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Microsoft

Access 2016: The Complete Guide



Copyright 2015.
All are rights reserved.
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any
manner whatsoever without the express written permission of
the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a
book review.

Microsoft has made many strides with the Access program since its invention. Over the
years it has risen has one of the most dominant database programs with user-friendly
features. Access 2013 is a part of the Office 2012 and so have similar commands and
features as that of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Information can easily be shared
between Access and all other Microsoft programs. This guide provides a detailed look
along with detailed steps on how to work in Access 2016 and the features that are
commonly utilised.
NEW FEATURES OFFERED BY MICROSOFT ACCESS
Microsoft Access 2016 improves on preceding versions in order to provide more potent,
efficient and effective tools for all your database needs. If you upgrade from previous
versions to Access 2016 then you are most likely to be attracted to the differences between
both old and new versions. You will be very interested and eager to discover how both
versions will impact you. The following sections outline the new features that you will
want to be mindful of but are however dependent on which version of Access you will be
upgrading from. In order to get a comprehensive understanding, start with the first section
then work your way down to your previous version. Below are some of the best new
features offered by Access 2016:
Tell Me Text Field
Tell Me is a text box located on the ribbon in Access 2016. The Tell Me text field
allows you to quickly enter words and phrases allied with what you want to do next. It
also allows you to rapidly access features that you want to utilize and actions you want to
execute along with getting help with whatever you are looking for. In order to get help
finding what you are looking for, you just simply click the Tell Me box and a type a
command such as sort and all sort-related options will be listed.
Modernized Look for Templates
The Desktop database template allows you to manage and organize your data in Access
whenever you need help getting started with database designing. With Access 2015, the
most widely used database templates are redesigned to have a more modernized feel and
look. You can test these out by going to file, then New and then search for any of the
following: Desktop Task, Desktop Assets, Desktop Students, Desktop Contacts and
Desktop Events. A Getting Started form with direct links to Videos, Articles and other
resources are inclusive in each of these templates.
Larger Display Table Dialog
With Access 2016, there is an increase in the height of the Show Table allowing you to
easily view more query names and tables in your database. In order to see the Show Table
dialog in queries, you must click on create, then Query Design and then the Show table
dialog will open by itself. Also, by clicking Database Tools then relationships, you will be
able to see the Show Table Dialog in the Relationships Windows.
Access Program New Themes
White and Colourful are the two new Office themes available with the Access Programs.
By going to file then Options then General and then clicking on the drop down menu
beside Office Themes, you will be able to gain access to these themes.

UPGRADING FROM ACCESS 2013
Like Access 2013, Microsoft Access 2016 consists of all the features and functions that
you are familiar with, along with some additional improvements. Upon opening Access
2016, the first thing you will see is the same look like that of Access 2013 but with a more
colourful border.
UPGRADING FROM ACCESS 2010
Access 2010 is a very complete set of tools and features and you may be wondering how
is it Microsoft could have improved it. However, no need to wonder anymore as Access
2016 is a very comprehensive database, far better than that of Access 2010 and 2013.
Listed below are the new features of Access 2016 that are not available in Access 2010.
Web Apps
You now have the ability to create database applications that are very powerful that can be
stored in a central location or locally. You can also create a database in web a form that,
anyone with the correct authorization, can see and handle from a web browser even if your
organization is using Microsoft SharePoint with Services of Access.
Windows 8 Capabilities
Like all Office Programs, Access 2016 is a full-featured application of Windows 8 that has
the smooth new Windows 8 look. Other than operating on a Windows 8 Operating system,
Access 2016 also integrates the latest touch technologies constructed for mobile devices
and tablets.
Starting Screen
With Access 2016, you are now able to open a screen that provides you with easy access
to the database you lately worked on, locations where existing databases are stored and
new database templates.
Cloud Access
You now have the option of saving your desktop databases in cloud to a Microsoft
SkyDrive site or a document Library so that it is still available whenever you are not
present at your desk. This is so by connecting your Microsoft account (formerly Windows
Live account) to an Access installation Account.
OPERATING IN THE ACCESS 2016 INTERFACE
Microsoft Access 2016 can be installed as self-supporting program or from a DVD as a
part of the Office suite programs. Nevertheless, whether you used any of the installation
options, the program works the same with the same functionality. The most commonly
used method of starting Access is from the Start Menu (for Windows 7) or the Start Screen
(for Windows 8) presented whenever you select the left end of the Windows taskbar.
Whenever you start Access without opening a database, you will see the starting screen for
the program appear. It is from this screen you can now open existing databases or open
new databases. All the tools necessary for you to enter and manipulate data and create
database items are contained in the program window that is displaying the database. The
way persons generally operate with a database is the closely reflected in the design of
Access 2016. However, if you are unfamiliar with the interface, listed below are details of
the program window components.

