Introduction to Microsoft Access

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Introduction to Microsoft Access
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What is Microsoft Access?
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• Microsoft Access is a relational database
  management system (DBMS or RDBMS). At the very
  core, it is a software engine that provides an
  interface between physical data and user
  application queries.
• Other examples of DBMS applications include
• Oracle
• mySQL
• SQL Server (Microsoft)
• DB2 (IBM)
• Informix

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Why choose MS-Access over other DBMS systems?
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• Cheap, readily available (packaged with MS-Office
  Premium).
• Easy to use
• Includes front-end tools for rapid application
  development (RAD). This also makes MS-Access a
  good prototype environment.

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Why choose other DBMS systems over MS-Access?
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• MS-Access can handle a large number of records,
  but is somewhat slow compared to some of the
  high-end platforms.
• Multiple users may use the database
  simultaneously, but MS-Access is known to become
  unstable with greater than 3-5 users.

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DBMS refresher
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• An efficient system to store, manipulate and
  share data
• Insertion of data
• Deletion of data
• Retrieval of data

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Database model - advantages
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• Eliminating data redundancy
• Maintaining data integrity
• Security
• Saves valuable storage resources

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Problems with file systems- redundant entries
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Problems with file systems
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Problems with file systems
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Relational DB refresher
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• One of the 3 database types
• Relational
• Object oriented
• Multidimensional
• Reduce redundant data
• Eliminating repeating elements
• Eliminating partial dependencies
• Eliminating transitive dependencies

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Relational databases
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Relational Databases

• Relational databases are the most popular form of
  database - they consist of
• Tables
• Records
• Fields
• Keys

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Designing a database
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• Determine the entities
• Determine the fields
• Split the tables where data is duplicated
• Determine the fields that constitute a primary
  key
• Populate the tables
• Write an application to access and manipulate the
  data
• Create reports for the presentation of information

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Microsoft Access
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• Creating a DB in Access
• Table
• Form
• Query
• Report
• Module

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Access Tables
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• Each Table is formatted in a similar manner to a
  spreadsheet
• Field names at the top
• Records entered in each row
• Table are created using design mode or a wizard
• Define the properties
• Define a Unique Field as the Primary Key
• Set the field properties

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Access Forms
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• Forms provide a convenient way to enter or view
  data in the database without the need to use the
  underlying tables

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Access Reports
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• Reports are used to present data in a format
  suitable for printing or publishing on the web

• Report types
• Single Column report
• Groups/totals report
• Mailing label report
• Summary report

• Tabular report
• AutoReport wizard report
• Blank report

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Access Queries
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• A query is a statement that tells Access what
  type of information to extract from one or more
  tables and are used for

• Display selected fields and records from a table
• Sort records
• Perform calculations

• Generate data for reports, forms and other
  queries
• Update data in the tables in a database

• Find and display data from two or more tables