Summarize the three most important things you have learned in this pdf.

Felician University | Microsoft Access 2016 for Beginners.mp4

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In this session, we're going to create a database from scratch, and we are done there learn about some of the

various components of Microsoft Access 2016 so we can kind of understand how the application works and where

the different components are.

So once we open Microsoft Access, we click here on the Blank Database, and like we learned earlier, the first

thing that we need to do after we click on the Blank Database, we need to give it a name. And take note where

you're saving this database.

Now, as soon as you open the Access database here, what we have is very similar to Microsoft Word and Excel

and other applications in Office 2016. On the very top, we have the Quick Access toolbar with a bunch of

commonly-used options. We have the File tab here. And then we have these different tabs of Home, the most

commonly used functions-- very similar to other applications. Then we have here that Create tab. This is to create

different components related to databases-- for example, creating a table, creating queries, creating forms and

reports.

Then, we have the External Data tab. This is basically for us to get data from other systems and import it and link

it into a database here in Microsoft Access. And then Database Tools-- this is another tab where we can design

the database and define the relationships or define basically any tools related to the database here for whether to

repair the database, to create macros, or other components.

Then, we have here this new tab called Table Tools. So Table Tools here-- this is very similar to the Contextual

Tools in Microsoft Word or Excel-- basically, a new tab that shows up in the context of what we are doing. So right

now, we are creating a new table, and it's giving us options here for this new table.

Next to it here, you have also Tell Me What You Want to Do, or the Tell Me feature. This is new in Office 2016, so

basically, if you wanted to learn how to use Query Wizard or how to create a new form or anything like that, you'll

simply type in there how to do that. So for example, Query Wizard, and it just basically takes you directly to that

option in order to learn how to perform a specific task in Microsoft Access.

And then, notice on the bottom here-- you have a couple other options, and I'm not going to take the time to tinker

with those too much. It's basically the design view and the normal view, and we'll cover those shortly.

Now, creating our first database here-- databases, as I mentioned earlier, are designed using tables. So typically,

you'll have at least one or more table. So now this is our first table that we are working with, and we'll give it a

you'll have at least one or more table. So now this is our first table that we are working with, and we'll give it a

name shortly. So it will actually ask us to save and give a name to this table in a moment.

Typically, the way tables and databases work is that one of the fields-- by the way, these are referred to as the

fields, so you'd have the ID field, the First Name field, and then Last Name field, and so on. So the columns-- we

refer to them, where you'll hear the term "field." Then, you'll also hear the term "record." So it will say, this is

records 1 or a record 2 or record-- the record is, think of it as the row here. So you have more than one piece of

information related to a record.

So you have, for example, first name, last name, address, and so on related to that specific customer. Here, this

would be the Field Name. So right now, it says ID. So we can change that to say Customer ID. The type here for

Customer ID-- it typically needs to be a number. So notice under the data type, this is an order number. That

means that when it goes to the next customer, it will go-- so from customer 1 to number 2, number 3, number 4

automatically.

The data type for each one of those fields typically has to be specified. The next one, it's asking us, what type do

we want to make this next field here? So the next field here-- we are going to make it text, and this will be First

Name. Then, the next one, we're going to make this field type as well, short text here. And then we're going to call

this Last Name. And then the third field, we are going to make this, let's say, the street address, and this will be

text as well.

The next field here will be city, and then the next state, and then the next one, zip. And the zip code-- we want that

probably as a number field. And then, the next one-- you can pick whatever other field that you're going to utilize,

but take note here that it can be various other fields. So it could be, for example, the date field, when they signed

up to be your customer and such. Or you can have an attachment for this customer. Or you could be able to post

a hyperlink field as well.

So in this case, we are going to create a field here for attachment, and that will be, for example, for the picture for

that customer or various other fields. Basically, this step is referred to as the designing this table, so we are

defining how the fields are going to be formatted.

If we are done with the design at this point, we could simply-- we could do a couple things at this stage. We can

either enter the data directly from this table that we-- and by the way, the data that you enter, from now on, from

this point on, it has to be matching the type that you defined a moment ago. For example, the zip code has to be a

number. It can't have letters in there and things of that nature.

The other thing to keep in mind is is that the data typically-- for now, we're going to enter it here directly into the

table. But typically, it's not entered from the table itself. It's typically entered from the form of the database, and

we'll learn about this shortly as well.

