Core Training for Microsoft Access 2002

Getting to Know Access

Understanding Access

1 To start Access, on the Windows taskbar, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Microsoft Access.
2 To open an existing database, on the Standard toolbar, click the Open button.
3 In the Open dialog box, double-click the Garden Company folder, double-click the Catalog subfolder, and then double-click the CohoVineyard database file.
4 To stop the introductory splash screen from appearing when the file is re-opened, click the Don’t show this screen again check box to select it, and then click OK.
5 A switchboard used to easily access common database objects appears. To close the switchboard and view the list of tables in the database, click the Close Switchboard button.
6 To view the queries in the database, in the Objects bar on the left, click Queries.
7 To view the forms in the database, in the Objects bar, click Forms.
8 To view the reports in the database, click Reports.
9 To close the GardenCo database, click the File menu, and then click Close.

Viewing Tables

1 To open an existing database, on the Standard toolbar, click the Open button.
2 In the Open dialog box, double-click the Garden Company folder, double-click the Catalog subfolder, and then double-click the CohoVineyard database file.
3 To expand the database window, in the upper-right corner of the window, click the Maximize button.
4 To view the details of the tables, on the Database toolbar, click the Details button (rightmost button on the second row).
5 To open the Categories table in Datasheet view, on the Database toolbar, click the Open button.
6 The plus sign next to the Category IDs indicate that they have embedded subdatasheets linked to them. To expand an embedded subdatasheet, click the plus sign (+) to the left of the Bulbs category.
7 To collapse the subdatasheet, click the minus sign (-) to the left of the Bulbs category.
8 To close the Categories table, click the File menu, and then click Close.
9 To open a table in Datasheet view, in the display pane of the Objects bar, double-click the Orders table.
10 To move to the next record, on the navigation bar at the bottom of the database window, click the Next Record button.
11 To move directly to record 40, on the navigation bar, double-click the current record number to select it, type 40, and then press ENTER.
12 To close the Orders table, click the File menu, and then click Close.
13 To view the contents of the Products table in Datasheet view, in the list of tables, double-click Products.
14 To switch to Design view, on the Standard toolbar, click the View button (first button on the second row).
15 To close the table, on the Standard toolbar, click the File menu, and then click Close.

Exploring Queries

1 To display all the queries that have been saved as part of the CohoVineyard database, on the Objects bar, click Queries.
2 To open a query in Datasheet view, click Products by Category, and then, on the Datasheet toolbar, click the Open button.
3 The navigation bar shows 171 records, but the Products table contains 189 records. To view this query in Design view and find the discrepancy, click the View menu, and then click Design View.
4 To experiment, position the mouse pointer to the right of the word <>Yes at the intersection of the Criteria row and the Discontinued column, press and hold down the mouse button, drag the mouse pointer to the left to select the text, and then release the mouse button.
5 To modify the query, type =Yes, and then, on the Standard toolbar, click the Run button (!).
6 Notice that the query found 18 records with value Yes in the Discontinued field. To close the Products by Category: Select Query window, click the lower of the two Close buttons in the upper-right corner of the window.
7 To close the query without changing the original design of the query, in the alert window that appears, click NO.

Exploring Forms

1 To begin displaying all the forms that have been saved as part of the CohoVineyard database, on the Objects bar, click Forms.
2 To open the main switchboard, double-click Switchboard.
3 To display the list of Forms, on the Switchboard, click the Forms button.
4 To display the Orders form, on the Forms switchboard, click Edit/Enter Orders.
5 The Orders form appears in Form view. To display information for the second record, on the navigation bar, click the Next Record button.
6 To view a blank form where you can enter a new order, click the New Record button (the right arrow with the asterisk).
7 To close the Orders form, click the File menu, and then click Close.
8 To display the main switchboard again, in the Forms switchboard, click Return.
9 To close the main switchboard, click the Close Switchboard button.
10 To open the Products form, in the Name column, double-click Products.
11 Notice that the form is displayed in Form view. To view it in Datasheet view, click the View menu, and then click Datasheet View.
12 To switch to Design view, on the Standard toolbar, click the View button (first button on the second row).
13 To close the Toolbox, in the upper-right corner of the Toolbox, click the Close button.
14 To display the Toolbox again, on the Database toolbar, click the Toolbox button (hammer and wrench).
15 To close the Products form, click the File menu, and then click Close.

Viewing Reports

1 To display all the reports that have been saved as part of the CohoVineyard database, on the Objects bar, click Reports.
2 To select and view a report, in the Names column, click Customer Labels.
3 To display the Customer Labels report, on the Database toolbar, click the Preview button.
4 Notice that the report looks like the Print Preview feature in other Microsoft Windows programs. To enlarge the Customer Labels report, click anywhere in the page to change the zoom level.
5 To close the Customer Labels report, click the File menu, and then click Close.
6 To view another report, in the Names column, double-click Invoice.
7 To view the next page of the report, on the navigation bar at the bottom of the window, click the Next Record button.
8 To display the report in Design view, on the Print Preview toolbar, click the View button (first button in the second row).
9 To close the Invoice report, click the File menu, and then click Close.

Getting Help

1 To ask a question, on the Standard toolbar, on the right side of the screen, click the existing text in the Ask a Question box.
2 To find an answer to a question, in the Ask a Question box, type what are forms, and then press ENTER.
3 To learn more about forms, in the drop-down window below the Ask a Question box, click the topic, About forms.
4 To display more related help topics in the Microsoft Access Help window, type forms, and then click Search.
5 To know more about forms, in the Select Topic to display pane, click About forms.
6 The pane on the right side of the Microsoft Access Help window displays more information on forms. To close the Microsoft Access Help window, in the upper-right corner of the window, click the Close button.
7 To learn about another topic using the Office Assistant, click the Help menu, and then click Show the Office Assistant.
8 To open a dialog box and ask the Assistant a question, click the Office Assistant.
9 In the What would you like to do? dialog box that appears, the existing text in the text box is already selected. To enter a new question, type queries, and then click Search.
10 To know more about running a query, in the What would you like to do? box, click Run a query.
11 The Microsoft Access Help window opens with a list of Help topics. To turn off the Office Assistant, click the Help menu, and then click Hide the Office Assistant.