How to use Microsoft Access - Creating a Database and a Table - part 3

Now, we’re ready to create a new database of our own. Access makes that so easy but before you create a database, it is important to thoroughly plan it. Now, we've already done the planning for the new database that we’ll create. Our database will be named accounts receivable and it will contain two tables. We’ll create one called customers which will list our company's customers. We’ll import that other invoices from another program and it will contain these years’ invoices for our company sales. These tables will relate to each other through the customer ID number which will indicate which invoices were build to which customer. Next, we’ll create a form for a convenient way to enter data into the customer’s table. And then we’ll create a query to get specific information about invoices and the customers they were built to. And finally we’ll create a report, giving us a professional looking print out of our query data. Now, that we planned the database, we can begin creating it. And we’ll use the new database button on the toolbar. When we click on that, the new database dialog box opens. It includes a blank database and a group of database wizards. A wizard by the way is a special feature of Microsoft Access and other Microsoft programs that helps you with your work. Each database wizard creates a database with tables, forms and reports. All you need to do is just add data. There are wizards for business databases like asset management, an inventory control and there are wizards for personal databases, like a household inventory or a musical collection. But since we want you to understand all the steps in creating a database and its objects, we’re going to start with a blank database. We click on the general tab and then we double on the blank database icon and the file new database dialog box opens. It is similar to the open dialog box that we use earlier and it shows that company folder. Access suggests a default file name for our database, so will name the file, accounts receivable. We go ahead and select create by pressing Enter. And after a moment, the new database opens. Since the new database is still empty, no objects are displayed in the database window. So now will create the tables for our new database, we plan two tables. Customers and invoices, we’ll begin by creating the customer’s table. We’ll define four fields in the table, customer ID, last name, first name, and there telephone number. The table’s tab is already selected. We begin creating a new table with the new button. A new table dialog box opens and it displays a different ways to create a new table. A description of each appears in the panel to the left. You learn about data sheet view and design view as we work with this database. We’ll use the table wizard which makes easy to create tables. The wizard will give use choices of different table types, ask us questions about the table design and then we’ll build the table base on our answers. The table wizard is ideal for quickly creating tables. We click on OK. The table wizard dialog box opens with instructions across the top about how to use it. the table wizard displays a list of samples tables that we can create our table from. Now, this is list of business tables. We can also choose from the list of personal tables from the list. We’re going to and choose customer’s table. And now, will choose the field that we want in our table. From the list of sample fields in the selected table, we’ll choose the ones that we want. In any order we want. Our choices will appear in this list. The first field that we want is customer ID. It is already selected so we just click on the arrow button. We can also choose fields by double clicking on them. We use that method to select contact last name, contact first name, and phone number. If we want to select all the fields all in the sample list, we could just click on this double arrow button. Are field are selected, so will click on the Next button. The next table wizard dialog box displays and this dialog box asks what we want to name the table. We could name anything we want. But we like customers, the name of the sample table. So, we’ll just leave. The table wizard now explains what a primary key is and asks us if we want the wizard to set it or if we want to set it ourselves. The primary key is a field whose values uniquely identify each record in the table. In other words, if we make the customer ID field, the primary key. No two customers could have the same ID number and each record can be identified by its customer ID field and if some of the stuff like primary keys is confusing just hang on. Once we start entering data and using tables it will all make a whole lot more sense. We want the customer ID field to be the primary key but we want to set it ourselves. We click on next. This dialog box asks some primary key questions. The wizards asks what data will be unique and suggests the first field customer ID as our primary key. This is what we want so will leave it. Now if the type of data in this field was a number. We would be using for calculation while we would select this numbers choice. But since our customer ID's contains letters and numbers, we select the last choice. We click on next. The last table wizard dialog box displays. We can now modify the table design, enter data into the table or enter data with the form we create with the phone wizard. We’re going to enter data into the table. Now will show you form later. That’s it; the click on finish and the table wizards creates the table. The table display in a window. In a row and column format, much likes a spreadsheet. This is called data sheet view. Our field names are on entirely visible here because of the column with. We’ll show you how to change that later. Our table is ready for data entry now and that’s what we going to do in the next topic. Cris: Jonathan? Jonathan: Yes, Cris. Cris: You know I don’t mind waiting on customers or cleaning the instruments or even sweeping the floor that I did not take this job to be a cook. Jonathan: And that would be -- Cris: This note! It says we need to fix this fried ham. Jonathan: No, that means fix a French horn. Cris: Oh, French horn. Well, if I could have read it, it would be probably be in the repair shop by now. I’ll take care of it right away. Jonathan: And while we’re fixing that French horn, would you mind fixing me a fried ham sandwich. Cris: That really funny Jonathan. Jonathan: Just thought I try.