consulting firm based in Newbury Park, California. Alison is a highly experienced

independent trainer and consultant specializing in Windows applications training

and development. During her 28 years in the computer industry, she has trained

and consulted with many corporations and government agencies. Since Alison

founded InfoTech Services Group, Inc. (formerly Marina Consulting Group) in

1990, its client base has expanded to include major corporations and government

agencies such as Cisco, Shell Oil, Accenture, Northrop, the U.S. Drug Enforcement

Administration, Prudential Insurance, Transamerica Insurance, Fox Broadcasting,

the U.S. Navy, the University of Southern California , Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, and others.

Alison is the author of more than 300 internationally marketed computer training

videos and CD-ROMs, including 18 Access 2000 videos, 35 Access 2002 videos, 15

Access 2003 videos, 14 Access 2007 User Videos, and 18 Access 2007 Developer

Videos. Alison travels throughout North America giving training seminars on

Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, and Visual Basic for Applications.

Alison is also the author of 13 books published by Sams Publishing: Alison

in a Snap, Alison Balter’s Mastering Access 2007 Development, three e-books on

Microsoft Access 2007, and Teach Yourself SQL Express 2005 in

24 Hours. Alison is a co-author of three Access books published by Sams

Publishing: Essential Access 95, Access 95 Unleashed, Access 97 Unleashed, and

An active participant in many user groups and other organizations, Alison is a past

president of the Independent Computer Consultants Association of Los Angeles

and of the Los Angeles Clipper Users’ Group. She served as president of the

Ventura County Professional Women’s Network for 2 years.

Alison’s firm, InfoTech Services Group, Inc., is available for consulting work and

onsite training in Microsoft Access, Visual Studio .NET, and SQL Server, as well as

for Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8,

PC networking, and Microsoft Exchange Server. You can contact Alison by email

at Alison@TechIsMyThing.com, or visit the InfoTech Services Group website

at http://www.TechIsMyThing.com.

Who Should Read This Book.................................................................................... 1

How This Book Is Organized..................................................................................... 1

    Requirements, Editions, and Features................................................................ 2

Using This Book.......................................................................................................... 5

What Is a Relational Database?................................................................................ 8

What Types of Things Can I Do with Microsoft Access?....................................... 8

    Access as a Development Platform for Small-Business Applications.............. 9

    Access as a Development Platform for Departmental Applications................ 9

    Access as a Development Platform for Corporation-Wide Applications................10

    Access as a Front End for Enterprisewide Client/Server Applications..................11

    Access as a Tool to Develop Web Applications..............................................11

A Preview of the Database Components..............................................................11

    Tables: A Repository for Data............................................................................11

    Relationships: Tying the Tables Together........................................................14

    Queries: Stored Questions or Actions You Apply to Data.............................16

    Forms: A Means to Display, Modify, and Add Data.......................................17

    Reports: Turning Data into Information............................................................18

    Macros: A Means of Automating a System......................................................20

    Modules: The Foundation of the Application Development Process...........21

Creating a Database from a Template..................................................................26

Viewing Database Objects......................................................................................27

    Viewing Database Tables...................................................................................27

    Viewing Queries..................................................................................................30

    Viewing Forms.....................................................................................................30

    Viewing Reports...................................................................................................31

Creating a Database from Scratch.........................................................................31

Opening an Existing Database...............................................................................32

Closing a Database..................................................................................................33

Exiting Access...........................................................................................................33

Working with Table Data.........................................................................................36

    Opening an Access Table..................................................................................36

    Navigating Around a Table................................................................................36

    Closing a Table....................................................................................................38

Editing Table Data...................................................................................................39

    Edit Existing Records..........................................................................................39

    Undoing Changes...............................................................................................39

Adding Records to a Table.....................................................................................40

Add Records to a Table...........................................................................................40

Deleting Records......................................................................................................41

    Selecting One or More Records........................................................................41

    Deleting Records.................................................................................................42

    Finding and Replacing Records.........................................................................44

Filtering Table Data..................................................................................................47

    Filtering by Selection..........................................................................................47

    Removing Filters..................................................................................................48

What Is a Query and When Should You Use One?..............................................51

Creating a Simple Query.........................................................................................52

    Designing the Query...........................................................................................52

    Adding Tables to Queries..................................................................................53

    Adding Fields to Queries...................................................................................53

Ordering the Query Result......................................................................................56

    Sorting on a Single Field....................................................................................56

    Sorting on More Than One Field......................................................................57

Working with Simple Criteria..................................................................................57

    Using an Exact Match Query.............................................................................57

    Creating Criteria Based on Multiple Conditions..............................................58

Saving a Query.........................................................................................................66

Closing a Query........................................................................................................66

    Moving from Record to Record in a Form.......................................................70

    Undoing Changes Made Within a Form...........................................................71

    Using a Form to Delete Records from a Table................................................73

    Copying Records Within a Form.......................................................................76

    Finding a Record That Meets Specific Criteria................................................77

Sorting Records........................................................................................................79

    Sort Records on a Single Field..........................................................................80

Filtering the Data Underlying a Form....................................................................80

