms. if you do not assign a caption, access will display the field name.

import

if your data for a table is stored in a Excel Worksheet, you can import the data, which means to make a copy of the data as a table in the Access database

column headings

in this type of list, the fist row contents column headings, that is , description of the contents of the column, rather than data.

Design view

is only used to create a table or to modify the structure of a date.

layout view

is similar to report view in that it shows the report on the screen, but also allows you to make changes to the report. layout view is usually the easiest way to make such change.

report

it is easiest to create a report with all the fields and then delete the fields you do not want.

layout view and form view different

layout view allows you to make changes to the look of the form, form view is the view you use to examine or make changes to the data.

Portrait orientation

means that printout is across the width of the page.

Landscape orientation

means the printout is across the height of the page,

print preview

shows the report as it will appear then printed.

datasheet view

the data in the table is presented in rows and columns , similar to a spreadsheet. Although the main reason to use Date view is to add or update records in a table, you also can use it to create a table or to later modify its structure.

Short Text

the field can contain any characters. A maximum number of 255 characters is allowed in a field whose data type is Short type.

Number

the field can contain only number. The numbers can be either positive or negative. Fields assigned this type can be in arithmetic.

the import process will create a table

the import process will create a table. in this table , the column heading in the first row of the worksheet become the field names. the rows of the worksheet ,other than the first row, become the records in the table. In the process, each field will be assigned the data type that seem the most reasonable, given the data currently in the works sheet.