DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Chapter 5Database Forms and Reports
Discussion Questions5-1. Some of the advantages and
disadvantages of database forms are as follows: Advantages
Data entry is less error-prone
A number of predefined formats are available for use Usually,
all the data fields for a single record appears in one screen
Forms are customizable (compared to data sheet views) Forms can
include instructions for data entry
Forms can be more colorful and graphically appealing
It is usually easier to get from one field to any other field
using a form The form navigation bar enables users to easily go to
the first or last record in the table.
Disadvantages
Low information density for professionals
Good interface design requires time and effort to create
Garish form designs or colors can distract the user5-2. Most
students would rather use a form, rather than a datasheet, for
entering data into a database. The advantages of using forms listed
above outweigh the disadvantages. 5-3. Most students, and certainly
the authors, would rather use the Form Wizard in Access to create a
form. Using the Form Wizard is faster to develop, provides
preformatted data fields, and enables you to customize the form as
desired. However, it is also true that creating a form from scratch
gives the developer full control over the forms design at all
times, and possibly enhances form performance. 5-4. A subform is a
form within a formusually a form that shows the many records in a
one-to-many relationship. Figure 5-7 provides an example. Subforms
are handy for showing subordinate information and they also allow
users to enter data at the time the form and subform displaya handy
feature if the user wishes to create new records in the
subform.
There are two methods for creating subforms. One approach is to
add a subform to an existing form using the subform object in the
Access toolbox. A second approach is to create a subform at the
same time you create a form using the Form Wizard.
5-5. Database developers customize forms for many reasons. One
is the fact that the form initially created by the Form Wizard will
be basic, often presenting users with an unwieldy, uncomfortable,
or disorganized interface. A second reason to customize a form is
to streamline data entry and manipulation as much as possiblefor
example, by grouping like text boxes together, logically arranging
the tab order of data entry text boxes, or by creating check boxes,
radio buttons, or drop down menus (combo boxes) as needs dictate.
These features save end users time and companies money, and can
reduce aggravation of employees. A third reason to customize a form
is to add explanatory information on itfor example, to further
explain data entry requirements or to provide important reminders
about the data. A final reason to customize forms is to make them
more visually appealingfor example, by adding background colors,
graphics, and similar visual objects that both increase the overall
appearance of the form and perhaps its usefulness to end users.
5-6. Database reports provide custom information to database users.
These reports can be simple documents that only output the contents
of a table, or highly complex outputs that combine the information
from several tables and limit themselves to selected subsets of
database information. Figures 5-8 and 5-12 provide some examples.
In addition to simple data from the underlying records, reports can
also contain calculated fields (for example, extensions of prices
times quantities), the results of logic tests (for example, a
display of a reorder amount if the balance-on-hand field of an
inventory product is below its reorder point), and computed summary
information (for example, subtotals, minimums, maximums, or
averages) for selected subgroups of records.
5-7. Most students will agree that it is important to design the
format of a report before creating the report itself. Reasons
include the usefulness of (1) identifying what information to
include, or to omit, from a potentially large set of items, (2)
deciding how to best make use of the limited real estate of an
output page, and (3) grouping data in useful ways to best compute
subtotals or other statistical outputs. This is a good opportunity
to remind students that the purpose of most AISs is to provide
meaningful, decision-oriented information to usersnot simply to
create pretty reports.
It is also true that not every report must be planned so
carefully. Smaller reports may not have a high redesign cost if
redesign is necessary and planning may be a greater cost of time
than redesign.