Recognizing the Program Window Components
The Title Bar
This bar is located across the top of the display of the program window shows names of
the active databases and the pathway to the folder where it is kept. Also, it provides tools
necessary for managing both the program window and the program. The tools on title bar
can be used to redo or undo changes, size and move the window, get help with the
program and save the database. There is a program icon located at the left end of the title
bar that you can click on to show commands to maximize, restore, size, close the window,
move and minimize. The Quick Access toolbar is located at the right of the Access icon
whereby it displays the redo, save and undo buttons. The Quick Access toolbar can also be
customized to display the commands you want. Additionally, you can find four other
buttons at the right end of the title bar; the restore/maximize button, the minimize button,
the close buttons and the Help button which opens the Access Help Window that you may
use regular techniques to locate information.
The Navigation Pane
The navigation pane shows a list off database items on the left side of the program
window. The Navigation Pane displays all the items within the database by the type of
object. You can sort the list by selecting the title bar on the pane and then selecting the
group or category of the items you wish to display. The groups can also be expanded and
collapsed in the list by selecting the chevrons in the section bars. The Navigation Pane
consists of buttons in its upper right corner, such as the Shutter Bar Open/close button that
allows you to maximize it. In order for you to redisplay the navigation pane, click on the
Shutter Bar Open/Close button again. Also, you can pull the right border of the pane to the
right or left to make it narrower or wider.
The Status Bar
The status bar is located at the program window, across the bottom. The purpose of this
bar is to show information about the present database and to also provide accessibility to
specific program functions. The View Shortcuts toolbar, located at the right end of the bar,
provides useful buttons for changing the view of the active database object.
The Ribbon
Below the Title bar is the Ribbon which consist of buttons which represents all the
commands needed for working efficiently with an Access database. Also, a set of tabs are
located across the ribbon which displays a set of commands whenever you click on it.
These commands can be divided into three categories:
Commands related to managing Access and its databases. These commands are all located
together in the Backstage view which will appear if you click on the coloured File tab
located at the left end of the ribbon. Also, by clicking on the Page tab located at the
Coloured left pane, you can view the commands that are organized on pages.
Commands related to working with the database content. These commands are the buttons
on the remaining tabs of the ribbon. Whenever you select an object in a database, you will
see one or more tool tabs appear at the right end of the ribbon.
Related Commands. These commands are not represented by buttons in a group like that
of the other commands. Instead, they can be found in a pane or dialog box, which you can
show by clicking on the dialog box launcher found in the lower right corner of the group.
To the right of the ribbon is the Collapse the Ribbon button which by clicking on it, hides
the groups of commands but still has the tab names visible. If you want to temporarily
show the commands, you can click on any of the tab names. Whenever all of the ribbon is
temporarily visible, you can click on the Pin the Ribbon button which is located to the
right of the group names, to make the ribbon display permanent.
Operating with the Ribbon
The Microsoft Access Ribbon can be described as dynamic, meaning that the buttons
adapt to any available space as the width changes. Because of this, the buttons may or may
not have a label, be small or large and they may even be entries of a list. The width of the
ribbon is dependent on three elements:
The Program window width. This provides the ribbon with more space.
The Screen resolution. This is the size of the screen display conveyed as pixel high times
pixels wide (PxP). The larger the screen resolution, the more information that will hold on
the screen. Screen resolution options depend on the monitor and graphics adapter. In order
to change your screen resolution you:
Right click on the Windows desktop from which you then click on Screen Resolution
Open the Screen Resolution Panel item.
Click on the Resolution arrow located on the Screen Resolution page, which you pull to
select the screen resolution of your choice.
You then click on Apply or OK.
The magnification of your screen display. User and text interface features are bigger and
are therefore more readable but fewer features fit on the screen whenever you change the
magnification settings in windows. The magnification can be set from as low as 100
percent to as high as 500 percent. You can adjust the magnification from the Display
control panel item by:
Right click on the windows desktop and then click on Personalize.
Then click on Display which is located on the bottom left corner of the Personalization
page.
If you want a screen magnification of 150 percent, click on that option on the Display
page.
To choose another magnification, click on the Custom Sizing options
In the Custom Sizing dialog box, click on the magnification that suits you in the drop
down list.
Then click on OK
After that, the custom magnification is displayed on the Display page along with any
warnings about potential issues with choosing that specific magnification.
You then click on Apply located on the Display page to apply the chosen magnification.

