Access - Chapter 1 - Creating a Database and Tables 3/23/24, 4:32 PM

Access - Chapter 1 - Creating a Database and Tables

SLO 1.1

Understanding Database Concepts

Organizations can generate a tremendous amount of data. Think about a few of the pieces of data captured by
FedEx when you send a package or envelope: the sender’s first and last name, sender’s street address,
sender’s city, sender’s state, sender’s ZIP Code, recipient’s first and last name, recipient’s street address,
recipient’s city, recipient’s state, recipient’s ZIP Code, date sent, package weight, and type of service (for
example, next-day air, ground service). Every day, FedEx delivers millions of packages and documents. This
translates into millions of sender names, addresses, recipient names, addresses, and so forth, captured each
day. To stay in business, FedEx must have an efficient and effective way to capture, process, and store these
data to ensure that it delivers your package on time and to the right location.
Databases are used by many organizations to manage data. A database is an organized collection of
integrated and related tables. A database management system (DBMS) is software that enables you to create
a database; manage the data in the database by adding, deleting, and updating records; sort and retrieve data;
and create queries and reports relating to that data. In this book, you learn about Microsoft Access, the leading
PC-based DBMS software application.
Using a database management system, people can build applications to enable organizations to track
orders and deliveries, manage retail sales and inventory, maintain employee payroll records, update patient
data, and track student progress. Throughout this chapter, you learn more about these database concepts by
using the Access DBMS to create a simple database.

Organize Data
Like the majority of the DBMSs available today, Access is a relational database, which means that the data
are organized into a collection of related tables. Each table stores data about one type, or grouping, of
information represented in the system. For example, a database application used by a retail store contains a
table with details about its customers, a table with details about the products it sells, and a table with details
about the orders its customers have made for the various products. The different tables are related, or
connected, to one another through common fields.
The first step in creating a database is to determine the best way to organize the required data. To do so,
you need to understand the hierarchy of data used in relational databases. In Access, the hierarchy is
organized from the smallest to the largest grouping of data. A field is a collection of characters that describes
one aspect of a business object or activity—a single unit of data. A record is a collection of related data fields. A
table is a collection of related records. Visually, you see the table containing rows and columns. Each row is the
equivalent of a record. A row contains many different columns or fields. A database is a collection of related
tables. An example of how this hierarchy works for a database that a university might use is shown in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1: Hierarchy of Data

Unit Description Examples

Field A single unit of data Date Enrolled, Student First Name, Student Last Name, Student
ID

Record A collection of related fields All of the fields for one student stored together

Table A collection of related records A record for each of the students at the university stored together

Database A collection of integrated and The collection of the student, faculty, and course tables for the
related tables entire university

How do you know how many tables you need or which fields belong in which tables? Often the database
design plan is already completed for you, and you simply need to build the design. At this point, the simplest
answer to the question about how many tables you need is this: Create a separate table for each major subject
or grouping of information you will store in the database. Later, in SLO 2.6: Understanding and Designing
Relational Databases, you will learn a more formal set of steps to create a well-designed database.

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Access - Chapter 1 - Creating a Database and Tables 3/23/24, 4:32 PM

The Access Interface

The interface is how you interact with Access to create, modify, delete, and use different objects, or parts, of
your database application. An open database should look similar to Figure 1-1. The Ribbon displays across the
top of the window. Below the Ribbon, the window is divided into the Navigation Pane and the work area. The
Navigation Pane lists each object in your database application. The work area uses a tabbed interface to
display all objects that have been opened. In Figure 1-1, both the Classes table and the InstructorInfo form are
open. The Classes table is active. Click a different tab to bring it to the top and make it the active object. The
Status bar displays at the bottom and contains information about the current database or database object if one
is open.

Figure 1-1 The Access Interface

The Ribbon in Access contains five primary tabs: File, Home, Create, External Data, and Database Tools.
Access also has several contextual tabs that become available to you when you are working on different
tasks. The Ribbon provides the common Office functions, like copy, paste, and file management, but many of
the Ribbon tabs are unique to Access. The Ribbon also contains the Tell Me help feature. You enter text in the
Tell Me search box and Access displays command options that take you directly to the actions you want to
perform.

MORE INFO
Depending on configuration changes made to the Access program installed on your computer, you may see a sixth tab
titled Add-Ins.

Examine Access Objects

An Access database application typically contains many different components, such as tables and reports. In
Access, these components are called objects. The major objects in Access are tables, forms, reports, and
queries. At a minimum, your database must contain at least one table. These objects are described in Table 1-
2.

Table 1-2: Major Access Objects

Object Purpose Additional Information Navigation Pane Icon

Table Stores data Once a table is created, you can begin entering data.
records Create a separate table for each type or grouping of
information. When you view data in a table, it appears in a
tabular format, very much like a spreadsheet.

Form Used to create an Although you can do these tasks directly in a table, a form
interface to view, usually provides an easier way to interact with the data.
add, update, and Forms also enable you to view only one record at a time
delete data in a and to view fields from multiple tables at the same time.
table

Query Used to find data Queries enable you to specify criteria to locate specific
in your database records. Queries can also be used to perform actions such
as updating or deleting records.

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Access - Chapter 1 - Creating a Database and Tables 3/23/24, 4:32 PM

Report Used to view and Reports enable you to create a formatted, and more
print the data in professional, way to view and print the contents of your
your database database.