5-8. This questions asks students if they think we will still
use hardcopy reports in the future, or will they be replaced with
softcopy ones. There is no right or wrong answer to this question,
but it is worth mentioning that, despite more than two decades of
personal computers and now almost one decade of individual Internet
access, most newspapers are still in business, most book publishers
are still in business, and the volume of work at many printing
companies has actually expanded. On the other hand, many mobile
devices enable users to obtain such current information as stock
market prices, data about the status of projects, text messages,
and emails instantaneously in soft-copy formats. 5-9. This question
asks students if they would rather use the Report Wizard to create
the format of a report or design it from scratch. Most students
prefer the Report Wizard because it automates so much of the
workfor example, in ordering the data, creating headings,
subheadings, and control breaks, and formatting the output. As an
experiment, one of the authors created a report from scratchand
wont make that mistake again. 5-10. A calculated field in a report
is just thata data value that the database system computes from the
underlying data. Examples include years of service on an employee
report, invoice extensions on an invoice, student grade point
averages, inventory valuations, reorder inventory quantities, and
salesperson commissions based on sales. Calculated fields also
include the totals, averages, maximums, and minimums that database
designers can imbed at control breaks in reports. Reports contain
calculated fields for the same reason they contain any other type
of databecause such values are meaningful and valuable to report
users. 5-11. There are several reasons why databases do not store
calculated fields as normal parts of database records. One reason
is because these fields can be computed from a records basic data
and are therefore redundant. Another reason is because calculated
values (e.g., a students GPA) often depend on data that may change.
Storing a static value for dynamic data does not make sense, and
doing so anyway just wastes space. It is also important to remember
that computers can think must faster than they can read or write.
Thus, computing values for each record that ultimately gets
displayed or printed requires no additional computer time or other
resources. 5-12. This question asks why calculated fields (in
Access) are created with database queries rather than created
directly in reports. In one sense, this is a trick question. One
reason for this is because you can include calculated fields
without queries, although it was not discussed in the chapter.
Another reason is because such calculated fields as well as totals,
averages, maximums, and minimums that database designers are
created by the report itself. But DBMS designers cannot possibly
anticipate all the needs of database users. Thus, one advantage of
using queries to create other types of calculated fields is that it
enables form or report designers to customize outputs as user needs
require. Another advantage is that queries provide an easy
mechanism to retrieve data for manipulations. By abstracting the
calculated field from the report, the designer can modify the
formulas for calculated fields without affecting the general format
of the report itself.
Problems
5-13. From left to right, the symbols on the navigation bar
enable the user to access the first record, the previous record,
the next record, and the last record. The white box in the middle
indicates the number of the current record.
a.Figure 5-9 lists the seven components of a typical database
report (report header, page header, group header, detail lines,
group footer, page footer, and report footer. This figure also
describes the location and typical contents of each of these
items.
b.Student examples of these components can vary widely. 5-14.
This question asks students to explain the difference between each
of the following items: a. A bound control displays a data value
from an underlying record, or computations from an underlying
record, and therefore typically changes from record to record in a
form or report. An unbound control does not display values from an
underlying record and is therefore typically fixed in the form or
report. b. In design mode, a database designer can change the
design elements of a form or report, including such items as
foreground or background colors, font types, sizes, or similar
characteristics, the placement of data fields or other form
objects, and even the size of the form or report itself. In run
mode, the user cannot perform such formatting, but is a passive
viewer of whatever information of what the form or report contains.
c. The symbol in a forms navigation bar enables the user to access
the previous record in the underlying table. In contrast, the
symbol enables the user to access the next record in that same
underlying table. d. A form is a user interface or screen that
typically displays the data from the current (parent) record. In
contrast, a subform typically displays the subordinate (child) data
associated with the parent record if it exists. Thus forms display
record information from the one side of a one-to-may-relationship
while subforms display information from the many side of such a
relationship. e. A normal data field displays the value of the data
for the current record in the underlying database table. In
contrast, a calculated data field displays the results of a
computation based on such data. f. A page header is the information
that the user sees at the top of each page of a database report.
Such information typically contains column headings that identify
what data appear beneath them. In contrast, a page footer appears
at the bottom of each page of a report.
g. A report header is the information that the user typically
sees on the first page of a reportfor example, the name of the
report, the date the report was created, the time period for which
the report applies (e.g., which calendar month), and perhaps the
name and phone number of the reports creator. In contrast, a report
footer is typically a summary statement that contains grand totals
or similar numeric summary information. It appears on the last page
as the last item of a report.h. A report based on a table simply
displays the data (or calculated values) from a single underlying
table. A report based on a query can be based on multiple tables,
can also include calculated fields, and of course, will display the
information for only those records satisfying the query itself. For
the Customer report in Figure 6-8, for example, a report based on
query might limit the output to those customers in a few specific
zip codes. 5-15. This problem requires students to recreate the
form in Figure 5-1. The resulting form should look like the
following:
This problem also requires students to do the following: a. Add
a label in the heading portion of their forms that contain the term
Prepared by: and add their name. Print a single copy of the
completed form. b. Use the navigation bar at the bottom of their
form and then identify the first and last records (will vary with
the student). c. Add a new record to this form with his or her name
as the customer. Then print a copy of this form. d. Close the form,
and then verify that their new record exists by going to the Tables
portion of the database and opening the Customers table in
datasheet view (see Figure 5-2).
