Managing Critical Business Information Using Microsoft Office Access 2003

Introduction

This scenario-based class provides experienced Microsoft Access users with a stronger relational database foundation. It brings home relational database concepts and teaches how to employ powerful techniques using Access in gathering, organizing, and reporting of information vital to your business. Students will learn how to create solid database structures, how to pull in outside data, and how to integrate Access with other Microsoft Office System 2003 applications-all leading up to creating flexible, user-friendly reports. The goal of this course is to give students more confidence in managing their business information using various Access database techniques, thus enabling them to accomplish their daily work more efficiently and competently.

Audience

This course is designed for experienced Access users. This audience uses Access to store information about their business and is skilled at using tables in datasheet view, creating their own forms and reports, and even writing queries. While understanding how to create these Access objects, these students are looking for additional methods for processing data, including importing and linking to data existing outside of Access.

At Course Completion

After completing this course, students will be able to:

· Create solid relational database structures using Access for data integrity that is easier to maintain.

· Import data of various formats from outside sources.

· Utilize appropriate techniques for querying information in the Access database as various business needs arise.

· Create consistent standard user interfaces for inputting data.

· Generate powerful and flexible reports for management.

· Describe the benefits that can be realized from the integration of Access with other Office 2003 applications.

Prerequisites

Before attending this course, students must have:

· A basic understanding of relational databases.

· An understanding of

Access tables, queries, forms and reports and a base knowledge of how they are used within an Access database.

· Experience creating

Access macros and using them in forms.

· A working familiarity with standard Microsoft Office applications (such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel).

Course Outline

Module 1: Creating a Strong Foundation for Your Database

This module introduces the concepts of relational database design, including creating tables and relationships, as well as importing data into tables from various external sources.

Topics and Activities

· What Is a Relational Database?

· Demonstration: Creating

Tables and Using the Relationships Window

· Expert Video: Importance of Using Relationships and Referential Integrity

· Types of Files Commonly

Imported or Linked to Access

· Exercise: Importing a

Text File and Excel Data

· Best Practices for

Creating Tables and Utilizing Outside Data

After completing this module, students will be able to:

· Describe relational database concepts.

· Create tables and relationships.

· Import data into tables from different types of file sources.

· Incorporate best practices for creating tables and utilizing outside data.

Module 2: Creating an Effective User Interface

This module introduces form design standards and creating interfaces. Creating switchboards and utilizing the Form Wizard to create a base and modify a form is also discussed in this module.

Topics and Activities

· Good Form Design

· Mapping Out the Forms to

Use in the Fourth Coffee Database

· Exercise 1: Creating the

Necessary Input Forms· Exercise 2: Creating the

Main Switchboard and Setting Startup Properties

· Best Practices for

Creating User InterfacesAfter completing this module, students will be able to:

· Make intelligent decisions regarding the use of form standards.

· Create switchboards for launching tasks in their databases.

· Use a Form Wizard as a base for creating forms.

· Enhance forms so that users can work with them more effectively.

Module 3: Organizing Data Though Queries

This module introduces the advantage of different types of queries to organize and provide views of data in various ways as necessary for a business. In addition, the use of parameters and practice to retrieve only the data the students need are covered in this module. Finally, this module shows students how to display parameterized queries using a Combo Box located on a form.

Topics and Activities

· Choosing the Right Type of Query for the Task at Hand

· Exercise 1: Creating

Select and Totals Queries

· Retrieving Only the

Information That You Want

· Exercise 2: Adding Criteria to Queries

· Exercise 3: Using Forms and Controls for Criteria

· Exercise 4: Adding Data by Using an Append Query

· Best Practices for Using

Queries to Their Fullest Potential

After completing this module, students will be able to:

· Use Query Design view.

· Specify and create various types of queries.

· Add parameters and criteria to query requests.

· Create forms that call queries.

Module 4: Reporting Strategic Information with Access

This module discusses reporting strategic information using Access by showing techniques for calling reports from forms and by adding macros to turn on and turn off reports to display the data users require.

Topics and Activities

· Generating Reports That

Display Strategic Information

· Exercise 1: Generating the Base Report

· Demonstration: Touring

Report Design View

· Exercise 2: Creating a

Macro to Companies Only on the Report

After completing this module, students will be able to:

· Generate a report by using the Report Wizard.

· Construct a form for calling the report and displaying the report in Print Preview mode for printing.

· Hide and display sections of a report.

Module 5: Integrating Access with other Office Applications

This module shows how to take information contained within your Access database and merge it with other

Office applications.

Topics and Activities

· Integration with Other

Office Applications

· Exercise 1: Publishing

Information Using Word and Excel

· Exercise 2: Creating a

Custom Toolbar for Office Links and Mail Recipient

· Exercise 3: Performing

Mail Merge Between Access and Word

· Best Practices for

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Integration

After completing this module, students will be able to:

· Recognize how easily

Access and other Office products integrate.

· Publish an Access report to Word.

· Export a table to Excel.

· Employ a custom toolbar that sends a report in e-mail.

· Perform a mail merge between Access and Word.

About the Author

F. Scott Barker, a Microsoft Access MVP, is the author of numerous books on Microsoft Access, most notably F. Scott Barker's Access Power Programming 2002 and Microsoft Access 2003 Visual Blueprint. Through his company AppsPlus, Scott consults for clients in many industries, including Toyota, Microsoft, and Exterior Research, Inc