Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Office Access 2003 in 24 Hours

Alison Balter is the founder of InfoTechnology Partners, Inc., a computer consulting firm. Alison is an experienced independent trainer and consultant, specializing in Windows applications training and development. During her 17 years in the computer industry, she has trained and consulted with many corporations and government agencies, including Shell Oil and Prudential Insurance. Alison is the author of more than 300 internationally marketed computer training videos. Alison has also written numerous books on Access including Alison Balter¿s Mastering Access 2002 Desktop Development and Alison Balter¿s Guide to Access 2002 Enterprise Development.

Introduction.


Conventions Used in This Book.
I. INTRODUCTION TO RELATIONAL DATABASES AND ACCESS 2003.

Hour 1. Relational Databases and Office Access 2003 Introduced.


What Is a Relational Database? What Types of Things Can I Do with Microsoft Access? Starting Microsoft Access. Opening an Existing Database. The Access Desktop. The Database Window. A Preview of the Database Components. Closing an Access Database. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

II. WORKING WITH EXISTING DATABASES AND OBJECTS.

Hour 2. Tables Introduced.


Viewing and Navigating Table Data. Editing Table Data. Adding Records to a Table. Deleting Records. Finding and Replacing Records. Filtering Table Data. Modifying the Appearance of a Datasheet. Correcting Errors by Using Spell Check and AutoCorrect. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 3. Queries Introduced.


What Is a Query and When Should You Use One? Opening a Query in Datasheet View. Opening a Query in Design View. Running a Query. Adding and Removing Fields. Modifying the Sort Order of a Query. Working with Simple Criteria. Modifying the Datasheet View of a Query. Saving a Query. Printing Query Results. Closing a Query. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 4. Forms Introduced.


Uses for Forms. Opening a Form. Working with Data in a Form. Sorting Records. Filtering the Data Underlying a Form. Viewing the Design of a Form. Closing a Form. Using the AutoForm Feature. Using the Form Wizard to Build a Form. Using the Conditional Formatting Feature of a Form. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 5. Reports Introduced.


Opening and Viewing a Report. Printing a Report. The AutoReport Feature and the Report Wizard. Viewing the Design of a Report. Closing a Report. Printing Database Objects. Summary. Q&A.

III. CREATING YOUR OWN DATABASE AND OBJECTS.

Hour 6. Using Wizards to Create a Database.


Using a Database Template to Create a Database. Creating a Database from Scratch. Building a Table by Using a Wizard. Building a Query by Using a Wizard. Building a Form by Using a Wizard. Building a Report by Using a Wizard. Summary. Q&A.

Hour 7. Designing Databases.


Task Analysis. Data Analysis and Design. Prototyping. Testing. Implementation. Maintenance. Summary. Q&A.

Hour 8. Creating Tables.


Building a New Table. Selecting the Appropriate Field Type for Data. The All-Important Primary Key. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 9. Creating Relationships.


Introduction to Relational Database Design. Establishing Relationships in Access. Establishing Referential Integrity. The Benefits of Relationships. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 10. Creating Queries.


Query Basics. Ordering Query Results. Refining a Query by Using Criteria. Updating Query Results. Building Queries Based on Multiple Tables. Creating Calculated Fields. Getting Help from the Expression Builder. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 11. Creating Forms.


Creating a Form in Design View. Working with the Form Design Window. Selecting the Correct Control for the Job. Conditional Formatting. What Form Properties Are Available, and Why Should You Use Them? Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 12. Creating Reports.


Types of Reports. The Anatomy of a Report. Creating a Report in Design View. Working with the Report Design Window. Selecting the Correct Control for the Job. Report Properties and Why to Use Them. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 13. Creating Macros.


The Basics of Creating a Macro. Running an Access Macro. Modifying an Existing Macro. Documenting a Macro: Adding Comments. Testing a Macro. When You Should Use Macros and When You Shouldn't. Converting a Macro to VBA Code. Creating an AutoExec Macro. Creating an AutoKeys Macro. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

IV. POWER ACCESS TECHNIQUES.

Hour 14. Power Table Techniques.


Working with Field Properties. Working with Table Properties. Using Indexes to Improve Performance. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 15. Power Query Techniques.


Adding Calculated Fields to Select Queries. Applying Advanced Filters. Creating and Running Parameter Queries. Creating and Running Action Queries. Using Aggregate Functions to Summarize Numeric Data. Working with Outer Joins. Refining Queries with Field, Field List, and Query Properties. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 16. Power Form Techniques.


The Other Properties of a Form. Control Properties and Why to Use Them. Bound, Unbound, and Calculated Controls. Using Expressions to Enhance Forms. The Command Button Wizard: Programming Without Typing. Building Forms Based on More Than One Table. Basing Forms on Queries: The Why and How. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 17. Power Report Techniques.


Other Properties of a Report. Control Properties and Why to Use Them. Inserting Page Breaks. Bound, Unbound, and Calculated Controls. Using Expressions to Enhance Reports. Building Reports Based on More Than One Table. Working with Sorting and Grouping. Basing Reports on Stored Queries or Embedded SQL Statements. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

V. ADVANCED TOPICS.

Hour 18. Sharing Data with Other Applications.


Importing, Linking, and Opening Files: When and Why. Exporting to Another Access Database. Exporting to an Excel Spreadsheet. Exporting to ASCII. Importing from Another Access Database. Importing Spreadsheet Data. Importing ASCII Data. Linking to Tables in Another Access Database. Linking to Another Type of Database. The Linked Table Manager. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 19. Access and the Internet.


Saving Database Objects as HTML. Linking to HTML Files. Importing HTML Files. Exporting Data to XML. Importing XML Data into Access. Creating and Modifying Data Access Pages. Saving PivotTables and PivotCharts to Data Access Pages. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 20. Database Administration.


Backing Up a Database. Compacting and Repairing a Database. Encrypting and Decrypting a Database. Converting a Database to Another Version. Creating an MDE File. Using the Database Splitter. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 21. Database Documentation.


Preparing an Application to Be Self-Documenting. Using the Documenter. The Object Dependencies Feature. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 22. Security Introduced.


Implementing Share-Level Security: Assigning a Database Password. Establishing User-Level Security. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 23. VBA Introduced.


VBA Explained. Access Class Modules, Standard Modules, Form Modules, and Report Modules. Working with Variables. Adding Comments to Code. Using the Line Continuation Character. Using the VBA Control Structures. Passing Parameters and Returning Values. The DoCmd Object: Performing Macro Actions. Working with Built-in Functions. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Hour 24. Finishing Touches.


Adding Custom Menu Bars, Toolbars, and Shortcut Menus. Creating an Application Switchboard. Setting Startup Options. Summary. Q&A. Workshop.

Index.