Access 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual: The Missing Manual

by Matthew MacDonald

Overview

This fast-paced book teaches you the basics of Access 2007 so you can start using this popular database program right away. You'll learn how to work with Access' most useful features to design databases, maintain them, search for valuable nuggets of information, and build attractive forms for quick-and-easy data entry.

The new Access is radically different from previous versions, but with this book, you'll breeze through the new interface and its timesaving features in no time with:

• Clear explanations
• Step-by-step instructions
• Lots of illustrations
• Larger type
• Plenty of friendly advice

Ideal for small businesses and households, Access runs on PCs and manages large stores information, including numbers, pages of text, and pictures — everything from a list of family phone numbers to an enormous product catalog. Unfortunately, each new version of the program crammed in yet another set of features — so many that even the pros don't know where to find them all. Access 2007 breaks the mold: Microsoft changed the user interface by designing a tabbed toolbar that makes features easy to locate.

One thing that hasn't improved is Microsoft's documentation. Even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. Access 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual is the perfect primer for small businesses with no techie to turn to, as well as those who want to organize household and office information.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596528331
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	02/01/2007
Series:	Missing Manual Series
Pages:	394
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.19(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Matthew MacDonald is a science and technology writer with well over a dozen books to his name. Web novices can tiptoe out onto the Internet with him in Creating a Website: The Missing Manual. HTML fans can learn about the cutting edge of web design in HTML5: The Missing Manual. And human beings of all description can discover just how strange they really are in the quirky handbooks Your Brain: The Missing Manual and Your Body: The Missing Manual.

Table of Contents

The Missing Credits; About the Author; About the Creative Team; Acknowledgements; The Missing Manual Series; Introduction; What You Can Do with Access; The New Face of Access 2007; About This Book; Part I: STORING INFORMATION IN TABLES; Chapter 1: Creating your First Database; 1.1 Understanding Access Databases; 1.2 Getting Started; 1.3 Saving and Opening Access Databases; 1.4 The Navigation Pane; Chapter 2: Building Smarter Tables; 2.1 Understanding Data Types; 2.2 Design View; 2.3 Access Data Types; 2.4 The Primary Key; 2.5 Six Principles of Database Design; Chapter 3: Mastering the Datasheet: Sorting, Searching, Filtering, and More; 3.1 Datasheet Customization; 3.2 Datasheet Navigation; 3.3 Printing the Datasheet; Chapter 4: Blocking Bad Data; 4.1 Data Integrity Basics; 4.2 Input Masks; 4.3 Validation Rules; 4.4 Lookups; Chapter 5: Linking Tables with Relationships; 5.1 Relationship Basics; 5.2 Using a Relationship; 5.3 More Exotic Relationships; 5.4 Relationship Practice; Part II: MANIPULATING DATA WITH QUERIES; Chapter 6: Queries that Select Records; 6.1 Query Basics; 6.2 Creating Queries; 6.3 Queries and Related Tables; 6.4 Query Power: Calculated Fields and Text Expressions; 6.5 Calculated Fields; Chapter 7: Queries that Update Records; 7.1 Understanding Action Queries; 7.2 Update Queries; 7.3 Append Queries; 7.4 Delete Queries; Part III: PRINTING REPORTS AND USING FORMS; Chapter 8: Creating Reports; 8.1 Report Basics; 8.2 Printing, Previewing, and Exporting a Report; 8.3 Formatting a Report; 8.4 Filtering and Sorting a Report; Chapter 9: Creating Simple Forms; 9.1 Form Basics; 9.2 Sorting and Filtering in a Form; 9.3 The Form Wizard; Part IV: SHARING ACCESS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD; Chapter 10: Importing and Exporting Data; 10.1 Case for Importing and Exporting; 10.2 Using the Clipboard; 10.3 Import and Export Operations; Colophon;