Microsoft Access tips for Casual Users

Provided by Allen Browne. Updated April 2010

What are these objects?
When you create a database, Access offers you Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports, Macros,
and Modules. Here's a quick overview of what these are and when to use them.
Tables. All data is stored in tables. When you create a new table, Access asks you define
fields (column headings), giving each a unique name, and telling Access the data type. Use
the "Text" type for most data, including numbers that don't need to be added e.g. phone
numbers or postal codes. Using Wizards, Access will walk you through the process of
creating common tables such as lists of names and addresses. Once you have defined a table's
structure, you can enter data. Each new row that you add to the table is called a record. To
define relationships between tables:
in Access 2007 or later: Database Tools | Relationships,
in Access 95 2003: Tools | Relationships,
in Access 1 2: Edit | Relationships.
Queries. Use a query to find or operate on the data in your tables. With a query, you can
display the records that match certain criteria (e.g. all the members called "Barry"), sort the
data as you please (e.g. by Surname), and even combine data from different tables. You can
edit the data displayed in a query (in most cases), and the data in the underlying table will
change. Special queries can also be defined to make wholesale changes to your data, e.g.
delete all members whose subscriptions are 2 years overdue, or set a "State" field to "WA"
wherever postcode begins with 6.
Forms. These are screens for displaying data from and inputting data into your tables.
The basic form has an appearance similar to an index card: it shows only one record at a time,
with a different field on each line. If you want to control how the records are sorted, define a
query first, and then create a form based on the query. If you have defined a one-to-many
relationship between two tables, use the "Subform" Wizard to create a form which contains
another form. The subform will then display only the records matching the one on the main
form.
Reports. If forms are for input, then reports are for output. Anything you plan to print
deserves a report, whether it is a list of names and addresses, a financial summary for a
period, or a set of mailing labels. Again the Access Wizards walk you through the process of
defining reports.
Pages (Access 2000 - 2003). Use pages to enter or display data via Internet. Pages are
stored as HTML files, with data read from and written to the database. Michael Kaplan has
published a free utility to convert Access forms and reports into Data Access Pages. (Pages
were deprecated in Access 2007.)
Macros. An Access Macro is a script for doing some job. For example, to create a
button which opens a report, you could use a macro which fires off the "OpenReport" action.
Macros can also be used to set one field based on the value of another (the "SetValue"
action), to validate that certain conditions are met before a record saved (the "CancelEvent"
action) etc.
Modules. This is where you write your own functions and programs if you want to.
Everything that can be done in a macro can also be done in a module, but you don't get the
Macro interface that prompts you what is needed for each action. Modules are far more
powerful, and are essential if you plan to write code for a multi-user environment, since
macros cannot include error handling. Most serious Access users start out with macros to get
a feel for things, but end up using modules almost exclusively. On the other hand, if your
needs are simple, you may never need to delve into the depths of Access modules.
Samples - Recent

We stopped putting screen shots of client projects on the web, however you could look at
some screen shots or videos of our donation management software. This software was built
using Microsoft Access 2007.

Here are some screenshots from one of our CRM templates (see products for more info). If
you have a question about what kinds of functionality we can incorporate into a custom
database feel free to contact us.
Account Screenshots:
This is a list of all your accounts. You can easily search or filter the list to find any account
information. The ribbon at the top allows for easy navigation to other areas of the program.


Account Detail screen (General Tab). The detail screen shows information for one account
and all related information (contacts, Former Contacts, Activities, Opportunities, Invoices)


Account Detail screen (Groups/Misc Tab)


Account Detail screen (Files Tab)


Account Detail screen (Relationships Tab)

Contact Screenshots:
This is a list of all your contacts. You can easily search or filter the list to find any contact's
information. The ribbon at the top allows for easy navigation to other areas of the program.


Contact Detail screen (General Tab). The detail screen shows information for one contact and
all related information (Activities, Opportunities, Former Companies)


Contact Detail screen (Groups/Misc Tab)


Contact Detail screen (Relationships Tab)

Activity Screenshot
An activity is used to record various types of information (appointments, meetings, phone
call, emails, task/to dos etc...). This is the list screen that list the activities.


Activity Calendar


Activity Detail Screen

Opportunity Screenshot


Invoice Screenshot


Report Screenshots
There are a few types of reports available in this template. Reporting is usually customized
for each client's needs.


Example of one report

Email Screenshots
Emailing is very flexible and lets you send single or multiple custom emails with
customizable email templates (txt and HTML) emails. Selecting an email template to use:


Customizing an email template


Previewing an email (before sending)

Letter Screenshots
The database works in conjunction with Microsoft Word to provide custom word merge
documents.


