2. Introduction
MS Access - software used for creating databases
• Quickly
• Accurately
• Using wizards and templates developed to maintain the
integrity of your data
Data are just information
Database
• Collection of related items or facts arranged in a specific
structure related to a particular topic or project
DBMS
• Program or collection of programs, that allows any number
of users to access and modify the data in a database.
• Tasks of DBMS: Entering data, updating data, deleting data,
backing up the database, etc
3. MS Access vs. MS Excel
MS Excel
• spreadsheet
• flat database
• all information has a one-to-one relationship
MS Access
• like multiple spreadsheets that are connected to
one another
• one-to-many relationships
• many-to-many relationships
4. MS Access vs. MS Excel
The choice is simple:
• IF you have only one-to-one
relationships, you need to use MS
Excel.
• IF you have one-to-many or many-to-
many relationships, you need to use MS
Access.
6. Hierarchy in breaking down a Database
Database File: Main file that encompasses the entire
database and that is saved to a disk.
Example) StudentDatabase.mdb
Table: Collection of data about a specific topic. There can
be multiple tables in a database.
Example #1) Students Example #2) Teachers
Field: Categories within a Table. Tables usually contain
multiple fields.
Example #1) Student LastName Example #2) Student
FirstName
Datatypes: Datatypes are the properties of each field. A field
only has 1 datatype.
FieldName) Student LastName
Datatype) Text
10. Primary Key
One or more fields (columns) whose value or
values uniquely identify each record in a table.
A primary key does not allow Null values and
must always have a unique value.
A primary key is used to establish relationship
between two tables of your database.
NOTE: You do not have to define a primary key,
but it's usually a good idea. If you don't define a
primary key, Microsoft Access asks you if you
would like to create one when you save the table.
13. Modifying a table
Rearranging Fields
Adding Field and Record
Deleting Field and Record
Changing Column width
Changing height of Rows
Selecting one Field and Multiple Fields
Selecting one Record and Multiple Records
Selecting Text in one Cell and Multiple Cells