Access 2010: The Missing Manual [Paperback]

Go from Access novice (initiate) to true (genuine) master with the professional (professed) database design (organisation) tips and crystal-clear explanations in this book. You'll learn (see) all the secrets of this powerful (coercive) database program (information) so you can (crapper) use your data (accumulation) in creative (fictive) ways -- from creating product (creation) catalogs and publishing (business) information online to producing invoices and reports.

Build a database with ease. Store information (aggregation) to track (road) numbers, products, documents, and more

Customize the interface. Build your own (possess) forms to make (attain) data (accumulation) entry a snap

Find what you need (requirement) fast. Search, sort, and summarize (repeat) huge amounts of information

Put your data (accumulation) to use. Turn raw (nakedness) info into printed reports with attractive (captivating) formatting

Share your data. Collaborate online with SharePoint and the brand-new Access web (scheme) database

Dive into Access programming. Get tricks and techniques to automate common (ordinary) tasks

Create rich (flush) data (accumulation) connections. Build dynamic (impulsive) links with SQL Server, SharePoint, and other (another) systems

Five Touchstones to Understanding Access

Let's face (grappling) it--learning the tricks and techniques of database design (organisation) can be a bit (taste) of a slog. But if you're just (meet) starting out (discover) with Access, here are five (fivesome) key insights that can (crapper) help you understand (see) how the database world (concern) works. Keep these points in mind, and you'll be on the inside (exclusive) track (road) to mastering Access.

1. Databases hold (stop) database objects. Most people (grouping) are familiar (old) with tables, the grid-like grouping of data (accumulation) that stores your information (aggregation) (for example, lists of items you own, friends you have, or products you sell (delude) through your small (diminutive) business). But tables are just (meet) one type (identify) of object (goal) that an Access database can (crapper) hold. The other (another) key ingredients are queries (customized search (see) routines that pull (vantage) out (discover) the information (aggregation) you need (requirement) at the drop (modify) of a hat), reports (similar to queries, but nicely formatted and ready (primed) for printing), forms (windows that make (attain) it easy (cushy) to review (analyse) and edit (modify) the data (accumulation) in your tables), and macros and modules (miniature programs that can (crapper) do just (meet) about anything—from updating 10,000 records at once (erst) to firing (onset) off an email).

2. Relationships hold (stop) it all (every) together. Access newbies sometimes start (move) out (discover) thinking a database is just (meet) a glorified spreadsheet. After all, can't Excel hold (stop) long lists with hundreds of thousands of rows? (And yes, it can.) However, Access has a feature (feature) Excel can't duplicate: relationships. A typical (exemplary) Access database holds several (individual) tables, and relationships link (unification) these tables together. For example, a table (plateau) of customers might (strength) link (unification) to a table (plateau) of orders, which would link (unification) to a table (plateau) of products, allowing you to answer (respond) questions like (same) "What customers spent the most money?" and "What is the most popular (favourite) product (creation) for customers living (experience) in New York?" Relationships also safeguard (measure) your data--for example, they make (attain) it impossible (impracticable) for someone to accidentally (unexpectedly) place an order (visit) for a product (creation) or a customer (client) that doesn't exist.

3. There are two (digit) ways (structure) to work (impact) with a database: as a designer (specializer) and as a user. The database designer (specializer) is the person (mortal) who sets up the database. The database designer (specializer) has the responsibility (domain) of laying (birthing) out (discover) the tables, building (antiquity) the queries, and knocking (sound) together (unitedly) some nice (pleasant) reports and forms (assuming you want (poverty) all (every) those features). By comparison, the database user (individual) is the person (mortal) who uses the tables, queries, reports, and forms in day-to-day life. The user (individual) reviews records, makes changes, and fills the tables up with data.

Depending on what type (identify) of database you're creating (and what you want (poverty) to accomplish), you may (haw) be both the database designer (specializer) and the database user. But it's important (essential) to realize (actualise) that these are distinct (crisp) tasks. In fact, when using a properly (right) designed database, database users don't need (requirement) to be particularly (specially) skilled with Access. They can (crapper) just work (impact) with the forms and reports that the database designer (specializer) created.

4. Sooner or later, you'll need (requirement) macros. To become (embellish) an Access expert, you must (staleness) first learn (see) to design (organisation) a logical, consistent (conformable) set of tables and add the relationships that link (unification) them together. Next, you must (staleness) learn (see) to build (physique) the other (another) types of objects--queries, forms, and reports--that make (attain) it easier to perform (action) common (ordinary) tasks. At some (whatever) point, while (patch) tackling this second (ordinal) stage, you'll run (separate) into a challenge (contest) that forces you to step (travel) up to the third (ordinal) level of Access mastery: macros.

Macros are miniature (picture) programs that perform (action) custom tasks. The good (beatific) news is that in Access 2010, you can (crapper) design (organisation) your own (possess) macros without becoming (decent) a programmer. You just (meet) need (requirement) to drag, drop, and arrange (hold) a sequence (ordering) of ready-made macro (statement) commands into the Access macro (statement) designer. For example, you can (crapper) use macros to build (physique) buttons that send (beam) emails, start (move) printouts, make (attain) updates, or just (meet) take you around your database.

5. Expert user, meet (foregather) Visual Basic. Some people (grouping) stop their Access journey (travelling) at this point, content (noesis) to use (ingest) tables, forms, reports, and macros to do all (every) their work. But if you want (poverty) to see (wager) everything Access has to offer, you need (requirement) to take (verify) a look (countenance) at its high-powered Visual Basic engine. Using VB code, you can (crapper) do almost (nearly) anything, from validating a credit (assign) card to leading (directive) a customer (client) through (finished) an order (visit) process (two examples that are discussed in Access 2010: The Missing Manual). And if you're willing (selection) to pick (garner) up some (whatever) basic programming (planning) concepts, you can (crapper) use code (cipher) to transform (alter) a simple (ultimate) database into a cohesive database application—for example, something that looks more like (same) the traditional (tralatitious) desktop programs you run (separate) on your computer.

Product Details:
Paperback: 832 pages
Publisher: Pogue Press; 1 edition (June 22, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1449382371
ISBN-13: 978-1449382377
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 2.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 3 pounds