Selecting an letter template


Completed Word Merge (in Microsoft Word)

Filter/Querying Screenshots
Filtering and searching can be done in numerous ways. This is an filtering by groups.


Filtering by Query (these are queries the user has created in Microsoft Access)


Filtering on a List screen. Every column allows filtering (numerous ways to filter)

Export and Mapping
You can easily export data to Excel or map accounts or contacts in Google Earth or Google
Maps.


Export to Microsoft Excel


Export to Google Earth


Export to Google Maps

Tables are the backbone of a database, so building them well is a critical step.
Microsoft Access Sample Database:
Countries, Cities and Provinces
By Mike Chapple
See More About
microsoft access
sample database

See More About
microsoft access
sample database
This Microsoft Access sample database provides tables containing information on the world's
countries, cities and provinces. It is used to illustrate examples for a number of the articles on
the About Databases site and also provides a good sample for students, professionals and
others who are learning Microsoft Access.
Database Tables
The database contains three tables. The Country table contains the following fields:
Country Name: the name of the country
Code: a short alphabetic code used to reference the country. This field serves as the
primary key for the Country table.
Capital: the name of the country's capital
Province: the province of the country's capital
Area: the total area of the country
Population: the total population of the country
The City table contains the following fields:
ID: a numeric identifier used as the table's primary key
City Name: the name of the city
Country: the country code for the city. This field is a foreign key to the Code field in
the Country table.
Population: the population of the city
Longitude: the longitude of the city
Latitude: the latitude of the city
The Province table contains the following fields:
ID: a numeric identifier used as the table's primary key
ProvinceName: the name of the province
Country: the country code for the province. This field is a foreign key to the Code
field in the Country table.
Population: the population of the province
Area: the total area of the province
Capital: the capital of the province
CapProv: the name of the province where the capital exists. Due to unique
circumstances in some areas, this field may differ from ProvinceName, although it is
often the same.
Table Relationships
The table relationships described above are illustrated in the relational diagram shown
on this page. Create a Microsoft Access Database
Using a Template
By Mike Chapple
1 of 6
Previous Next
Choose a Template

Begin Working With Your Database
Mike Chapple
Microsoft provides quite a few prebuilt database templates to assist you in jumpstarting your
database development process. In this tutorial, we'll walk through the process of creating an Access
database using these templates.

If you haven't already selected a template, take a few minutes to visit our Microsoft Access Database
Templates collection and locate a template appropriate for your task.

This tutorial was designed using Microsoft Access 2007 but the steps will be similar for those using
earlier versions of Access. If you're using a later version of Access, you may wish to read Creating an
Access 2010 Database from a Template or Creating an Access 2013 Database From a Template.
ZIP Code Database
Match ZIP Codes to City, State, Latitude and Longitude
By Mike Chapple
See More About
microsoft access
sample databases
zip codes
See More About
microsoft access
sample databases
zip codes
This free Access database of ZIP codes provides database designers with a valuable tool to assist in
mapping ZIP codes to a city/state pair and even provides the latitude and longitude of that location.
The database contains three tables: the ZIP Code table, the Class table and the State table.

The ZIP Code table contains six fields:
ZIP Code is the five digit ZIP code and is the primary key of this table.
Latitude is the latitude of the location, to five decimal places.
Longitude is the longitude of the location, to five decimal places.
Class is the class of the ZIP code. This field is a foreign key to the Class table.
City is the name of the post office serving this ZIP code.
State Code is the two-digit state code, as defined by the Federal Information Processing
Standards. It is a foreign key to the States table
The States table contains three fields:
State Code is the two-digit state code, as defined by the Federal Information Processing
Standards.
State Abbreviation is the commonly accepted postal abbreviation for the state.
State Name is the full name of the state.
The Class table contains two fields:
Class is the one character class code.
Descripton is a text field describing the class in further detail.
Ive added a query, Show All ZIP Codes which lists the city and state pair associated with each ZIP
code for your reference. You may wish to build additional queries for your specific needs.

Download Link:You may download the database in Microsoft Access format.

Terms of Use: This Access database is copyright 2006, Mike Chapple. You may use it for personal or
business use, but you may not redistribute this file to others without written permission.

Important Note: The ZIP code data in this database was obtained from the 1999 United States
Census. As a product of the Census Bureau, it is in the public domain. You should understand that
1999 was the last year that the Census Bureau produced this data, so there are no more recent
updates. If you wish to obtain a more current file, you may purchase a commercial product from the
Postal Service.