Access 2003 for Starters: The Missing Manual

Access 2003 for Starters: The Missing Manual

by Kate J. Chase, Scott Palmer
Released October 2005
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596006655

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Buy on Amazon Buy on ebooks.com
Start your free trial

Book description

Maybe you got Access as part of Microsoft Office and wonder what it can do for you and your household; maybe you're a small business manager and don't have a techie on staff to train the office in Microsoft Access. Regardless, you want to quickly get your feet wet--but not get in over your head--and Access 2003 for Starters: The Missing Manual is the book to make it happen.

Far more than a skimpy introduction but much less daunting than a weighty tech book, Access 2003 for Starters: The Missing Manual demystifies databases and explains how to design and create them with ease. It delivers everything you need--and nothing you don't--to use Access right away. It's your expert guide to the Access features that are most vital and most useful, and it's your trusted advisor on the more in-depth features that are best saved for developers and programmers.

Access is sophisticated and powerful enough for professional developers but easy and practical enough for everyday users like you. This Missing Manual explains all the major features of Access 2003, including designing and creating databases, organizing and filtering information, and generating effective forms and reports.

Bestselling authors, database designers, and programmers Scott Palmer, Ph.D., and Kate Chase are your guides for putting the world's most popular desktop data management program to work. Their clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, plenty of illustrations, and timesaving advice help you get up to speed quickly and painlessly.

Whether you're just starting out or you know you've been avoiding aspects of the program and missing out on much of what it can do, this friendly, witty book will gently immerse you in Microsoft Access. Keep it handy, as you'll undoubtedly refer to it again and again.