    Use the Filter by Form Feature..........................................................................80

    Removing a Filter................................................................................................81

    Use Multiple Filter Criteria.................................................................................81

Closing a Form.........................................................................................................83

The AutoForm Feature............................................................................................86

    Create a Form by Using the AutoForm Feature..............................................86

    Saving a Form......................................................................................................87

Using the Form Wizard to Build a Form................................................................87

Creating Split Forms................................................................................................88

Creating Multiple Item Forms.................................................................................90

Creating Navigation Forms.....................................................................................91

    Customizing a Navigation Form........................................................................93

    Creating a Navigation Form with Horizontal and Vertical Tabs.....................95

Opening and Viewing a Report............................................................................100

    Preview a Report...............................................................................................100

    Moving from Page to Page..............................................................................100

    Zooming In and Out ........................................................................................101

    Viewing Multiple Pages....................................................................................102

Working in Layout View.........................................................................................103

Working in Report View.........................................................................................103

Printing a Report....................................................................................................104

    Use Page Setup.................................................................................................104

    Sending Reports to the Printer........................................................................105

Closing a Report.....................................................................................................105

    Using the AutoReport Feature.........................................................................110

Viewing the Design of a Report............................................................................113

Types of Reports Available....................................................................................114

    Detail Reports....................................................................................................114

    Summary Reports..............................................................................................115

    Reports with Graphics.......................................................................................116

    Reports with Forms...........................................................................................116

    Reports with Labels...........................................................................................117

    Creating Mailing Labels....................................................................................117

Building a New Table............................................................................................126

    Building a Table from a Datasheet.................................................................126

    Designing a Table from Scratch......................................................................128

Selecting the Appropriate Field Type for Data..................................................129

    Short Text Fields: The Most Common Field Type........................................132

    Long Text Fields: For Long Notes and Comments.......................................132

    Number Fields: For When You Need to Calculate.......................................132

    Date/Time Fields: For Tracking When Things Happened............................133

    Currency Fields: For Storing Money...............................................................133

    AutoNumber Fields: For Unique Record Identifiers......................................133

    Yes/No Fields: For When One of Two Answers Is Correct..........................134

    OLE Object Fields: For Storing Just About Anything...................................134

    Hyperlink Fields: For Linking to the Internet..................................................134

    Attachment Fields: For Storing File Attachments Associated with a Record............134

    Calculated Fields: For Storing Your Database Calculations.........................135

Using Indexes to Improve Performance...............................................................135

    Create an Index Based on a Single Field.......................................................136

    Create an Index Based on Multiple Fields.....................................................137

The All-Important Primary Key..............................................................................137

Working with Field Properties...............................................................................138

    The Field Size Property: Limiting What the User Enters into a Field..........139

    The Format Property: Determining How Access Displays Data...................139

    The Caption Property: Providing Alternatives to the Field Name...............141

    The Default Value Property: Saving Data-Entry Time...................................142

    The Validation Rule and Validation Text Properties: Controlling What the User Enters in a Field......142

    The Required Property: Making the User Enter a Value...............................144

    The Allow Zero Length Property: Accommodating for Situations with Nonexistent Data..........144

    The Input Mask Property: Determining What Data Goes into a Field.........................145

    The Lookup Wizard...........................................................................................147

Introduction to Relational Database Design.......................................................152

The History of Relational Database Design.........................................................152

    Goals of Relational Database Design.............................................................152

    Rules of Relational Database Design..............................................................152

    Normalization and Normal Forms...................................................................154

    Denormalization: Purposely Violating the Rules............................................158

    Integrity Rules....................................................................................................158

The Types of Relationships...................................................................................159

    One-to-Many Relationships..............................................................................159

    One-to-One Relationships................................................................................160

    Many-to-Many Relationships............................................................................161

Establishing Relationships in Access....................................................................161

    Following Guidelines for Establishing Relationships.....................................162

    Modifying an Existing Relationship.................................................................164

Establishing Referential Integrity..........................................................................164

    The Cascade Update Related Fields Option.................................................166

    The Cascade Delete Related Records Option...............................................167

Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Query Basics.............................172

    Removing a Field from the Query Design Grid.............................................172

    Inserting a Field After a Query Is Built............................................................172

    Moving a Field to a Different Location on the Query Grid..........................173

    Move More Than One Column........................................................................173

Updating Query Results.........................................................................................173

    Update Results of a Query...............................................................................174

Building Queries Based on Multiple Tables........................................................174

    Pitfalls of Multitable Queries............................................................................176

    AutoLookup in Multitable Queries..................................................................177

    Modifying the Datasheet View of a Query.....................................................178

    Printing Query Results......................................................................................181

Refining a Query by Using Criteria.......................................................................184

    Working with Dates in Criteria.........................................................................185

Creating Calculated Fields....................................................................................190

Getting Help from the Expression Builder..........................................................191

Creating and Running Parameter Queries...........................................................192

Creating and Running Action Queries.................................................................194

    Creating and Running Update Queries..........................................................195

    Creating and Running Delete Queries............................................................197

    Creating and Running Append Queries.........................................................198

    Creating and Running Make Table Queries...................................................201

