Unlike many other Microsoft applications, in Access we carry out tasks in three windows.

1. The Application window: the outer part of the Access program.
2. The Database window: keep track of all the different objects from our database.
3. The Object window: shows us details of the object.

When we open Access, we open the application window.
The first database file that you open, opens its own database window in the application window.
Now if you want to open other objects, they will also appear in their own windows (object window).

The application window consists of the Title bar, the Database Toolbar and Status bar at the bottom.
On the right side of the application window, we find a tasks pane which we can use for various tasks.

The database window has its own title bar and “Open”, “Design” and “New” buttons.

For each object that you open or modify, the database appears in its own object window with its title bar and the type of object.
In this tutorial we will learn how to edit these objects in three different windows.

Overview of a database

Contrary to what many think of a database, it is a lot more than just tables.
In Access we use different objects (tables, queries, forms, macros and modules) to compile our database.
A “Table” is more or less a collection of data about a topic. For example: customers, suppliers, vendors etc.

A table consists of several columns and several rows for storing our data.
A column consists of only one type of data, i.e. a name or first name or address. These are called fields.
A row consists of several types of data and has several fields eg: full name, address and telephone number.

Unlike simple database programs, the database component of Microsoft Works Access is called a relational database.
In a relational database we manage a lot of data in smaller tables.
We then create relationships between the different tables and we put all this information together.
In this way we filter redundant data from our database and we keep this available easily and efficiently.
If we create “relationships” between our various tables, we also have access to any information from our database.
Example of “relationships” between different tables:

Working with database objects

As stated previously, a database comprises of a whole collection of “tables”, “queries”, “forms”, “macros” and “modules”.
Access can open only one database at a time. Every time we open a database in Access, the database opens in its own window.
Each type of object can be found in the object panel, on the left side.
Click on the type of object you want to see, and all objects of that type used in your database appear in the window.
The object window allows us to see changes in objects.
All windows can be adjusted in size, can be moved and closed.

Opening and closing a database

To open a database we must first start Access.
Click the “Start” button, select “All Programs” and choose “Microsoft Access”.
In Access, click on “File” in the menu bar and click “Open”.

Select the database on your hard drive and click “Open” at bottom right.
If you want to close the database, simply click the X in the right corner.
Alternately, you can choose “File” in the menu bar and click “Close”.

Database Objects

A database is designed to retrieve a lot of information when and how you want. The use of the different objects in the Access database allows us to do so.
We must therefore learn how we can use these objects as efficiently as possible.
We’ll just go through all these objects:

“Tables”: The “tables” are the foundation of our database. They contain all the information we need to create a database. The database is fundamentally dependent on the tables and their structure. This is the only type of object where we store information.

All other objects are used to edit, delete, insert, retrieve, display and analyse tabular data.
It is therefore very useful to first write down the expectations you have for your database on paper, before you begin creating your objects.   Past mistakes in drafting “tables” often lead to the reprogramming of these “tables”.

“Queries”: “Queries” work in the background and allow us to show only the information that we need from a “table”. “Queries” are actually targeted for the beneficial use of our database.

“Forms”: “Forms” are usually used as interface of our database.”Forms” are actually what the end user will use to manipulate data or to add to our database.

“Reports”: “Reports” are mostly used to display the data from our “queries” in a printer-friendly way.
“Reports” can also be secondary calculations and analysis on the “queries”, which makes them powerful tools again.

“Pages”: “Pages” use the data from our database via the Internet to work. They are usually HTML “forms”. There is a downside, if the user wants to use this page via the Internet, he must have Access installed on his computer.

“Macros”: “Macros” are preprogrammed operations that help us to perform tasks automatically.
Eg. if you want a user to click a button in a “form” to run a report, you can write / program a “macro” and link this “macro” to the button.

“Modules”: “Modules” are almost the same as “macros” with the difference that you must encode “modules” in a separate application, eg Microsoft Visual Basic.
It uses a different programming language, namely Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Most of us will not use this and already have enough programmed “macros”.

 

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