UNDERSTANDING THE DATABASE MODELS
For simple databases, information is stored only in one table. These simple databases are
usually called Flat File databases. Complex databases such as Access, which store
information in multiple tables, are referred to as Relational databases. If you organize the
information properly in a relational database then you can treat these tables as a single
area of storage and can pull information electronically from other different tables in
whatever order you wish.
The types of database items that one will operate with in Microsoft Access are Forms,
queries, tables, modules and macros. However, of all these item types, tables are the only
ones used as storage for information. The other items are used to manipulate, enter,
manage, retrieve, display or analyse information which are stored in tables.
Therefore, a database, in its most simple form, can be described as the electronic
correspondent of an ordered list of information. Each list or table is arranged in rows and
columns. Because a database stores information in an electronical format, it is possible for
you to control the information in many ways to prolong its usefulness. The main purpose
and importance of a database is to quickly retrieve the information you want as long as
that information is stored.

Facilitating Macros and Other Dynamic Contents
Nearly all databases comprise off macros and other dynamic contents that can run codes
on a computer. The code, in majority of the cases, is present to perform database related
task but can also be used to create and spread viruses by hackers. Whenever you open a
database that is not kept in a trusted location then Access shows a security warning below
the ribbon. Three ways in which you can facilitate macros and other dynamic contents are:
By making the database location a trusted location or by transferring the database to a
trusted location. Automatically, Access facilitates macros content in any database saved
within that specified location.
By allowing the macros for the use in the present session of the database.
By adding the database publisher to a list of trusted database publishers. However, this
option is only available if the digital signature of the publisher is attached to the database.
In order to add the publisher of a digitally signed database in the trusted Publishers list
you:
Click on Some active content has not been disabled, located in the security warning bar.
On the Info page located in the backstage view, click on the Enable Content button.
Then click on Advanced Options.
In the Microsoft Office Security Options dialog box click on Trust all Documents from
this publisher.
Then click on OK.
How to Add the Location of a Database to the Trusted Locations List
In order to add the location of a database to the trusted locations list you:
Show the backstage view
Then you click on Options
Click on Trust Center, located in the left pane of the Access Options dialog box.
Then click on Trust Center Settings.
You then click on Trusted Locations located in the left pane of the Trust Center.
Click on Add new location which is found on the Trusted Location page.
Then in the Microsoft Office Trusted Location you click on Browse.
In the Browse dialog box, go to the folder containing the present database and then click
on OK.
In the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog box, click on Subfolders of this location
are also trusted check box if needed.
Click on OK in each of the open dialog boxes.

How to Change the Way Access Controls Macros in Databases
If you want to, you can change the way Access handles macros in your databases by:
Showing the Trust Center first,
Then in you click on Macro Settings located in the left pane.
You then select the option that matches the way you want access to handle the macros.
These options are Disable all macros without notification, Disable all macros with
notification, disable all macros except digitally signed macros and enable all macros.
Click on OK in order to close the Trust center.
You then click on Ok to close the Access Options dialog box.

