Microsoft Access 2002

New Perspectives on Microsoft Access 2002 Tutorial 7 1

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Microsoft Access 2002

Tutorial 7 – Integrating Access With the Web and With Other Programs


XPExport an Access table to an HTML document

• Access includes features that allow you to publish your Access data on the Internet.

• You can use a table or query to create a Web page that can be viewed online.

• The page can be static or dynamic: – A static page displays the table or query data exactly as it was

when the page was created – A dynamic page is actually live data that can be manipulated right

in the Web page

• Access makes it very easy to create a data access page from a table or query using the Export dialog box.


XPThe Export dialog box

This figure shows the Export Dialog box in which the table, NSJI-tbl is being exported as an HTML document.

Note that the Save As Type list box has been changed to HTML document.

Be sure to click the Save Formatted option. This is necessary to include field names, such as column headings.


XPAn Access table viewed as an HTML page

This figure shows the HTML document displayed in a Web browser.


XPUse a Wizard to create a data access page for an Access table

• Access provides a Wizard that helps you create a data access page.

• A data access page is an HTML document that can be viewed in a Web browser and contains data from a table or query.

• While you can create a data access page in Design view, it is easier to use the Page Wizard.

• In the Page Wizard you will need to specify what table or query the data access page will be based on and which fields should be included.


XPSet grouping levels using the Page Wizard

This figure shows the third page of the Page Wizard. In this figure, the fields have already been selected for display in the data access page.

It is on this page that you will choose any fields that should be grouped. In this figure, the EmployerID has been selected as a grouping level.


XPA data access page in Page View

This figure shows the created data access page opened in Page View in Access. Notice that there is a record navigation toolbar from which you can choose several navigation options.


XPUpdate a data access page using a Web browser

• If you want to update data in a data access page you must have the page displayed in a Web Browser.

• If you use Internet Explorer, it must be Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher. – You can use another browser but it must be able to support data

access pages

• When the data access page is displayed in a browser, changes made to the data will be immediately written to the underlying table or query.


XPA data access page in a Web browser

This figure shows a data access page in the Internet Explorer window. Data can be changed in this view but you must press the Save button on the toolbar to save the changes.


XPCreate a custom data access page

• You can create a data access page in a Wizard or you can create it entirely in Design View: – Start with an empty data access page and select fields that should be

included in the data access page– Select the fields from the fields list that is provided when you first created

the data access page – If you add fields from more than one table, you will create a new section

for the additional table• When you are finished selecting fields for the data access page, close

the fields list. • After the fields have been selected, make modifications according to

your design for the page. • Select a theme for the page that will provide elements to create visual

interest.


XPThe Page window in Design view

This figure show the Page window in design view. Note that the fields list is displayed on the right side of the screen.

Note also that there are plus signs beside each of the tables. If you click any of these plus signs, all the fields of that table will also be displayed in the fields list. You can then select these fields by dragging them to the design grid.


XPCreate and use a PivotTable on a data access page

• Often, the data provided on a data access page needs to be analyzed for business purposes.

• A PivotTable is an interactive table that you can add to the data access page.

• The PivotTable allows the user to dynamically analyze the data.

• The PivotTable can view and organize data, provide a summary , and the user can even change the contents and organization of the table.

• The PivotTable is created by using the PivotTable tool on the toolbox.


XPA data access page with a Pivot Table

This figure shows a PivotTable in a data access page. Notice that the PivotTable contains a toolbar, a main body, a row area, a column area, and a filter area.


XPCreate and use a PivotChart on a data access page

• In addition to the PivotTable, you can also create a PivotChart.

• A PivotChart is an interactive chart that provides capabilities similar to a PivotTable.

• The PivotChart is a graphical representation of the data and often provides a more analytical view of the data.

• There are several chart types to choose from including column charts, bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, and so on.

• The PivotChart includes four areas: the filter area, the category area, the data area, and the series area.


XPA data access page with a PivotChart

The PivotChart in this figure includes: the PivotChart toolbar, a plot area, a category axis, the series field, and a filter field.


XPAdd a PivotChart control to a page

This figure shows what the PivotChart control looks like before any of the fields have been selected for the chart. Notice that each area has a placemarker indicating where the fields should be added.


XPImport an XML file as an Access table

• XML (Extensible Markup Language) is similar to HTML but is more customizable and facilitates the exchange of data.

• An XML developer can customize code to describe the data it contains and how the data is to be structured.

• You can import an XML file into your Access database and use the file to create a new table.

• You can also have a special import option, Import XML, that allows you to import the XML file easily.


XPThe Import XML dialog box

This figure shows an example of the Import XML dialog box. You have options to import just the table structure, to import the structure and the data, or to append the data in the table to an existing table in the database.

In order to append data from one table to another, the structure of the two tables involved must be identical.


XPExport an Access table as an XML file

• You can export a table in Access to an XML document.

• One reason to do this could be to make the data available to another user in your organization.

• You can either export the data and its structure together, or you can export them as two files.

• You can include a style sheet with the exported file, which will provide display information for the document. – If the user will be bringing the exported files directly into a

software program, there is no need to export the style sheet


XPThe Data tab of the Export XML dialog box

There are three parts to the Export XML dialog box. In this figure the Data tab is selected, and therefore the options under the data tab are displayed.

The Export Location indicates where the export table will be placed.

The Export Data option has been selected.


XPThe Schema tab of the Export XML dialog box

In this figure, the Schema tab has been selected.

On this page of the dialog box, you select whether you want the structure of the exported table to be included with the table or separated into a separate file, called an XSD (XML Structure Definition) file.


XPExport an Access query as an Excel worksheet

• There are times when Access is not as helpful in analyzing your data as a spreadsheet would be.

• You can export data from Access to Excel, which is a spreadsheet program that is especially useful in analyzing data.

• You can export tables, forms, and reports to Excel and to other Office programs. – Excel must be installed on your computer before you can do

this• When you export the data to Excel, a spreadsheet will be created

placing the records in the table as rows in the spreadsheet. • Each field will be represented as a column in the spreadsheet.


XPAn Access Query exported to Excel

When the table was exported, Excel was launched. The data in the worksheet can now be manipulated just like any other worksheet. You could now add rows, columns, formulas, and even create charts based on the data.

In the figure below, an Access Query has been exported to Excel for further analysis.


XPCreate hyperlinks to Office documents

• You can create a hyperlink in a table that, when clicked, will open another document.

• If you create a link to a document created in another program, such as Word, clicking the link will actually launch that program.

• Once the program is launched, the linked document will open in that program.


XPDesignate a field as a hyperlink in Design view

First you must specify that a field will be a hyperlink field. Notice in the figure below that the last field in Design view has been designated as a hyperlink field.


XPSpecify the hyperlink target

Next, you specify the target location of the hyperlink field. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, you select the location to which you want the hyperlink field to link.

You can link to a existing file or Web page, an object in the database, a new Web page, or the link can be an Email address.

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Microsoft Access 2002