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Books
Macmillan Publishing, Que imprint
"Using Access 95"
In 1995-1996 I wrote a book for new users of Microsoft Access that was brought out by Que, one of the leading computer publishers. It was the most difficult project I've ever worked on. I had to come up with a 300-page manuscript in five months. But the experience was well worth it. As this sample demonstrates, I tried to include analogies to everyday life to explain how relational databases work.
Tables: The Basic Building Blocks of Your Database
Tables form the bedrock of your database by holding and organizing all of your information. Do you remember coming home on Halloween with 15 pounds of candy in your bag? Mom would tell you to spread all of it out on the kitchen table so you could see everything you got. After you dumped it all out, you'd begin to organize the loot for critical decision-making: what to put in the freezer, what to give Aunt Rose, what to feed the guinea pigs.
Like Halloween candy, information comes to us from many sources, and in many different shapes and sizes. It needs to be organized so we can work with it. We spread out all of our data in tables so we -- and Access -- can see everything we have and find it quickly. This chapter covers some basics of what tables are and how you create them.
How do I begin to make a table?
Whenever you make a table, it has to go in an existing or new database. Every database has its own file -- one file, one database.
Before you can make a table, first create or open a database. You learned how to open a database in Chapter 2; but if you need a refresher, here's how to do it: select File--Open Database. In the Open dialog, select the My personal stuff.mdb database that you created in Chapter 2. Click OK and the Database window will appear.
Tip: Here's a fast way to open a database you recently worked on. Select the File menu, which lists recently opened files at the bottom. Click your database's name.
The Tables tab, the first tab on the left, should be selected when you open the Database window. If it isn't, click it. Along the right side of the window there are three buttons: Open, Design, and New. You want to make a new table, so click New. (Since you don't have any tables yet, it's your only choice anyway.)
You can create a table in a number of ways. For this example, we'll use Design View, so select it and then click OK.
The Design view of a table is like an architect's blueprint. Builders plan their creations first before they pour the concrete; you design your table before you pour information into it. Fortunately, it's much easier to change the plan of a table than it is to redesign a 60-story tower. You will often find yourself in Design view changing the structure of your table, even after you thought all the pillars were in place.
Tip: When you first start using Access, all the screens tend to look alike. If you want to know if you're in Design view, click View on the menu bar. There should be a dot before Table Design, first on the list.
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