Publisher resources

View/Submit Errata

Table of contents

  1. A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
  2. The Missing Credits
    1. About The Authors
    2. About the Creative Team
    3. Acknowledgements
    4. The Missing Manual Series
  3. Introduction
    1. What’s a Database?
      1. Database Management Software
    2. About Access Databases
    3. About This Book
      1. About the Outline
      2. About → These → Arrows
    4. The Very Basics
    5. Example Databases
    6. About MissingManuals.com
    7. Safari Enabled
  4. I. Building a Database
    1. 1. Creating Databases
      1. A Tour of an Access Database
        1. The Access Window
        2. Tables
        3. Forms
        4. Queries
        5. Reports
        6. Putting It All Together
      2. Creating a New Database
      3. Starting with a Wizard
        1. Phase 1: Choosing Your Template
        2. Phase 2: Choosing Table Fields
        3. Phase 3: Choosing Styles for Forms and Reports
        4. Phase 4: Adding a Title and a Picture
      4. Modifying the Wizard’s Database
        1. Opening a Database
        2. Navigating with the Switchboard
        3. Adjusting Table Designs
        4. Adding Records Using a Form
        5. Printing a Report
      5. Starting from a Blank Database
    2. 2. Creating Tables to Hold Data
      1. Planning Your Tables
      2. Creating Tables with the Wizard
        1. Phase 1: Starting the Table Wizard
        2. Phase 2: Choosing Fields for Your Table
        3. Phase 3: Naming Your Table and Setting a Primary Key
        4. Phase 4: Creating Your Table
      3. Creating Tables in the Design Window
        1. Adding Fields
        2. Choosing Data Types
          1. Text
          2. Memo
          3. Number
          4. Date/Time
          5. Currency
          6. Autonumber
          7. Yes/No
          8. OLE Object
          9. Hyperlink
          10. Lookup Wizard
        3. Setting Field Properties
      4. Adding and Editing Table Data
        1. Adding Records to a Datasheet
        2. Editing Records in a Datasheet
      5. Changing How a Table Displays Data
    3. 3. Creating Forms to Add and Display Data
      1. Form Basics
        1. Form Layouts
        2. Controls
        3. Properties and the Property Sheet
      2. Creating Autoforms
      3. Creating Forms with the Form Wizard
        1. Phase 1: Choosing a Record Source
        2. Phase 2: Choosing Fields
        3. Phase 3: Choosing a Form Layout
        4. Phase 4: Choosing a Form Style
        5. Phase 5: Naming and Saving the Form
      4. Modifying the Form Design
        1. Editing the Labels
        2. Adding a Title in the Form Header
        3. Dragging a Control
      5. Creating Forms in Design View
        1. Phase 1: Starting Your Design
        2. Phase 2: Choosing a Data Source
        3. Phase 3: Adding Fields to the Form
        4. Phase 4: Adding Images to the Form
        5. Phase 5: Adding a Form Style
        6. Phase 6: Naming and Saving the Form
    4. 4. Linking Tables to Combine Data
      1. Why Relate?
      2. A Relational Database Tour
        1. Common Fields
        2. Subdatasheets and Subforms
      3. Linking Tables in the Relationships Window
        1. Adding Tables to the Relationships Window
        2. Adding Relationships Between Tables
        3. Modifying or Deleting Relationships
        4. Printing Relationships
      4. Using Subdatasheets to View Related Items
      5. Creating Subforms
        1. Adding Information in a Subform
  5. II. Organizing information
    1. 5. Sorting and Filtering
      1. Sorting Database Records
        1. Ascending Sorts
        2. Descending Sorts
        3. Sorting on Multiple Fields
          1. Moving fields for multiple choice sorts
        4. Saving Your Sorting Choice
      2. Finding Data with Filters
        1. How to save or discard a filter
        2. Filtering by Selection: The Quick Way to Filter
          1. Adding a filter by selection
          2. Filtering by exclusion
        3. Filtering by Form
          1. Adding filter criteria
        4. Filtering with Wildcards, Operators, and Expressions
          1. Using wildcards in filters
          2. Using operators in filters
          3. Using expressions in filters
          4. Applying and removing filters
        5. Using Advanced Filter/Sort
          1. Adding filter criteria
          2. Applying and removing Filter/Sort
    2. 6. Finding Data with Queries
      1. Types of Queries
        1. Select Query
        2. Crosstab Query
        3. Parameter Query
        4. Action Query
        5. Autolookup Query
        6. SQL Query
      2. Setting Query Properties
      3. Creating Queries with the Query Wizard
        1. Creating a Simple Query
        2. Creating a Crosstab Query
        3. Using a Query to Check for Duplicate Records
        4. Creating a Find Unmatched Query
      4. Saving, Deleting, and Printing Queries
    3. 7. Creating Custom Queries
      1. Creating Queries in the Query Design Window
        1. Using Criteria in Queries
        2. Crafting a Custom Query Using the Query Design Window
        3. Tweaking Your Custom Query
        4. Getting Sums, Totals, and Averages from Your Database
          1. Calculating averages
          2. Using the numbers in two columns to create a third one
          3. Creating a subtotal, total, or grand total
        5. Using Expression Builder
          1. Looking at total sales for a specific date
    4. 8. Generating Reports
      1. Report Basics
        1. How Reports Differ from Forms
        2. Types of Access Reports
        3. Two Ways to Create Reports
          1. Wizards
          2. Design window
        4. Displaying and Printing Reports
      2. Parts of a Report
        1. Report Design Sections
          1. Report header and footer
          2. Page header and footer
          3. Group header and footer
          4. Detail section
      3. Using the Report Wizard
        1. Starting the Wizard
        2. Choosing the Report Type
        3. Choosing the Data Source
        4. Choosing the Fields
        5. Grouping the Report Data
        6. Sorting the Report Data
        7. Choosing a Report Layout
        8. Choosing a Report Style
        9. Adding a Report Title
  6. III. Appendixes
    1. A. Help and Installation
      1. Installing Access 2003
        1. Installing Office
        2. Installing Access Only
      2. Access Help
        1. Where to Look for Help
          1. Screen tips
          2. Menu bar
          3. Office Assistant
          4. Help Task Pane
      3. Visiting Microsoft Office Online
        1. Learning with Tutorials
        2. Finding Help Articles and Training Tutorials Not Listed
        3. Locating and Downloading Access Templates
        4. Asking Questions and Finding Answers
    2. B. Access FAQ
      1. Importing and Exporting
        1. Importing a Word File into Access
        2. Importing an Excel Spreadsheet into Access
      2. Validation
      3. Finding Find
    3. C. Access 2003, Menu by Menu
      1. File Menu
        1. New
        2. Open
        3. Get External Data
        4. Close
        5. Save
        6. Save As
        7. Back Up Database
        8. Export
        9. File Search
        10. Page Setup
        11. Print
        12. Send To
        13. Database Properties
        14. [Recent Files]
        15. Exit
      2. Edit Menu
        1. Undo
        2. Undo Current Field/Record
        3. Redo
        4. Cut
        5. Copy
        6. Office Clipboard
        7. Paste
        8. Paste Special
        9. Paste as Hyperlink
        10. Paste Append
        11. Duplicate
        12. Create Shortcut
        13. Delete
        14. Rename
        15. Groups
        16. Add to Group
        17. Delete Record, Delete Column
        18. Select Record
        19. Select All
        20. Select All Records
        21. Select Form
        22. Find, Replace
        23. Go To
        24. OLE/DDE Links
      3. View Menu
        1. Design View
        2. SQL View
        3. Form View
        4. Datasheet View
        5. PivotTable View
        6. PivotChart View
        7. Table Names
        8. Totals
        9. Subform in New Window
        10. Database Objects
        11. Large Icons, Small Icons
        12. List
        13. Details
        14. Arrange Icons
        15. Line Up Icons
        16. Properties
        17. Field List
        18. Code
        19. Ruler, Grid
        20. Toolbox
        21. Page Header/Footer, Form Header/Footer
        22. Task Pane
        23. Object Dependencies
        24. Indexes
        25. Join Properties
        26. Toolbars
        27. Zoom
        28. Pages
        29. Refresh
      4. Insert Menu
        1. New Record
        2. Column, Row
        3. Lookup Column/Lookup Field
        4. Subdatasheet
        5. Page Numbers, Date and Time
        6. Chart
        7. Object
        8. ActiveX Control
        9. Hyperlink
        10. Hyperlink Column
        11. Tab Control Page
      5. Format Menu
        1. Font
        2. Datasheet
        3. Row Height, Column Width
        4. Hide Columns, Unhide Columns
        5. Freeze Columns, Unfreeze All Columns
        6. Subdatasheet
        7. AutoFormat
        8. Conditional Formatting
        9. Align
        10. Size
        11. Horizontal Spacing
        12. Vertical Spacing
        13. Group
        14. Ungroup
        15. Bring To Front, Send to Back
      6. Records Menu
        1. Filter
        2. Sort
        3. Apply Filter/Sort, Remove Filter/Sort
        4. Save Record
        5. Refresh
        6. Data Entry
      7. Tools Menu
        1. Spelling
        2. Office Links
        3. Online Collaboration
        4. Speech
        5. Relationships
        6. Analyze
        7. Database Utilities
        8. Security
        9. Replication
        10. Startup
        11. Macro
        12. Add-Ins
        13. ActiveX Controls
        14. AutoCorrect Options
        15. Customize
        16. Options
      8. Window Menu
        1. Tile Horizontally, Tile Vertically
        2. Cascade
        3. Hide
        4. Arrange Icons
        5. [Window Names]
      9. Help Menu
  7. Index
  8. About the Authors
  9. Colophon
  10. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Access 2003 for Starters: The Missing Manual
  • Author(s): Kate J. Chase, Scott Palmer
  • Release date: October 2005
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596006655