Creating a Basic Database

Notes:

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  Part 1
  
  
  -Tables Organize your data.
  
  
  -All databases in Access contain at least one table.
  
  
  -Tables store data, so they're essential building blocks of any database. 
   
  Fig. 1  The row containing information about United Package is a record.
  Fig. 2  The column containing phone numbers is a field.
  
  
  -A database should have a separate table for every major subject.
  
  
  -Each table contains rows called records and columns called fields.
  
  
  -A record is a collection of facts about a particular person, event, CD, or other item of interest. 
  
  
  -A field is a single kind of fact that may apply to each person, event, or other record.
  
  
  -If an existing field name isn't descriptive enough, you can rename the field.
  
  
  -A field's data type limits and describes the kind of information you can enter in a field, such as Number or Currency.
  
  
  -You use a unique identifier, called a primary key, for each record in your table.
   
• -Field properties are a set of characteristics that provide additional control over the data.  
  
  
  -The fields in your database have settings that determine the type of data they can store, how the data is displayed, and what you can do with the data. 
  
  
  -One important setting for fields is the data type, including number, text, currency (money), and date/time.
  
  -Each record in each table should be unique—in other words, you wouldn't have two identical records about Nancy Davolio in the same database. But what if you have two employees named Nancy Davolio?
  
  -To distinguish one record from another, tables can contain a primary key field.
  
  -The primary key is an identifier—such as a part number, a product code, or an employee ID—that's unique to each record.
  
  -The primary key should be a piece of information that won't change frequently.
  
  -Employee ID appears in both tables—as a primary key and as a foreign key.
  
  -A primary key separates similar information and makes each record unique.
  
  -You relate one table to another using a primary key. This is how tables share data, and how you can avoid repeating information in both the tables.
  
   TEST RESULTS
  
  
  Part 2
  
  -Queries can answer  questions by assembling stored data from your database, or by performing calculations with the data to provide further information.
  
  -To answer questions, queries retrieve, filter, sort, and assemble data on command. Another important power of queries is to combine the data from several tables into a single view.
  
  -A query can also remove data.
  
  -Forms enable people to enter or view data in your database easily.
  
  -Forms control and simplify data input.
  
  -Forms make data from a table or a query easier to understand by presenting it in visually appealing designs.
  
  -A report converts data into a formatted document.
  
  -Using reports, you can group your data, perform calculations on it, and add headings and other formatting to make it more meaningful and easier to read. 
• TEST RESULTS