Preface
Access, databases, tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, textbook
This textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to Microsoft Access and is designed specifically for students in higher education and users of Microsoft Access. The primary focus is on creating queries, forms, and reports rather than on database design. The chapters covering these components include numerous exercises to help you practice retrieving information from a database.
This textbook differs from other Access textbooks in several key ways:
It is free and available online, making it accessible to a wide audience.
Each topic is developed to accomplish a specific task—nothing more, nothing less. This results in clear, step-by-step instructions without unnecessary information that might distract from the learning objective.
The tasks and exercises are based on the competencies and skills required in higher education. Many of the challenges are drawn from real-life experiences of students during internships and graduation projects.
Textbook Organization
This textbook is centered around the candy365.accdb database of the fictional company SNOOPY, which sells a variety of chocolate boxes to customers. The chapters follow a logical structure for working with this database:
1 Starting with Access introduces the Access program and explains the general structure and contents of databases.
2 Exploring Candy database provides an overview of the
candy365.accdbdatabase, including its tables and contents. You will experiment with the database to explore different features of working with Access.3 Data Entry and Modification covers how to add and modify data, one of the most important tasks for users.
4 Tables focuses on creating tables and establishing relationships between them.
5 Queries teaches you how to retrieve specific information from a database using queries, another common end-user task.
6 Forms introduces forms, which present organized, formatted views of table and query fields. Forms are also essential for data entry.
7 Reports covers reports, which are typically formatted for printing. This chapter also includes label creation, a special type of report.
8 Integration with Office discusses ways to integrate Access with Excel and Word.
9 Tools presents the tools available in Access to analyze, troubleshoot, and correct issues within a database.
10 Macros shows how to automate common or complex tasks using macros.
Software
This textbook is based on Access 365, but it is also suitable for earlier versions such as 2016, 2019, and even older versions like 2010 and 2007.