EXPLORING THE TABLES OF ACCESS
The main database objects are tables and their sole purpose is to store information. Other
database objects purpose is to interrelate in some way with one or more tables. An Access
database can hold more than thousands of tables and the number of records confined in
each table are restricted more by the storage space.
All objects of Access have two or more views. The two most used views for Tables are
Datasheet view and Design view. Datasheet view enables you to show and alter the tables
data while Design view enables you to show and alter the tables structure. In order to
open a table in the Datasheet view, you can either:
Double click its name in the Navigation pane or
Right click its name and then click on Open.
In order to open a table in the Design view you can simply:
right click on its name and
Then click on Design View.
Whenever a table is open in the Datasheet view, by clicking on the View button located in
the Views group on the Home tab, it changes to Design View. Whenever it is open in
Design View, by clicking on the Button, it changes to Datasheet view. If you want, it is
possible for you to switch the view by just clicking on one of the buttons located on the
Views Shortcuts toolbar in the button right corner of the program window.
The Datasheet view shows the tables data in rows which are the records and columns
which are the fields. The first row of the database is consists of headings which are the
field names. In a lot of cases, you find that two tables may have one or more field names
in common and it is because of this why it is now possible to insert the datasheet from one
table to the next. Such a datasheet is referred to as a Subdatasheet which enables you to
show information in more than one table simultaneously.
How to Open Existing Databases and Explore the Table Structure
In the Navigation pane, click on the document twice in order to open the table in
Datasheet view.
Click on the Shutter Bar Close button located at the right end of the Navigation pane title
bar to show of the tables fields
To alter the width of some columns to accommodate their lengthiest entries you:
In the row that has the field names at the top of the table, point the cursor to the right
border of the First column. The pointer will then change to a double headed arrow by
which you double click on the border.
You then double click on right border of any other column whose fields width needs
adjusting.
To Open a Second table you:
Click on the Shutter Bar Open button located in the Navigation pane.
You then double click on the document in order to open the table you want in Datasheet
view (the previous table is still open in case you need it).
In the second table, at the left of the record for the fifth category , click on the Expand
button in order to show the Subdatasheet which has all the records from the first table that
are assigned to the selected category.
To the left of the selected category, click on the Collapse button to hide the Subdatasheet.
To close the second table, click on the Close button at the right end of the page tab bar.
You then close the First table. Access will then ask you if you want to save changes to the
table, clock on Yes.
You then click on the Third table located in the Navigation pane.
Click on the Next Record button several times, which is located on the Records
Navigation bar, in order to move the selection down the selected field.
To view the structures of the Currently Open table you:
Click on the Design view button located on the View Shortcuts toolbar, to show the Third
table structure in design view.
EXPLORING THE FORMS OF ACCESS
The Access tables can also be described as a compact list of raw information. Working
directly with tables you may have made can be a very simple thing for you but difficult for
persons who do not know much about databases in general. Forms were put in place to
make it much easier to print and display information. The form can be said to be the
friendly interface of a table. With a form, you can show and edit records of the original
table or make new records regardless that majority of forms provide an interface to one
table only. Nevertheless, by embedding subforms within a core form you can use one form
to interact with numerous tables that are connected through one or more mutual fields.
Forms are basically a group of controls that either display information or accept
information. You can make forms from scratch by physically placing and selecting the
controls or by using a wizard. Microsoft Access is the provider of the types of controls
that are customary to Windows dialog boxes such as option buttons, labels, check boxes
and text boxes. If you re creative, you can make forms that function and look like the
dialog boxes in all Windows programs. Just like Tables, it is possible for you to display
forms in several views but the three most common are:
Design. With this view, you get more accurate control over the placement, functionality
and appearance while showing the data from the original table.
Form. With this view, you can enter and display data.
Layout. With this view, you can operate with the features of the form to enhance its
functionality and appearance while showing the data from the original table.
How to Explore Forms, Subforms and Form Controls
Click on the title bar located in the Navigation pane in order to display your chosen table.
You then click on Forms which is located in the Filter By Group area, to display all forms
that have been saved as part of the selected database.
Double click on the First column which is located in the Navigation pane, to open the
form for the selected table on the tabbed page.
Click the arrow next to the fourth column box to show a list of the contents in the column.
Double click on the Fifth column, which is located in the Navigation pane, to open the
corresponding form on its own tabbed page.
You then click on the Next Record button couple times, which is located on the main
forms record Navigation bar, to show the next records.
Some controls available for designing forms:
In the Controls group, on the Design tool tab, depending on your program window size,
you can do one of the following:
Click on the Controls button
Click on the More button located in the bottom right corner of the Controls gallery.
Then you close the gallery by clicking away from it
Then you right click on the tab of the form to close all databases that are open and then
click on Close All.

