Access 2003 For Dummies E-Book

John Kaufeld

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 446

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

When you hear the word "database," do your eyes glaze over? Does the mention of fields and tables make your blood pressure skyrocket? Does the idea of entering and using hyperlinks make you hyperventilate? Whether you're running a business or a household . . . whether you need to be able to quickly access customer information, your recipe for chicken cacciatore, or the Little League team's records, Access 2003 holds the key. This friendly guide unlocks the secrets of using Access 2003 to store, manage, organize, reorganize, and use data! It gives you: * The basics of the whole database concept * Suggestions for solving problems with Access * What you need to know to design, build, use, and change Access tables * Info on the ten most common types of fields * The scoop on using queries to unearth the answers hiding somewhere in your data * Guidelines for using the Access report system to make short work of long, previously time-consuming, reports In the relaxed, comfortable For Dummies style, this book has easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and lots of screen shots. If you want to create and manage a database for a huge auction house, this guide will get you going . . . going . . . gone. If you want to create a database for your music collection, it gives you the score then shows you how to use formatting and add graphics to jazz it up. You'll get the low-down on extracting all kinds of information from databases and putting that information to practical use. You'll discover how to: * Use Label Wizard to create mailing labels, file labels, shipping labels, or name tags * Use Chart Wizard to create line charts, bar, cone, and column charts, pie and donut charts, area charts, and XY and bubble charts * Use Auto Reports to create columnar or tabular reports and then fine-tune them * Export reports to Microsoft Word and Excel * Get your data Web-ready and put it on the Internet in either static or dynamic form * Build forms with Form Wizard And speaking of high-tech fun, Access 2003 For Dummies even tells you how to install and use speech recognition software with Access 2003. So if the idea of working with databases has you talking to yourself, this is just the book you need.

Leseprobe

Access 2003 For Dummies

by John Kaufeld

Access 2003 For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2003 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, [phone], fax [phone], e-mail: [email protected].

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2003101916

ISBN: 0-7645-3881-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

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is a trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc.

About the Author

John Kaufeld got hooked on computers a long time ago. Somewhere along the way, he discovered that he really enjoyed helping people resolve computer problems. John finally achieved his B.S. degree in management information systems from Ball State University and he became the first PC support technician for what was then Westinghouse near Cincinnati, Ohio.

Since then, he has logged nearly a decade of experience working with normal people who were stuck with a “friendly” PC that turned on them. He’s also trained more than 1000 people in many different PC and Macintosh applications. Today, John conducts media skills and promotion seminars for up-and-coming entrepreneurs and writes in his free moments. His other ventures include More Than Games, an amazingly cool board and card game store (www.morethangames.com); ShipperTools.com, a shipping system that helps small businesses and eBay sellers save money with the US Postal Service (www.shippertools.com); and his Feed the News Beast small-business seminars (www.feedthenewsbeast.com).

His other titles include the best-selling AOL For Dummies, plus too many other database and Internet books to leave him emotionally unscarred. John lives with his wife, two children, and two gerbils in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Dedication

To Jenny, because without you, I’d be completely nuts.

To J.B. and the Pooz for reminding Daddy to smile when all he could do was write.

To John Wiley & Sons for the opportunity of a lifetime.

My sincere thanks to you, one and all.

Author’s Acknowledgments

As with any good magic trick, there’s more to putting out a book than meets the eye. Granted, writing a book like this demands long periods of intense sitting, but it actually takes a team of intense sitters to complete the finished product you hold in your hands.

Kudos upon kudos go to my project editor, Susan “Spink” Pink for her diligent efforts to make my ramblings follow commonly accepted semantic guidelines. As an extra added bonus, she even laughs at my jokes. Sometimes. Equally significant thanks go to technical editor Allen Wyatt for verifying that I didn’t make most of this stuff up.

More gratitude than I can express here goes to Senior Acquisitions Editor Steve Hayes and to the King of Acquisitions (or whatever his real title is), Andy Cummings. This year, they both proved that there’s more to working relationships than meets the eye. If it wasn’t for you two . . . well . . . I don’t even want to think about it. You both mean more to me than you’ll ever know.

Finally, ten years worth of sincere thanks go to Diane Steele for her support, encouragement, and willingness to take a chance on a proven geek (but an unproven writer).