MORE INFO
Forms, queries, and reports provide different ways to interact with the data in your tables. As a result, they are related
to the tables on which they are based.

Access contains two additional objects, Macros and Modules. These objects enable you to add functionality
to the forms and reports in your database. For example, you can add a button to a form and tell Access what
actions to perform when an event happens to that button. Examples of events are clicking a button or moving
the pointer over a button. You can attach specific actions to each event. For example, attach an action to open a
form when the button is clicked.

Use the Navigation Pane

Recall that each object in your database application is shown in the Navigation Pane. The object is identified by
its name and an icon indicating the object type.
The top bar of the Navigation Pane contains the Shutter Bar Open/Close Button, which opens and closes
the pane. If the pane is closed, as shown on the left side of Figure 1-2, you will only see the phrase “Navigation
Pane.”
Open the Navigation Pane by clicking the Shutter Bar
Open/Close Button.
The objects inside your database display, as shown on the right
side of Figure 1-2.

ANOTHER WAY
F11 opens and closes the Navigation Pane.

The Navigation Pane displays your objects in groups, which you

can expand and collapse. This is useful if you have many objects in
your database and wish to narrow down those that are visible. Click
the expand/collapse arrow to the right of the group name to change
the current display. When a group is collapsed, like the Queries group
Figure 1-2 Shutter Bar of the
in Figure 1-2, only the name of the group displays. The objects
Navigation Pane
contained within that group do not display.
You can customize what displays in the Navigation Pane and the
way objects are organized by using the Navigation menu (Figure 1-3).
The top half of the Navigation menu allows you to select a
category, the highest organizational level in the Navigation Pane.
The standard categories are:
Custom: Groups objects based on custom categories that you
create
Object Type: Groups objects on the basis of their type
Tables and Related Views: Groups different objects according to
the tables on which they are based
Created Date: Groups objects on the basis of the week associated
with the date they were created
Modified Date: Groups objects on the basis of the week
associated with the date they were last modified
Figure 1-3 Navigation menu
The bottom half of the Navigation menu enables you to filter by a
specific group within that category. Filtering enables you to limit the
objects that display in the Navigation Pane. The choices in Filter by Group will change based on the selected
category. The Title bar of the Navigation Pane shows the current filter selection.
The Navigation Pane in Figure 1-2 reflects the settings selected in Figure 1-3; it shows all objects grouped
by the category of Object Type and the filter of All Access Objects. These are the default selections in the
Navigation menu. Within a group, Access displays the objects in alphabetical order.

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HOW TO: Modify the Navigation Pane Category and Group Filter
1. Click the Navigation Pane arrow, shown in Figure 1-4, to open the Navigation menu.
2. Select the desired category.
The Navigation menu closes.
The Navigation Pane updates to display the objects based on
your category selection.
3. Click the Navigation Pane arrow to open the Navigation menu.
4. Select the desired filter selection.
5. The Navigation menu closes.
6. The Navigation Pane updates to display the objects based on your
filter selection.

You can adjust the width of the Navigation Pane as needed. Figure 1-4 Modify the Navigation
Increase the width to see the complete text of longer object names. Pane
Decrease the width when you wish to have more space in the Access
work area to display and edit objects.

HOW TO: Modify the Navigation Pane Width

1. Place your pointer on the right border of the Navigation Pane. The resize pointer appears as a white two-
pointed arrow (Figure 1-5).
2. Click, hold, and drag the resize pointer to increase or decrease the
width of the Navigation Pane.
3. Release the resize pointer. The pane changes to the new width.

Use Datasheet and Design View of a Table

Because the table is the primary object of a database, it is useful to dig
a little bit deeper into this object as you learn about the Access
interface.
You can open tables directly from the Navigation Pane. Access
provides two ways to open and view a table: Datasheet view and
Figure 1-5 Resize the Navigation
Design view.
Pane
To open a table in Datasheet view, double-click the table name in
the Navigation Pane. Use Datasheet view to enter, modify, delete, or
view the data records. You can also use Datasheet view to define or modify the structure of a table.
To open a table in Design view, right-click the table name in the Navigation Pane and select Design View
from the context menu. Design view enables you to build or modify the basic structure or functionality of an
object. You see all the details, or properties, about the fields in your table in Design view.

To switch between views of an open table, click the View button [Home tab, Views group] as shown in
Figure 1-6 and select the desired view. The view option that is currently selected displays with a gray icon.
Figure 1-7 illustrates Datasheet view of a table. The name of the table displays in
the tab at the top of the datasheet. Each row represents a record in the table and
each column represents a field. The gray cell on the left of each row is the record
selector. The record selector turns yellow when field(s) are selected on a particular
row, indicating the active row. A rose-colored border surrounds the active cell. The
active cell is the field where you enter or edit data. The last row in a table is the
append row, identified with an asterisk in the record selector of that row. A new
record is added to a table by entering the data in fields of the append row. The
horizontal and vertical scroll sliders automatically display if the Access window is not
wide enough or tall enough to display all of the rows and columns. Move the sliders to
adjust what displays in the window. You may also see columns that display a series of
Figure 1-6 View
# symbols. This occurs if the width of a column with numeric data is not large enough
menu of a table
to display the entire contents.

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Figure 1-7 Datasheet view of a table

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