Microsoft ® Office Access ™ 2007 Training Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data ICT Staff Development presents:

Microsoft® Office Access™ 2007 Training

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

ICT Staff Development presents:

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Course contents

• Overview: Don’t let databases intimidate you

• Lesson: You type, Access listens

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

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Overview: Don’t let databases intimidate you

If you're familiar with Microsoft® Office Excel®, you know how easy it is to get started entering data. You open a worksheet, click a cell, and start typing.

You can do the same thing in Access: You create a new database and enter data in a table.

This course explains how to create a new database, enter data in a table, and set each column in that table to accept a specific type of data.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Course goals

• Create a new, blank database with a new table.

• Enter data in the new table.

• Set or change field (column) names.

• Set and change data types, settings that help you enter the correct type of data in each column.

Lesson

You type, Access listens

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

You type, Access listens

So, you’ve heard about Access, you’ve decided to try it.

What do you do now?

That’s easy. And the figure above shows how to get started, first by creating a new database and creating a table in that database.

Read on to learn about the process in more detail.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

You type, Access listens

When you start Access, you’ll see the Getting Started with Microsoft Access page.

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Click Blank Database.

On the Blank Database pane, accept the default name, or enter your own, and then click Create.

Access opens the new database and displays the new table.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

You type, Access listens

The table contains one row and two columns, or fields.

In Access, tables are a lot like the worksheets in Excel — a grid of cells that store your data.

Tables are the backbone of any database, and all databases contain at least one table and usually more.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Easy data entry

If you've entered data in Excel, you'll have no problem entering data in Access.

The picture shows how.

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Enter data in the first blank cell and press RIGHT ARROW …

… then enter data in the next blank cell.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Easy data entry

If you've entered data in Excel, you'll have no problem entering data in Access.

The picture shows how.

3 Or, you can copy data and column headers from another source — Excel or tables in Access, Microsoft® Office Word, or a Microsoft Office® SharePoint® Server site. Click that first blank cell, and paste.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

What’s in a name?

While you're entering data, Access names your fields: Field1, Field2, and so on.

You use those names, or you change them.

Naming your fields is easy. Just double-click a field header and type away, as in the figure above.

Your names can be up to 64 characters long, and entering or changing a name doesn't affect the rest of your data.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

A quick look at data types

While you enter data in a new table — either manually or by pasting it in — Access sets a data type for each new column.

A data type is a setting that controls the kind of data you can enter in each column of a table.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

A quick look at data types

This illustration shows fields set to three different data types.

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The Text data type.

The Date/Time data type.

The Currency data type.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

A quick look at data types

All databases use data types, because they help keep your data accurate.

Data types also help you manage the size of your database by controlling the size of each field.

When you follow the steps we've discussed so far, Access sets data types for you. Keep going to see how.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Data types, automatically

When you enter data in the first cell of a new field, Access looks at the kind of data you enter and infers a data type for the field, based on what you enter.

For example, if you enter a currency value, Access infers the Currency data type for that field. If you enter a date, Access infers the Date/Time data type.

The animation above shows this process.

Animation: Right-click, and click Play.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Data types, automatically

When you enter data in the first cell of a new field, Access looks at the kind of data you enter and infers a data type for the field, based on what you enter.

For example, if you enter a currency value, Access infers the Currency data type for that field, as shown here.

If you enter a date, Access infers the Date/Time data type.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

But not all the data types

You can’t set all the available data types by entering data into a cell — Access can’t infer everything.

For example, if you want to display photos of your employees in a column, you can't paste a photograph into a new field. You have to set the Attachment data type manually.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

But not all the data types

To set a data type, you click the Datasheet tab, and in the Data Type & Formatting group, you select an option from the Data Type list.

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You can set these data types by entering data in a new table.

You set these data types manually.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

And you can change data types as needed

At times, you may also need to change a field's data type manually.

In that case, you follow the procedure we described earlier:

Click the Datasheet tab, and in the Data Type & Formatting group, select an option from the Data Type list.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

And you can change data types as needed

But you need to be careful when you change a data type, because Access may delete data when you change a type.

You can't recover that data unless you have a backup copy of your database.

What's more, other components in your database may stop working because they depend on a specific data type.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

And you can change data types as needed

But you need to be careful when you change a data type, because Access may delete data when you change a type.

So here's another rule: When you change a data type, pay attention to any warning messages, and stop if you aren't sure of what you're doing.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Suggestions for practice

1. Enter data.

2. Change field names.

3. Change data types as your needs change.

4. Set the data types manually.

Online practice (requires Access 2007)

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Test question 1

Why does Access set data types as you enter data? (Pick one answer.)

1. They're a standard for most databases.

2. They help ensure accurate data entry.

3. They help you use storage space efficiently.

4. All of the above.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Test question 1: Answer

All of the above.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Test question 2

Why do you need to be careful when changing data types? (Pick one answer.)

1. You can't store photographs after you change a data type.

2. You may lose data.

3. Access may convert all your text to numbers.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Test question 2: Answer

You may lose data.

Changing a data type can delete data, and the only way to get it back is to import it from a backup table.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Test question 3

How do you change a data type? (Pick one answer.)

1. Go to the External Data tab, and in the Collect Data group, click the Change Type button.

2. Go to the Datasheet tab, in the Data Type & Formatting group, select an option from the Data Type list.

3. Go to the Database Tools tab, in the Database Tools group, click the down arrow to the right of the Set Type button and choose an option from the list.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Test question 3: Answer

Go to the Datasheet tab, in the Data Type & Formatting group, select an option from the Data Type list.

Datasheets I: Create a table by entering data

Quick Reference Card

For a summary of the tasks covered in this course, view the Quick Reference Card.