Let's enter just one record here for the sake of testing. And then, if we go to the next record, notice it entered the

customer ID automatically. So the concepts so far that we've covered in this session-- keep in mind when you

define those fields, you need to specify the data type, and it's very important to think it through as to all the fields

that you want in a table when you're designing your database.

So then, you want to make sure that all the fields that you would want in that particular table, they are included in

there. You can add them later as well, but it creates and causes complications. It's best to think it over initially. The

other thing is that you need to consider categorizing the data accordingly in various categories, and then these

categories-- they become your tables.

So for example, you want to make sure that, let's say, customer information-- anything related to the customer

such as the address, the preferences, and mailing address, and that type of thing, you'll want to keep it in one

table. Then, anything related to orders, you'll want to keep it on the Order table. Anything related to payments,

you would keep it in the Payments table. Anything that you want to keep related to inventory, you'll want to keep in

the Inventory table. And even inventory could have all kinds of sub-tables as well.

The key there is to categorize information in major categories. Those categories become at least a table of some

sort. And then, you define the data type for each field here, and then you have to make sure that whatever you

enter in that field, you'll want to make sure that it matches that type of data.

Also, remember, as you design your database, you need to have some kind of a key differentiator between the

records in your table. So for example, if you had two customers named as Hubert Sims and such, you want to

make sure how do they differ. And the way to differ from one customer, from one record to another, is by

assigning them something unique, presumably a customer ID, a unique customer ID. And those are typically

referred to-- and that becomes your primary key. The primary key, again, is what will differentiate between two

records.

Once we are done with designing our first table here, you will click on Close here on the top right of this table, and

now it'll ask us to give it a name to save the design for this table. It will actually save the design along with the data

that we just entered.

And now, notice here under the Tables list here on the left-hand side, we have Customers information. Now, to

open this up, you'll simply double-click on it, and you'll be able to view it and enter new records in there as well. If

you needed to change the design, you could simply click here to add additional fields, or another method to

change the data and change the design for this table is also by using the Design View.

So notice here under the Home tab, we have View. And there are a couple of views. There's a Data Sheet View,

what we currently are seeing and utilizing, and then you also have the Design View. Let's click here on Design

View, and this is a more sophisticated way-- it's a little bit more complicated if you're not used to working with

databases. But yet, it's actually a lot more powerful and a lot more useful.

So here, what you can do is basically, you can modify the structure of this table. On the left-hand side, you have

the field name, which is the column for each column in that table that we saw earlier. So we could change the

names here, or we could change the data type as well. If you have a lot of data on your table, and you go and

tinker and manipulate the data type, you might most likely get an error message. So keep it in mind as you design

your tables to try to do it as best as possible in the beginning, whether it's the data type, the layout of the fields,

and such.

Now, from here, from the Design View-- like I mentioned earlier, you can change the data type, so you can say,

OK, under the State, I want that-- instead of 255 characters, I want that to be only the two-digit abbreviated

version of it, or you can make it 40 characters long, or whatever the length of the field there. So you can define

the field.

You can also change the format and the mask and all kinds of default values, and you can control all kinds of

additional settings here. So I'm not going to go into the more fancy options here, but for the big picture, you can

change it from the Data Sheet View, or you can change it from a Design View from here. Notice as well that you

can change the order of those fields by holding down the mouse, and you can move one field above the other one

as well and change the order of those fields.

To add new ones, you can add them here on the bottom. And then you have to define the data type as well. So

for example, this is a field for Comments. So this would be long text. So you'll want to make sure here that the

user can enter enough text. I believe that'll be 64,000 characters that it will accept in that field when you start

typing on it.

Once you are done within any of the design changes, now we click on Close here, and it's going to save the

structure. Typically, this Save option-- it takes place only when we change the structure of it. So one of the

concepts here is that if you change the structure of your table and the design of it, then it's going to ask you and

prompt you to save it. However, if you are simply entering data, the data saves automatically into your database.

So that's another concept to understand when using databases.

The other thing is is that databases are designed to be used by multiple users at the same time. So once you

have finalized your design, you can have 10 users, 15 users, 50 users, or however many users access and

update the table at the same time and work on the same file, the same database at the same time.

So those are some of the very basic concepts on getting started with an Access database and an Access table.

Now, this is not all. Next, we are going to enter some more data into this table, and then we're going to create a

query. We're going to create a form, and then we're going to create a Quick Report with just one table.

And then furthermore-- so stay tuned-- we're going to create multiple tables, and we're going to link those tables

together, and then we're going to utilize the more intermediate functions iun Access databases and using

Microsoft Access. So stay tuned.