EXPLORING ACCESS QUERIES
By making a query that specifies the conditions that you want to match, you are able to
locate specific information stored in numerous tables or just one table. Queries can be both
simple and complex. Queries can be made from scratch or can be made by using a Query
wizard. The most widely used query is the Select query, which removes corresponding
records from one or more tables. However, other queries that perform particular types of
actions are less common.
Processing a Query
Processing a query which is also referred to as querying the database or running the
query, shows a datasheet that only contains records that correspond with your search
criteria. The results from the query can be used as the foundation for additional analysis,
export the results in other formats like an Excel Spread sheet and to make other database
items such as reports.
If you want to make a query that can be used more than once, you can just simply save it.
The saved query eventually becomes a part of the database and is seen in the list whenever
you display the Queries group located in the Navigation pane. You can simply double
click on the query in the Navigation pane in order to run the query whenever you want.
Whenever you run that query, Access assesses the records of the specified table or tables.
After which the present subcategory of records that correspond to the criteria specified in
the query is shown in Datasheet view.
Setting up a Query
In order to set up a query, you must work in Design view. By using this view, you can now
see and use the Query Designer. The Query Designer comprises of two components, these
are:
The top pane, which displays boxes that list the fields of the tables that the query is
structured to work with. Each of the boxes represents a single table. Queries that can work
with numerous tables have lines between each box that specifies that relationships were
recognized between tables based on common fields, before the query was made. These
relationships allow queries to pull information from tables.
The bottom pane, which displays the design grid, where the search criteria of the query is
redefined. For each of the columns of the grid, they explain one field of one of the tables
located in the top pane. For each of the rows of the grid, they explain a different aspect of
the query.

Exploring the Reports of Access
You can present information recorded in your tables in an attractively formatted and
simply accessible reports, either on paper or on your computer. A report can contain
objects of information chosen from numerous queries and tables, formatting features such
as footers, titles, headings and headers and values calculated from information in a
database. A report can be viewed in four ways:
Print View. In this view, your report is shown exactly as it will look when you print it.
Design View. With this view, it is possible for you to operate the design of a report just as
you can operate the design of a form.
Layout View. In this view, you can see the data in the report with the ability to edit its
layout.
Report View. This view allows you to go through the information in the report without
being diverted by page breaks that will be inserted when it is printed.
How to Preview a Report
Display the Reports group, which is located in the Navigation pane, which includes all
reports that have been made and saved as part of the specific database.
You then right click on the label of your choice (for example Shopping labels, Consumer
labels etc.) which would also be located in the Navigation pane.
Then click on Print Preview to open your labels report in a view that is similar to that of
most Office programs.
The report may be too small to read properly in Print Preview so you may have to change
the zoom percentage,
You then position the cursor over the report after which you will see that it changes into a
magnifying glass.
You then click on the mouse button to adjust the zoom percentage to 100% when the
cursor is over the middle label at the top of the report.
Printing and Previewing Database Items
Access, because it is a Windows application, relate with your printer through customary
Windows drivers and dialog boxes. This indicates that any printer that can be used from
other programs can be used from Access as well as any distinct features of the printer.
These features could be duplex printing and/or colour printing, both of which are available
in Access.
On the print page of the backstage view, you will find the commands for printing database
items. From the Print page, you can:
Show the active item in Print Preview
Use the default settings to print the active item.
Show the print dialog box from which you can choose the printer you want to use. You
can also adjust numerous other settings suitable for the active item and the present view.

USING TEMPLATES TO CREATE DATABASES
Microsoft Access comes with templates for numerous databases typically used in
education and businesses. If you connect to the internet, many more of these templates
become available if you go on the Microsoft Office website. Databases are now easier and
faster to create and design if you use a predefined template (the database design is already
in place). When you use templates, you can make two kinds of database applications, they
are:
Web Apps. These applications are presented in Microsoft SharePoint environment. Their
purpose is to provide an online interface through which persons can enter and view data
from a web browser. These web apps allow persons to have access to information anytime
anywhere regardless if the device as Access installed or not. Microsoft Access and many
other templates are available from the Office website and are specifically for web apps.
Desktop databases. These databases can be stored on a network server or your computer.
You can view and adjust a database by using Access 2016 on any computer after you have
used the desktop database to create it.
Using an Access template may not yield the exact database you want but it can quickly
make something you can modify to meet your criteria. However, it is not advisable that
you modify a database unless you are familiar with its basic building blocks such as
queries, forms, reports and tables.
How to Create a Desktop Database
By using the New page of the backstage view or the Access starting screen, go through the
page to show the list of all the available templates.
Click on the Task Management web app template icon which is located in the list of
templates.
At the right and left of the creation widow, click on the forward and back arrows to go
through the list of the available templates while reading their descriptions.
You then stop when you see the creation window for the Desktop Task Management pops
up.
Enter MyTasks into the File Name box.
You then click on the Browse button.
In the File New Database dialog box, go to the file folder or document you wish to use.
You then click on the Save as type box and then click on OK.
Click the Create button which is located in the File Name box.
Ensure that the Navigation pane is open and you have enabled the contents of the
database. If you see any group that is distorted, click on their chevrons to open them.
You then click on the field that is below Task Title and enter the name of the field.
Then click the field below to make the record.
Double click on Tasks, which is located in the Navigation pane of the Tables group, to
show the table from which the Task List form is built.
You then right click on the Tasks tab and then click on Close All to close both open items.

