McGraw-Hill Career Education © 2008 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Concept 1

• Database – Organized collection of related information

• Table – Vertical columns & horizontal rows where information is stored

• Record– A row – Information about one person, place, or thing

• Field – A column – Smallest unit of information

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Database

DATABASE

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Creating and Naming the Database File

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Starting with a Blank Database

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Access Application Window

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Using Datasheet View • A visual presentation of the data• Consists of rows and columns • Header row contains field names

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Concept 3

• Data type defines the type of data the field will contain

• Used to ensure right kind of data is entered

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Data Type

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Data Types

TextNumberDate/TimeCurrency

AutoNumberYes/No

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Switching Views

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Using Design View

• Displays the structure of the table

• Does not show table data

• Used to make changes

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Concept 4

• Characteristic that defines a field

• Each field has a set of properties

• Enhances the way table works

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Field Property

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Field Properties

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Concept 5

• A field that uniquely identifies each record• Most tables have at least one primary key• Requirements

– Key data MUST be unique– Field cannot be empty or null– Data in the field rarely changes

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Primary Key

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Defining a Primary Key

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Printing a Table

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Exiting Access

• Click X - Close in the Access window bar• You can also select the Office Button and

choose Exit Access

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