Introduction to Microsoft Access 2003
Your Instructor: Craig Power
Lesson 01
Chapter 2

Getting Started

In this class, we're going to create a database for a youth sportswear company named Splat. Splat markets and sells its eclectic collection of t-shirts, sweats, dress shirts, jackets, shorts, and beanies primarily to skaters and snowboarders.

We'll be building a full-featured database that will help this company get complete control over its customers, vendors, inventory, and orders. The database will contain tables, queries, forms, reports, and macros.

In order to build the database, you'll need to start Access. To do so, click the Windows Start button, select All Programs, click Microsoft Office, and then click Microsoft Office Access 2003.

The Application Window

When Access starts, you will be presented with a screen that is largely devoid of information. This screen is known as the application window.

If the application window is not completely filling your screen, you'll want to click the maximize button in the extreme right corner of the application window until the application window is maximized.

Maximizing the application window will not only ensure that you will be able to see all the components described in this lesson, but it also guarantees you the largest work area possible.

The Menu Bar

Near the top of the application window, you will notice a menu bar, consisting of the words File, Edit, View, Insert, Tools, Window, and Help.

The menu bar is designed to help you take advantage of all the features in Access. Each of the words on the menu bar is associated with a drop-down list of powerful commands that will allow you to create a new database or retrieve an old one, print a report, design a form, create a table, get help, and much more.

There are two ways to gain access to the arsenal of commands tucked away under your menu bar:

1. Point your mouse at an option on the menu bar and click once. A list of commands for you to click will drop down momentarily. If you change your mind, click your mouse on the same menu option a second time to fold the list back up.

   For example, if you click the word Window, you should see a menu listing a couple of commands. Now, click the word Window again, and the menu should fold back up.

   Some of the menus can get very lengthy. In order to save you time, Access will often list only the most frequently used commands on a few menus. When this happens, you will see a small round button with two downward-pointing arrows at the bottom of the menu. Point your mouse at this button, wait a moment without clicking, and the menu will expand to its full length. You will then have full access to all of the commands available on that menu.

   You may notice that a few of the commands on some menu are somewhat dim--not as dark as the others. This is because the Access menus contain many commands that may not be applicable at the time you are looking at them. Any menu commands that have been dimmed will be unavailable for you to select. They will only become available when Access is good and ready to show them to you.

   

2. The second way to gain access to the menu bar does not involve a mouse at all. If you'd rather not take your hands off the keyboard, simply press the ALT key once and release. The word File on the menu bar will be highlighted to tell you that you can now control the menu bar with your keyboard.

   Now, study your menu bar carefully. Notice how one letter in each of the menu options is underlined. If you select the underlined letter that corresponds to the menu option you wish to use, a list of commands should drop down. Each of these commands should contain one underlined letter for you to select.

   Suppose you want to gain access to the View menu without using your mouse. To do so, tap the ALT key on your keyboard, release it, and then select the letter V. A list of commands will appear, and each command will have one letter underlined. For example, the letter T in the Toolbar command is underlined. To select the Toolbar command, tap the letter T.
   

What happens if you change your mind after you've activated a menu or selected a command with your keyboard? Not a problem. To make an unwanted menu or command go away, press the ESC key (located at the top left corner of your keyboard) repeatedly until all is well. Try it now, if you haven't already.

Toolbars

In Access, a toolbar is a collection of buttons designed to give you quick, one-click access to the most frequently used menu commands.

As such, I think you'll find the toolbar to be a real time-saver. But first, I want to make sure you have the same toolbar on your screen that I do.

Click the View menu for me. Then, choose the Toolbars command.

You will discover that Access has three toolbars available for you to work with: the Database toolbar, the Task Pane, and the Web toolbar.

Initially, you will only need two toolbars to accomplish virtually all basic tasks with this program. If you decide that you need the third toolbar, you can always activate it later.

The two toolbars that I recommend you turn on are the Database toolbar and the Task Pane.

Make sure that a checkmark appears in front of the word Database and another checkmark appears in front of the word Task Pane. If the one or both checkmarks is missing, click your mouse on the Database and/or Task Pane commands to activate them. If the menu folds up, click the View menu and choose Toolbars again to return.

If any toolbar other than the Database toolbar and Task Pane has been activated, deselect the extra toolbar by clicking it with your mouse.

You should now see a number of small buttons just below the menu bar. Each collection of buttons is known as a toolbar. You will begin working with these toolbars shortly. However, you can learn more about the buttons that make up a toolbar by applying this trick: allow your mouse to hover briefly over each of the buttons on your toolbars without clicking.

As your mouse pauses over each button, a small highlighted box called a tool tip should pop up. This box, which is usually bright yellow in color, should provide you with a brief description of that button's function.

Creating a Database

Ready to begin? To create a new database in Access, just click the File menu and select New.

A large New File task pane should appear on the right side of your screen. Near the top of this task pane, you should see a list of choices. The first of these choices will be Blank Database.

Click Blank Database and a File New Database dialog box will appear, asking you to supply a filename for the new database.

Go to the File Name text box at the bottom of this dialog box.

Change the contents of the File Name text box to splat.

Right below the file name, make sure that the Save as type option is set to Microsoft Access Database. If it is not configured correctly, click the down arrow on the right side of this option to drop down a list of choices. Then, select Microsoft Access Database from the list.

Finally, check to ensure that the Save In option at the top of the dialog box is set to My Documents. If it isn't set to save your database with your other Office documents, click the down arrow on the right side of this option and select My Documents from the list that appears.

When you finish entering the filename, click the Create button in the lower right corner of the File New Database dialog box to create your database.

The Database window will now greet you. The name of your database (splat) will appear in the upper left corner of this window.

The Database window acts as the hub of all database activities. You will return to this window again and again in order to build, modify, and use all of the tables, queries, forms, reports, and macros this company will need.

A Word of Caution

In the top right corner of the Database window, you will find a Close button. (This button looks like the letter x.) Be careful not to click this button, or you'll close the Database window.

Closing the Database window will totally eliminate all of your company's tables, queries, forms, reports, and other database components from the screen. It could also cause you to lose any unsaved work.

If you ever accidentally close the Database window, you can usually recover by clicking the File menu, choosing Open, and double-clicking the splat database.