Sheila Ababio
Beginners/Intermediate
The quickest and easiest way to learn Microsoft Access 2003.
Microsoft Access 2003 with examples is a step-by-step approach to building and maintaining your database. It is full of practical examples and tips. With screen-by-screen illustration you can learn fast. With examples and illustrations you can learn Microsoft Access 2003 and start building your own databases in no time.
- Master the essentials of designing and building a database.
- Create effective tables and queries.
- Create professional looking forms and reports.
- Import, export data from different sources and databases.
- Create web pages with your database.
- Secure your database from unauthorized users.
- Analyze your data.
Sheila Ababio is a computer professional with a degree in Business Information Systems (MSc Business Information Systems). Sheila has been working with databases for more than 15 years. Currently specializing in training business users and building database applications.
PLANNING YOUR DATABASE APPLICATION
If you want to build a good database that is easy to maintain and retrieve the kind of information you want, you must spend time planning the database before you build it. You need to plan and design the database carefully or else you will run into difficulties later on. A developer or a database designer will spend considerable time planning and designing the database before using a software program like Microsoft Access to implement the design.
A well design database makes your database easy to maintain. Microsoft Access stores data in tables. A well design database stores information about each subject separately. In Microsoft Access data about each subject is stored in one table and each table contains data about a particular subject. Because each table contains information about a particular subject, updating information is easy because all updates takes place at only one place.
A well design database provides accurate and efficient information. To provide efficient and accurate information, you need data from different sources. Microsoft Access is capable of combining data from different tables to provide accurate and efficient information.
A well-designed database provides easy and quick access to information. With a well design database, less time is spent building the database and access to information is quick and accurate.
The different approaches to designing and building a database
There are many approaches to building a database application, for example, the Rapid Application Development approach and the System Development Life Cycle approach. The System Development approach is a top-down systematic approach to designing a database. Some Designers do not follow any approach they just create the database file, create tables and create the other objects in the table. In an ideal world, a systematic approach is needed to develop a database application suitable for the needs of an Organization.
The Systems Development Lifecycle
The System Development Lifecycle consists of the following steps.
- NEEDS ASSESSMENT/REQUIREMENTS GATHERING
- DESIGNING THE APPLICATION
- BUILDING THE APPLICATION
- DOCUMENTING THE APPLICATION
- TESTING THE APPLICATION
- IMPLEMENTING THE APPLICATION
1. NEEDS ASSESSMENT /REQUIREMENTS GATHERING
The first stage of the systems development cycle is to assess the needs of the organization and to gather requirements. By the end of this stage, the designer should be clear about the purpose of the database, who will be using the application and what information will be stored in the database.
· Determining the purpose of the database.
In determining the purpose of the application, you need to ask yourself “what do you want to achieve in building the database”. For example a retailer may want to create a database to keep track of customers order and to monitor sales. You can also talk to the people who will use the database to determine the purpose of the database and how they want to use it.
· Find out what information you need to store in order to achieve your purpose. For example to keep track of customers order you may need to store and retrieve information about customers, orders, employees and products. Using a brainstorming session, determine the information you would like the database to store and the kind of reports you would like it to produce.
· Find out who will use the database
Is the database application going to be used by the sales staff only, or by other departments also?
· Identify the forms and reports that the current system uses to record data. The current system may be using a receipt book or a spreadsheet to record sales transactions.
· Determine the forms and report you will need to build the new system. For example you will need forms for taking orders, entering customer details and employees details. You will need reports like daily order report, sales analysis report and product list.
2. DESIGN THE APPLICATION
Based on the information that you want to store and retrieve and the output you want from the database, you can identify the subjects you need to represent in your database.
· Identify the subjects that you need to store information about. For example, you want the database to be able to store and retrieve information about your customers, employees, orders and products and provide you with a list of customers and the orders they have placed you would therefore like to represent the Customers, Employees, Products and Orders as subjects in your database.
· Identify the tables you need. Each subject you identify will become a table. Information about each subject will be stored in a separate table in the database.
· Identify what information you need to keep in each table. For example in the Customer Table you will need to keep information about the customer i.e. customer name, address, telephone number and postcode. This becomes the fields in the tables. Each field in a table contains individual attributes or characteristics about the subject of the table.
· Determine the field type for each field in the tables. For example the field type for the customer name will be text.
· Determine the primary keys for the tables. The primary key is a unique column, or set of columns, which identifies each row in a table. Microsoft Access uses the primary key to relate information stored in separate tables. Each table in your database must have a primary key which uniquely identifies each individual record in the table.
· Determine the relationships between the tables. Microsoft Access uses the relationship between the tables to find related information.
· Refine your design. Normalize your tables. You can also use Microsoft Table Analyzer to analyze the design of your tables. It will give you feedback and suggestions about the design of your table.
