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Access Lesson 2
Creating a Database
Microsoft Office 2007: Pasewark &
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Objectives
• Create a database.
• Design, create, and save a table in Datasheet
view.
• Set a field’s data type in Datasheet view.
Access – Lesson 2
• Add, delete, rename, and move fields in Design
view.
• Set field properties in Design view.

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Vocabulary
• Alphanumeric data
• AutoNumber
• Blank Database template
Access – Lesson 2
• Data type
• Default Value property

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Vocabulary (continued)
• Description • Field Size property
property • Format property
• Design grid • Primary key
Access – Lesson 2
• Design view • Required property
• Field Properties • Template
pane
• Field property

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Creating a Database
• The first step in creating
a database is to create
the file that will hold the
database objects.
Access – Lesson 2
• You can use a template
that already has objects
in it.
• You can also use a
Blank Database
template with no
objects in it.

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Creating a Database (continued)
• To create a database, start
Access.
• On the Getting Started with
Microsoft Access page, double-
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click the template you want to
use.
• Specify a file name and storage
location.
• Click Create to create the new
database and open it in Access.

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Creating and Saving a Table
In Datasheet View
• When you create a blank database, Access creates the
first table and names it Table1.
• You can change the name when you save it.
• To save, click the Save button on the Quick Access
Access – Lesson 2
Toolbar. Fill in the name in the Save As dialog box.
• The new table name appears on the tab for the table and
as an object in the Navigation Pane.

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Designing a Table in Datasheet
• After creating a table, you need to tell Access what fields
to include.
• Access creates one field named ID and sets it as the
primary key.
Access – Lesson 2
• A primary key is the field that contains a unique field
value for each record.
• In some tables, this field is called AutoNumber because
it automatically adds a unique number.

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Access – Lesson 2

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Designing a Table (continued)
• You can tell that Access created an AutoNumber for the
ID field because of the word New in the first record’s
field.
• Good candidates for being a primary key are
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▫ Employee numbers
▫ Social security numbers
▫ Student ID numbers
• The advantage of setting a primary key is that Access will
not let you enter duplicate values for this field in
different records.

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Access – Lesson 2

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Designing a Table (continued)
• To enter a field name in Datasheet view, double-click the
“Add New Field” field selector.
• After you have created all the fields, you can enter the
first record.
Access – Lesson 2
• Access assigns a data type as you enter data (Text,
Memo, Number, etc.).
• You can change the data type for a field by clicking the
Data Type arrow in the Data Type & Formatting group
on the Table Tools Datasheet tab.

13. 13
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Working in Design View
• In Design view you can add, delete, and
make changes to how fields store data.
• The field names and data types appear
Access – Lesson 2
in the upper half in a design grid.
• The Field Properties pane appears
below.
• A selected field turns orange. The
primary key has a key symbol in it.

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Table in Design View ( Behind the Scene)
Unique ID
Like SS#
Access – Lesson 2

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Working in Design View (continued)
• You can use the options in the Tool group on the
Table Tools Design tab to:
▫ Add and delete fields, insert a field
▫ Drag fields in the design grid to a new location
▫ Rename a field, and change a field’s data type
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• The Description property in the design grid is
optional, and you can use it to describe what to enter
in the field.
• Any changes made in Design view are automatically
updated in Datasheet view when you save the table.

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Changing Field Properties in Design View
• A field property describes the field’s contents beyond
the field’s basic data type, such as:
▫ Indicating number of characters allowed
▫ Indicating allowable values
• Field properties will vary depending on the field’s
Access – Lesson 2
data type.
• The Field Size property sets the number of
characters you can store in a Text, Number or
AutoNumber field.
• There is an array of Field Size property options
including the ability to store decimals, positive
numbers, negative numbers, or whole numbers.

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Access – Lesson 2

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Access – Lesson 2

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Changing Field Properties in Design View
(continued)
• Use the Format property to specify how you want
Access to display numbers, dates, times and text.
• For example, if you enter the date 10-28-10, Access
will display it as October 28, 2010, if the Format
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property is set that way.
• The Default Value property enters the same field
value in a field every time a new record is added to a
table.
• The Required property specifies whether you must
enter a field value in a record.

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Summary
• Creating a database creates a file that will store
database objects. You can create a database using a
template or a Blank Database template.
• You can create a table in Datasheet view by entering
Access – Lesson 2
the field names, and then entering the first record.
• Access assigns the data type as you enter data.
Access also creates an ID field to serve as the table’s
primary key. The primary key is the field that
contains unique field values for every record in a
table.

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Summary (continued)
• To save a table, click the Save button on the
Quick Access Toolbar.
• A field’s data type determines the type of data
that can be entered, including text, numbers, or
Access – Lesson 2
a combination of both.
• The data types for Access are Text, Memo,
Number, Date/Time, Currency, AutoNumber,
Yes/No, OLE Object, Hyperlink, Attachment and
Lookup Wizard.

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Summary (continued)
• In Design view you can add, delete and rename fields.
• A field property describes a field beyond the data type.
The properties you can set depend on the data type.
Additional properties include:
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▫ Description property describes the field
▫ Field Size property sets # of characters/numbers
▫ Format property sets formatting (i.e. date format)
▫ Required property is used when a field must contain data