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Susan Pink

Acquisitions Editor: Steven H. Hayes

Technical Editor: Allen Wyatt, Discovery Computing Inc.

Editorial Manager: Carol Sheehan

Media Development Supervisor: Richard Graves

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Production

Project Coordinator: Maridee Ennis

Layout and Graphics: Seth Conley, Lynsey Osborn, Shae Wilson

Proofreaders: Carl William Pierce, Toni Settle

Indexer: TECHBOOKS Production Services

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You Don’t Have to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Chapter 1: The 37-Minute Overview

In the Beginning, There Was Access 2003

Opening an Existing Database

Touring the Database Window

Finding Information Amongst the Grass Clippings

Making a Few Changes

Reporting the Results

Saving Your Hard Work

The Great Backup Lecture

Making a Graceful Exit

Chapter 2: Finding Your Way Around like a Native

Making Sense of the Sights

Windows Shopping for Fun and Understanding

Belly Up to the Toolbar, Folks!

Menus, Menus Everywhere

Playing with the Other Mouse Button

Chapter 3: Calling the Online St. Bernard and Other Forms of Help

Finding Help Here, There, and Waaaay Over There

Asking Questions of the Software

Your Internet Connection Knows More Than You May Think

Talking to a Human

Part I : Which Came First, the Data or the Base?

Part II : Truly Tempting Tables

Chapter 4: Designing and Building a Home for Your Data

Database Terms to Know and Tolerate

Frolicking through the Fields

Flat Files versus Relational Databases: Let the Contest Begin!

Great Tables Start with Great Designs

Building a Database

Creating Tables at the Wave of a Wand

Building Tables by Hand, Just like in the Old Days

Chapter 5: Relationships, Keys, and Indexes (and Why You Really Do Care)

The Joy (and Necessity) of a Primary Key

Divulging the Secrets of a Good Relationship

Linking Your Tables with the Relationship Builder Thingy

Indexing Your Way to Fame, Fortune, and Significantly Faster Queries

Chapter 6: New Data, Old Data, and Data in Need of Repair

Dragging Your Table into the Digital Workshop

Adding Something to the Mix

Changing What’s Already in a Record

Kicking Out Unwanted Records

Recovering from a Baaaad Edit

Chapter 7: Making Your Table Think with Formats, Masks, and Validations

Finding the Place to Make a Change

To Format, Perchance to Better See

What Is That Masked Data?

Validations: The Digital Breathalyzer Test

Chapter 8: Making Your Datasheets Dance

Wandering Here, There, and Everywhere

Seeing More or Less of Your Data

Fonting around with Your Table

Giving Your Data the 3-D Look

Chapter 9: Table Remodeling Tips for the Do-It-Yourselfer

This Chapter Can Be Hazardous to Your Table’s Design

Putting a New Field Next to the Piano

Saying Good-bye to a Field (and All Its Data)

A Field by Any Other Name Still Holds the Same Stuff

Part III : Finding the Ultimate Answer to Almost Everything

Chapter 10: Quick Searches: Find, Filter, and Sort

Finding Stuff in Your Tables

Sorting Out Life on the Planet

Filtering Records with Something in Common

Chapter 11: Pose a Simple Query, Get 10,000 Answers

Database Interrogation for Fun and Profit

On Your Way with a Simple Query — Advanced Filter/Sort

Plagued by Tough Questions? Try an Industrial Strength Query!

Build a Better Query and the Answers Beat a Path to Your Monitor

Toto, Can the Wizard Help?

Chapter 12: Searching a Slew of Tables

Some General Thoughts about Multiple-Table Queries

Calling on the Query Wizard

Rolling Up Your Sleeves and Building the Query by Hand

Chapter 13: Lions AND Tigers OR Bears? Oh My!

Comparing AND to OR

Finding Things between Kansas AND Oz

Multiple ANDs: AND Then What Happened?

Are You a Good Witch OR a Bad Witch?

AND and OR? AND or OR?

