Microsoft

Access
Ervin Ha
 Content
 What is Microsoft Access
 Why use Access
 Limitations
 Basic background information
 Advanced features
 Example
 Conclusion
 MS Access
 Microsoft Program
 Part of the Microsoft Office suite
 Used to create relational database
management system (RDMS)
 consists of multiple tables, each storing specific
information
 relates information from one table to another
 One-to-many relationships are the power behind
a relational database
 Query the database to find information
 Enter information into forms
 Display results in reports
 Why use RDMS
 Facilitate information sharing
 data can be queried from multiple tables
joined and displayed in a subset of records
 Reduce data redundancy
 the same data is not stored over and over again
 Keep data accurate
 a change in data is made in one table but appears
updated in all queries and reports
 Why use MS Access
 Easy to use
 GUI, Looks good
 Stand-alone
 Do not require any other program to run or use
 Lots of support
 Help File, Message boards
 Relatively cheap
 Comes with MS Office Suite
 Integration
 Can be integrated with other MS Office
applications
 Limitations
 It’s a Microsoft product
 Bugs galore
 Overly user- friendly
 Tried too hard to predict what you what to do
 Not suited for large databases
 Takes up lots of computer resources
 Expensive
 Must buy from Microsoft. Not open source
 Complicated to use for connectivity to other
types of databases
 Basics of Access
 The key window in Access is known as
the ‘database window’.
 Seven objects can be launched from this
window:
 Tables
 Queries
 Forms
 Reports
 Pages
 Macros
 Modules
 These objects, in turn, become their own
windows.
 Basics of Access
 The smallest piece of information in a
database is called a field
 customer name
 A group of related fields is called a record
 customer name, address, phone number
 A table is a collection of records about a
particular subject
 customers
 A relational database consists of a set of
related tables
 Customers and Orders and Products
 Basics of Access
 Primary Key
 A field used to uniquely identify each record
 Every table in a database must have a primary
key defined
 Composite Key
 More than one field used in combination to
uniquely identify each record
 Foreign Key
 A field (in one table) that is related to a primary
key in another table within the same database.
 Basics of Access
 Queries
 A subset of table information
 Similar to filter or find operation within table
 searches for records according to specified criteria
and displays these records
 Also like a sort operation
 can change the order of records
 Differs from filter and sort in that a query can be
run against several tables
 Basics of Access
 Forms
 Used to easily view, enter, and change data
directly in a table
 retrieves the data from one or more tables, and
displays it on the screen
 also display pictures and other objects
 can contain a button that prints, opens other
objects, or otherwise automates tasks
 Reports
 Used to analyze your data or present it a certain
way
 Advanced Features
 Microsoft Jet database engine
 The part of the Access database system
 Retrieves and stores data in user and system
databases.
 Thought of as a data manager upon which
database systems, such as Access, are built.
 Advanced Features
 Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
 A standard method of sharing data between
databases and programs.
 ODBC drivers use the standard Structured Query
Language (SQL) to gain access to external data.
 Use to connect
 Microsoft SQL Server databases
 Microsoft FoxPro databases
 other programs that provide 32-bit drivers in
compliance with ODBC Level 1 to access their data
files (Oracle RDMS, Paradox, dBASE, Lotus)
 Advanced Features
 Data Access Objects (DAO)
 A data access interface
 communicates with Microsoft Jet and ODBC-
compliant data sources
 Used to connect to, retrieve, manipulate, and
update data and the database structure.
 Enable you to manipulate the structure of your
database and the data it contains from Visual
Basic
 Advanced Features
 The following code creates a new
TableDef object and sets its Name
property:

Dim dbs As DAO.Database

Dim tdf As DAO.TableDef
Set dbs = CurrentDb
Set tdf = dbs.CreateTableDef
tdf.Name = "Contacts"
 Advanced Features
 Connectivity
 OLE DB
 A component database architecture
 provides efficient network and Internet access to many
types of data sources
 relational data, mail files, flat files, and spreadsheets.
 ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)
 manipulate the structure of your database and the
data it contains from Visual Basic.
 Many ADO objects correspond to objects that you see
in your database
 Advanced Features
 The following code creates a new
TableDef object and sets its Name
property:

Dim tbl As New ADOX.Table

Dim cnn As ADODB.Connection
Set cnn = CurrentProject.Connection
tbl.Name = "Contacts"
 Example
 Building from scratch
 Staticfree Technology relationship diagrams
 Student Courses database
 Other examples
 FLI (Forms, Data entry)
 Bookstore (SQL queries, Reports)
 Conclusion
 Explained MS access
 Relational Database Management System
 Basics you need to know
 Keys, Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports
 Advanced features
 Jet Engine, ODBC, DAO, ADO, OLE
 Examples
Questions