Access Tutorial Part 1
Access Tutorial Part 1
Access Tutorial Part 1
This Access Lab is comprised of 4 parts. Part 1 & 2 are given together and Part 3 & 4 are given together. To complete all four parts of
lab, follow the steps outlined in the “Logging into Lynda.com” page in myClasses. Please watch the Access 2013 Essential Training
with Adam Wilbert Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9. By the time you are done all four parts of the lab, you should understand the
concepts below and be able to answer the following:
1. What is Access and what is an Access Database? 8. What is a table?
2. Why would we use a database? 9. What is a query?
3. What tools can we use in Access? 10. What is a form?
4. What are the five database objects? 11. What is a report?
5. What are the object views? 12. How do you import data into a table?
6. What is the relationship structure and what does 13. What is the difference between design/datasheet view?
it do?
7. What are Primary keys and what is their purpose.
PART 1: CREATE AND SAVE an Access database: Access is the only MS product that SAVES FIRST. To create and save
your file, open Microsoft Access and click on Blank desktop database. Next, a dialog box will open.
1. Give the database the name Aa01_LastNameFirstName (e.g. if your name is John Doe, name the database
Aa01_DoeJohn)
2. Notice where the database is being created. The example here and the default is the C drive. If you are in a computer lab,
change the file path to your P:Drive
3. Click Create
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PART 2: CREATE TABLES: In databases, related data is stored in tables. If you are familiar with Microsoft Excel, a table is kind of like a
worksheet which stores formatted and structured data. In this part, we are creating four tables that will store customers’ order
information for a fictional bottled water company.
5. The first table, Customers, contains five (5) columns of information (also known as field names). Each field name, along
with its correct data type, is summarized here. Please note the lack of spaces in the name - these must be exact.
6. When you create a blank database, there is, by default,
one pre-made table called Table1. Go ahead and close it,
this will make it disappear. To create another blank table,
you need to click on the Create ribbon at the top of your
screen and then click on the Table button.
7. This will create a blank table called Table1. Click on the Design View button to edit the structure of Table1. This will
automatically launch the Save As dialog box. Name the table Customers and click OK.
8. This will launch the table in edit mode (called Design View). By default, Access has created a column called ID of data type
AutoNumber.
a. You may notice this field has a Key in front of
it. This means the ID is a Primary Key - or a
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unique identifying column. We will work with keys more in part 2 so for now, just ignore it.
b. Change this default ID field name to Customer ID. Select Short Text from the Data Type pull-down menu.
c. Repeat this process for the remaining four (4) data columns in the
Customers table (see page 1 for a list of Field Names and Data Types).
When you are finished, your table should look as follows.
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d. Close the table by clicking the X, this will prompt a save.
e. Now, if you open up (double click) on your table you will see that the fields you just created reside across the top -
as column headers.
f. Repeat this process to create the remaining three (3) database tables. The table names, field names, and data
types are provided below:
g. Products Table:
Cost Currency
Inventory Number
Price Currency
h. Sales Table:
OrderID AutoNumber
Date Date/Time
OrderID Number
Quantity Number
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j. If you setup the tables properly, you should have four. Their design layout and datasheet view should match the
following screen shots:
PART 3: ADDING DATA: Now that we have set up your tables, you are ready to add data. You can either do this manually OR import
data from an Excel spreadsheet. Importing from a spreadsheet is typically faster so the instructions outline how to do that. Attached
to this assignment, you will see a spreadsheet called ZZwater.xlsx, you will need this file to continue. This Excel spreadsheet has four
worksheets 1) Products, 2) Customers, 3) Sales, and 4) Sales Detail
9. The first thing you will do is import the data from the Customers worksheet (in Excel) into the Customers table (in Access).
Click on the External Data ribbon in Access and then in the Import & Link Group, click on the (Import) Excel button.
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10. This will launch the Get External Data – Excel Spreadsheet dialog box.
11. At the top, you will need to specify where you Excel ZZwater sheet resides. Click the Browse button and find the
ZZwater.xlsx file.
12. Next, select the middle radio button [Append a copy of the records to the table] and select the Customers table. Click the
OK button. This will launch the Import Spreadsheet Wizard. Select the Customers worksheet and click Next> .
13. In the next dialog screen, make sure that First Row Contains Column Headings is checked (it was by default in this case).
Click Next>
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14. On the final dialog screen, click Finish. You don’t need to save the steps
15. Now, check your customers table to make sure all the data has imported correctly. It should look like this:
16. Repeat this process for each of the other three tables. Once you are finished
importing open each of these tables to make sure the content imported
correctly. They should each look like this:
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(SalesDetail is just a sample. Notice, there should be 38 rows ending with order #19)
Congratulations!
You have successfully setup a database and populated it with information.
If you have completed this part, are comfortable with what you did, please move on to Part 2.