Microsoft Access

The Basics

06/06/06

The Instructors

Allyson Mower, Digital Initiatives, 581-5263, amower@lib.med.utah.edu Alice Weber, Collection Development, 587-9247, aweber@lib.med.utah.edu Joan Gregory, Technical Services, 581-5269, joang@lib.med.utah.edu

06/06/06

Your Expectations/Experience?

06/06/06

Class Objectives

To learn when to use MS Access To learn how to use MS Access

Toolbars Views Data entry and editing

To create usable databases of your own

Using templates and wizards Using basic queries and reports

06/06/06

Definitions

MS Access - software used for creating databases

Quickly Accurately Using wizards and templates developed to maintain the integrity of your data

Data are just information Database

Collection of data Related to a particular topic or project

06/06/06

Data Integrity

Data must be accurate. Data are RELATED to other data in your database (e.g., library patron is related to the book(s) that s/he has checked out). Maintaining the INTEGRITY of the relationship between different pieces of data is very important.

Example of compromised integrity: sending an overdue notice to the wrong library patron

06/06/06

MS Access vs. MS Excel

MS Excel

spreadsheet flat database all information has a one-to-one relationship like multiple spreadsheets that are connected to
one another

MS Access

one-to-many relationships many-to-many relationships

06/06/06

Examples

Printed Phone Directory (White Pages)

Flat database: One-to-one relationships Relational database: Many-to-many relationships

Library Catalog

Library patrons check out many books. Books are checked out by many patrons.

University Class Schedule

Students have many professors. Professors have many students. Classes can be held in many classrooms.

06/06/06

MS Access vs. MS Excel

The choice is simple:

IF you have only one-to-one

relationships, you need to use MS Excel. IF you have one-to-many or many-tomany relationships, you need to use MS Access.

06/06/06

Questions

06/06/06

Now for the Hands-On Practice!

MS Access Tutorial

06/06/06