Microsoft ® Office Access ® 2007 Training Build a database II: Create tables for a new Access database GPC presents:

Microsoft® Office Access® 2007 Training

Build a database II: Create tables for a new

Access database

GPC presents:

Build a database II: Create tables for a new Access database

Course contents

• Overview: Build tables, and the data will come

• Lesson: Create your tables

The lesson includes a list of suggested tasks and a set of test questions.


Overview: Build tables, and the data bill come

You’re creating a database because the spreadsheet you’ve been using is too big to manage. This course explains how to build the tables for your new database.

Why tables? They’re the central component of your database. Without them, you can’t store data.

If you’re feeling intimidated, relax. We assume you’re a beginner.


Course goals

• Create a table in Datasheet view.

• Set data types for the fields in the table.

• Create a table by using a table template.

• Create a table in Design view, and set the primary key for the table.

• Create a lookup field — a field that provides a list of choices.

• Use Design view to change the values in an existing lookup field.

Lesson

Create your tables


Create your tables

In a relational database, tables store your data.

Your data doesn’t “live” anywhere else, and that makes tables the central component of your database.

If you don’t have tables, you don’t have a database.


Create your tables

Access gives you several ways to create tables, and this course shows you how to use three of them.

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In Datasheet view, you build a table by entering field names and setting data types manually. All you have to do is click and type.

Table templates are pre-made tables that meet several common business needs.

They are Datasheet view, table templates, and Design view.


Create your tables

Access gives you several ways to create tables, and this course shows you how to use three of them.

3 Design view lets you control every field and property in the table. In this course, you’ll learn how to create a table and to change the values in a lookup field — a field that contains a list of choices.

They are Datasheet view, table templates, and Design view.


Create a table in Datasheet view

Datasheet view provides a visual way to create a table.

The picture shows the process.

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You start by creating a new, blank database or by adding a new table to an existing database.

The new table opens automatically in Datasheet view. Notice how the new table contains a field called ID. That’s your primary key, so you don’t need to create one.





3 To add your fields, double-click the first field header and enter the name for the field. When you finish, press ENTER.

4 Go to the next blank field and enter a name in that header. Repeat the process until you’ve entered names for all your fields, but with a couple exceptions: don’t add any lookup fields, and don’t add foreign key fields.





When you’ve finished, go to the Quick Access Toolbar and click Save. In the Save As dialog box, enter a name for the table and click OK.

5


Set data types

After you enter field names, you’ll need to set the data type for each field.

Data types control what you can enter into a field.

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3

Select the field that needs a data type. Just click the field header.

If it isn’t already selected, click the Datasheet tab.

In the Data Type & Formatting group, open the Data Type list and select an option.


Set data types

After you enter field names, you’ll need to set the data type for each field.

Data types control what you can enter into a field.

If you’re unsure about which data type to choose, look at your field names.

If you’re unsure about which type to select, stay with the Text data type because it’s the most flexible.


Create a table using a table template

Table templates are a fast way to build a new table. The templates capture data for common business needs, and all the fields and data types are set up for you.

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Click the Create tab.

In the Tables group, click Table Templates, and then click the template you want to use.


Create a table in Design view

Design view allows you to build a table from scratch and set or change every available property for each field.

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On the Create tab, in the Tables group, click Table Design.

In the Field Name column of the designer, enter the names of your table fields. As a rule, the first field you create should be your primary key field.


Create a table in Design view

Design view allows you to build a table from scratch and set or change every available property for each field.

3 In the Data Type column, use the list next to a field name to choose a data type for that field.

4 Optionally, use the Field Properties pane to set properties for individual fields.


Add a lookup field to a table

The first course in this series mentioned that you can sometimes use a lookup field instead of a table.

Lookup fields can store a list of options internally, or they can look up data from fields in other tables.



These steps explain how to create a lookup field that stores options internally, in what Access calls a value list.

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2

Switch your table to Datasheet view. You can do that by right-clicking the tab for the table and clicking Datasheet view.

Click the Datasheet tab, and in the Fields & Columns group, click Lookup Column to start the Lookup Wizard.




3 On the first page of the wizard, click I will type in the values that I want and click Next.

4 On the next page of the wizard, make sure the Number of columns box contains a 1 and then enter your options in the grid, one option per row.




On the third page of the wizard, enter a name for the new field and click Finish.

5


Suggestions for practice

1. Create a table in Datasheet view.

2. Create a table using a template.

3. Create a table using Design view.

4. Create and then alter a lookup field in Datasheet view.

Online practice (requires Access 2007)


Test question 1

When you create a new table in Datasheet view, you must define a primary key field. (Pick one answer.)

1. True.

2. False.


Test question 1: Answer

False.

The “ID” field in the new table acts as the primary key. You can change the field name, or replace the field with another primary key, but a new datasheet always contains a primary key.


Test question 2

You can’t use the Lookup Wizard to alter an existing value list. (Pick one answer.)

1. True.

2. False.



True.

You use Design view to alter a value list.


Test question 3

When you use a template to create a table, you must set data types for the fields in the new table. (Pick one answer.)

1. True.

2. False.



False.

You can change the data types if you need to, but they’re set for you.

Microsoft ® Office Access ® 2007 Training Build a database II: Create tables for a new Access database GPC presents:

Documents

new database

tables access

new table

existing database

blank database

new access database

relational database

new access database