5-17.
This problem requires students to modify the form they created
in problem 5-16 to include a subform similar to the one in Figure
5-7. The resultant form and subform should look like this:
The problem also requires students (a) to use the navigation bar
to last record in the Customers table and to print this form, and
(b) to find a customer with invoices and to use the navigation bar
of the subform to select a particular invoice in the subform. The
exact results will depend upon which records students create in
their Customers and Invoices Tables.
5-18. This problem requires students to create a report similar
to the one in Figure 5-8. The resultant report should look like
this:
The directions also require students to (a) add a label to the
heading portion of the report that contains the term Prepared by
and to include their names, and (b) determine who the first and
last customer in their reports are.
5-19. This problem requires students to use their Customers
Table and the Report Wizard to create a report similar to the one
in Figure 5-15. Instructors should note that this requires users to
select subgroup totals in the Report Wizard and a fairly large
amount of reformatting and reorganizing of the template provided by
the Report Wizard.
Case Analyses5-20. A Form for BSN Suppliers (Creating a Simple
Form in Access)
a.This case requires students to create a simple form in
Microsoft Access, using data that they create and (perhaps), the
Form Wizard. The final form should look like the following:
Additional requirements of this case are:
b.Identify the first and last records of the BSN Vendors
table.c. Adjust the Tab Order to ensure that the user tabs
sequentially through the fields in logical sequence.
d.Use the form to add a new vendor record to the Vendors table,
including their own name as the Contact Person.
e.Print a copy of the form showing the new record they created
in part d.
f.Suggest some additional improvements for this form.
Possibilities include:
Adding a default value for the City or State
Adding a mask for the phone and/or fax numbers
Putting the Zip code on a separate line of the form
Using an autonumber to automatically generate the number of a
new vendor.
5-21. A Form and a SubForm for the BSN Suppliers (Creating Forms
with Subforms)a.This problem is mostly a continuation of Case 5-20.
It requires students to create a form similar to the one above, and
then use the subform control in the ToolBox to create a subform.
The resulting form should look like this:
Additional requirements of this problem include: b. and c.
Experimenting with the navigation bars in the main form and the
subform.
d.
Creating a new purchase order for the current Vendor in the
subform.
5-22. A Listing of BSN Suppliers (Creating Simple Reports in
Access)This problem requires students to create a simple report
similar to the one in Figure 5-19. We recommend that they use the
Report Wizard for this task. The final product, at run time, is
shown in the figure. The finished report, at design time, should
look similar to this:
Although straightforward, this report requires a good deal of
reformatting because many of the labels in the form occupy two
lines, as do the detail lines of the report itself. Students must
also embed their own name, the date, and the graphic in the report
header. 5-23. Furry Friends Foundation III (Creating Forms and
Reports)
1.This is a continuation of Cases 4-21 and 4-25 in Chapter 4. If
you have assigned 4-21 and 4-25, the reports will be different for
each student.2.This exercise requires students to create a
Contributor Intake Form in two columns and then print a screen
capture that includes their own information.
3.This exercise requires students to create a Donation Intake
Form in two columns and then print a screen capture of their work.
An example is:
4.The requirements for this portion of the assignment requires
students to create a list of contributors. The information for the
header should include the Foundation Title, a graphic of a furry
pet, his or her name as the developer and the current date. The
body of the report must list contributors organized alphabetically
by contributor last namea requirement that can be met by choosing
the appropriate selections in the Report Wizard. Below is a sample
of the report.
5.For this part of the case, students must add at least 10
contributors to the Contributors Table and include donations from
them in the Donations Table. They should use the report they
created in part 4 of this assignment to list the additions.
Finally, they must create a report listing donations made during
November and December.
SM 5.1