Chapter 14: Teaching Queries to Think and Count

Super-Powering Queries with the Total Row

Adding the Magical Total Row to Your Queries

Putting the Total Row to Work

Choose the Right Field for the Summary Instruction

Chapter 15: Calculating Your Way to Fame and Fortune

A Simple Calculation

Bigger, Better (and More Complicated) Calculations

Expression Builder (Somewhat) to the Rescue

Chapter 16: Automated Editing for Big Changes

First, This Word from Our Paranoid Sponsor

Quick and Easy Fixes: Replacing Your Mistakes

Different Queries for Different Jobs

You’re Outta Here: The Delete Query

Making Big Changes

Part IV : Turning Your Table into a Book

Chapter 17: AutoReport: Like the Model-T, It’s Clunky but It Runs

AutoReport Basics for High-Speed Information

Putting the Wheels of Informational Progress in Motion

Previewing Your Informational Masterpiece

Truth Is Beauty, So Make Your Reports Look Great

Chapter 18: Wizardly Help with Labels, Charts, and Multilevel Reports

Creating Labels

Using the Chart Wizard in Your Report

Creating More Advanced Reports

Chapter 19: It’s Amazing What a Little Formatting Can Do

Taking Your Report to the Design View Tune-Up Shop

Striking Up the Bands (and the Markers, Too)

Formatting This, That, These, and Those

Taking a Peek at Your Report

AutoFormatting Your Way to a Beautiful Report

Lining Up Everything

Drawing Your Own Lines

Inserting Page Breaks

Sprucing Up the Place with a Few Pictures

Passing Your Reports around the (Microsoft) Office

Chapter 20: Headers and Footers for Groups, Pages, and Even (Egad) Entire Reports

Everything in Its Place

Fine-Tuning the Layout

Filling in Those Sections

Part V : Wizards, Forms, and Other Mystical Stuff

Chapter 21: Spinning Your Data onto the Web

Access and the Internet: A Match Made in Redmond

Building Hyperlinks in Your Table

Pushing Your Data onto the Web

Advanced Topics for Your Copious Nerd Time

Chapter 22: Making Forms that Look Cool and Work Great

Tax Forms and Data Forms Are Different Animals

Creating a Form at the Wave of a Wand

Giving the Form Just the Right Look

Mass Production at Its Best: Forms from the Auto Factory

Ultimate Beauty through Cosmetic Surgery

Chapter 23: If Love Is Universal, Why Can’t I Export to It?

Importing Only the Best Information for Your Databases

Sending Your Data on a Long, One-Way Trip

Chapter 24: The Analyzer: Your Data’s Dr. Freud, Dr. Watson, and Dr. Jekyll

It Slices, It Dices, It Builds Relational Databases!

Documentation: What to Give the Nerd in Your Life

Performance: Toward a Better Database

Chapter 25: Talking to Your Computer

What Is Speech Recognition (and What Can I Do with It)?

Installing Speech Recognition

Sending Access to Voice Training School

Speaking to Access

Improving Speech Recognition

Part VI : The Part of Tens

Chapter 26: Ten Timesaving Keyboard Shortcuts

Select an Entire Field: F2

Insert the Current Date: Ctrl+; (Semicolon)

Insert the Current Time: Ctrl+: (Colon)

Insert the Same Field Value as in the Last Record: Ctrl+’ (Apostrophe)

Insert a Line Break: Ctrl+Enter

Add a Record: Ctrl++ (Plus Sign)

Delete the Current Record: Ctrl+ – (Minus Sign)

Save the Record: Shift+Enter

Undo Your Last Changes: Ctrl+Z

Open the Selected Object in Design View: Ctrl+Enter

Chapter 27: Ten Common Crises and How to Survive Them

You Type 73.725, but It Changes to 74

You Run a Query but the Results Look Screwy

And When You Looked Again, the Record Was Gone

The Validation That Never Was

The Sometimes-There, Sometimes-Gone Menus

You Can’t Link to a dBASE Table

You Can’t Update a Linked dBASE or Paradox Table

You Get a Key Violation While Importing a Table

Try as You May, the Program Won’t Start

The Wizard Won’t Come Out of His Keep

Chapter 28: Ten Tips from Database Nerds

Document As if Your Life Depends on It

Don’t Make Your Fields Too Big

Use Number Fields for Real Numbers

Validate Data

Use Understandable Names

Take Great Care When Deleting

Keep Backups

Think First and Then Think Again

Get Organized and Keep It Simple

Know When to Ask for Help

Chapter 1

The 37-Minute Overview

In This Chapter