Using Aggregate Functions to Summarize Numeric Data.................................202

Creating Totals Queries.........................................................................................203

Working with Outer Joins......................................................................................206

    Establish an Outer Join....................................................................................206

Power Control Techniques....................................................................................210

    Add Fields to a Form........................................................................................210

    Selecting, Moving, Aligning, and Sizing Form Objects................................211

    Modifying Object Tab Order...........................................................................219

Conditional Formatting..........................................................................................219

    Conditionally Format Data...............................................................................220

Form Properties and Why Should You Use Them..............................................221

    Working with the Properties Window.............................................................221

    Working with the Important Form Properties................................................222

Control Properties and Why to Use Them..........................................................227

    The Format Properties of a Control................................................................227

    The Data Properties of a Control....................................................................230

    The Other Properties of a Control..................................................................233

Working with Combo Boxes.................................................................................238

    List Boxes...........................................................................................................241

The Command Button Wizard: Programming Without Typing.........................241

Building Forms Based on More Than One Table...............................................244

    Creating One-to-Many Forms..........................................................................244

    Working with Subforms....................................................................................247

The Anatomy of a Report......................................................................................252

Control Properties and Why to Use Them..........................................................253

    The Format Properties of a Control................................................................253

    The Data Properties of a Control....................................................................258

    The Other Properties of a Control..................................................................258

Building Reports Based on More Than One Table............................................260

    Creating One-to-Many Reports.......................................................................260

    Working with Subreports..................................................................................266

Working with Sorting and Grouping....................................................................270

    Add Sorting and Grouping to a Report..........................................................270

    Sorting and Grouping Settings........................................................................271

    Group Header and Footer Properties and Why to Use Them.....................273

Report Properties and Why to Use Them............................................................274

    Working with the Properties Window.............................................................275

    The Format Properties of a Report.................................................................275

    The Report’s Data Properties...........................................................................276

    Other Properties of a Report...........................................................................277

Basing Reports on Stored Queries or Embedded SQL Statements...................278

Learning the Basics of Creating and Running a Macro......................................282

    Working with Macro Actions............................................................................282

    Working with Action Arguments.....................................................................284

    Submacros..........................................................................................................286

    Program Flow.....................................................................................................287

Running an Access Macro.....................................................................................289

    Running a Macro from the Macro Design Window.......................................290

    Running a Macro from the Macros Group of the Navigation Pane.............290

    Triggering a Macro from a Form or Report Event.........................................291

Modifying an Existing Macro................................................................................292

    Inserting New Macro Actions...........................................................................292

    Deleting Macro Actions....................................................................................292

    Moving Macro Actions......................................................................................293

    Copying Macro Actions....................................................................................293

Creating an Embedded Macro.............................................................................294

Creating Data Macros............................................................................................300

    Respond to Events............................................................................................300

Creating a Drillthrough Macro..............................................................................301

Other New Features Available in Macros............................................................304

Testing a Macro......................................................................................................305

Determining When You Should Use Macros and When You Shouldn’t...........306

Converting a Macro to VBA Code.......................................................................307

Creating an AutoExec Macro................................................................................308

What Is External Data?...........................................................................................312

Importing, Linking, and Opening Files: When and Why...................................312

    Determining Whether to Import or Link.........................................................313

    Looking at Supported File Formats.................................................................314

Exporting to Another Access Database...............................................................314

Exporting to an Excel Spreadsheet......................................................................316

    Exporting to an Excel Spreadsheet Using the Context-Sensitive Menu.................316

    Exporting to an Excel Spreadsheet Using Drag and Drop...........................317

    Exporting to an Excel Spreadsheet by Using the External Data Tab on the Ribbon......318

Exporting to ASCII..................................................................................................318

    Export Tables and Queries to the ASCII File Format....................................318

Importing from Another Access Database..........................................................321

    Import an Access Table....................................................................................322

Importing Spreadsheet Data.................................................................................323

Importing ASCII Data.............................................................................................326

    Import ASCII Data into Access........................................................................326

Linking to Tables in Another Access Database...................................................329

Linking to Another Type of Database..................................................................331

    Link to Excel Spreadsheets..............................................................................331

    Linking to SQL Server Databases....................................................................333

The Linked Table Manager...................................................................................338

    Move and Update Table Links.........................................................................338

Working with Web Databases...............................................................................344

Creating a Blank Web Database..........................................................................344

Creating a Query....................................................................................................346

Creating and Working with Forms........................................................................349

    Creating a New Form.......................................................................................350

    Customizing an Existing Form.........................................................................354

Using a Template to Create a Website...............................................................357

Viewing Your Website in a Browser.....................................................................358

Designing the Tables to Store Your Data............................................................364

Building the Forms to Edit Your Data..................................................................369

    Designing the Clients Form.............................................................................369

    Designing the Projects Form...........................................................................372

    Adding a Command Button That Links the Clients and Projects Forms.........374

Building the Queries to Extract the Data You Need..........................................375

Designing the Reports to Display Your Data......................................................377

    Designing the rptClientListing Report............................................................377

    Building the Macros Necessary to Automate Your Application..................380

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