How to Explore the Access Templates
Click on the All Access Objects title located in the Navigation pane, after which you will
see a display of the Forms group.
Click on Application Parts button, located on the Create tab in the Templates group, to
open the Application Parts gallery.
Point on every thumbnail one at a time to show each of their descriptions and then in the
Blank Forms area, click on 1 Right. After adding this to the database, Access then adds an
eight form named Single One Column Right Label to the Forms group located in the
Navigation pane.
Double click on Single One Column Right Labels, located in the Navigation pane, to open
a new form.

Access Web Apps
An Access web app is a database that was created in Access 2013, stored in Microsoft
SQL Server and then presented on a SharePoint site in a way that users are able to use a
web browser to connect to the web app. This is still possible even if Access is not installed
on their computer or device. Web Apps can also be presented by organizations that set up
SharePoint and SQL Server on an internal network. In order to create an Access web app,
you first have to log into Office with a SharePoint enabled account.
How to Create a Web App
Open Microsoft Access
Verify that you are logged into the Office with a SharePoint enabled account; this can be
seen in the top right corner of the programs starting screen.
If the account that is being shown is not a SharePoint enabled account, click on Switch
Account.
You then click on the account you wish to use or click on Add Account and enter the
correct authorizations.
Click on Custom Web App, which is located in the right pane of Access starting screen, to
make a new blank web app. You can also click on one of the many available custom made
web app templates.
When prompted, enter a name for the web app and also the location of the SharePoint site
on which it will be presented.
You then click on Create to download the templates and make the application on the
selected SharePoint site.

Manually Creating Tables and Databases
In case you need to store different kinds of information for different kinds of people such
as telephone numbers, addresses and names, you could do this by creating a Access
database. You could start off with a template and then add fields for all different items of
information to a single table. You can then fill the relevant fields for each kind.
Unfortunately this can get very untidy and you would have to make a new database and
then manually make separate tables for each kind.
How to Create a Blank Database; Enter, Assign and Add Information
Go to a New page and then click on the Blank desktop database icon.
Enter MyTables located in the creation window in the File Name box.
Then click on the Browse button and select the file you wish to use and then click on OK.
Click on the Create button to create a blank database in the identified location.
You will see a blank field below, you then click on Click to Add selected in the new blank
Table1 table.
You then enter your information in the field (for example, the name John) and then press
the tab key to go to the following field.
Then click on the pencil icon located in the record selector in order to save the record
before you go any further.
You then click on the cell below Click to Add and then enter your information. When
entering each piece of information you press tab after each entry to move across each cell.
After you have finished entering your information, at the right end of the tab bar, click on
the Close button.
Access will then ask if you want to save the design of the table, click on the Save As
dialog box.
You then enter the name under which you want the database to be saved as and close the
database.

OPERATING TABLE COLUMNS AND ROWS
Whenever necessary, you can control the rows and columns of an Access table while not
affecting the original data in any way possible. You are able to hide, move, size and freeze
columns and size rows. It is also possible to save a table formatting so as to make the table
look the same the next time you open it. You can also remove your changes without
saving them. Here are the steps as to how to operate a tables columns and rows:
Double click on any table of your choice, which should be located in the Navigation pane,
to open it in Datasheet view.
Place the cursor in the Field Name row and when the cursor changes to a double headed
arrow, pull it to the right until all of the contents in that column are seen.
You then double click on the right border of any of the columns that appears to be too
narrow or too wide so as to adjust the column to fit its contents.
You can, if you need to increase the height of the tables rows by:
To increase the height of all the rows in the table, point on the border between any two
record selectors and pull them downward.
Then click on the More button, located on the Home tab in the Records group, and then
click on Row Height to open the Row Height dialog box.
Click on the Standard Height check box located in the Row Height dialog box.
Then you click on OK in order to reset the height of the rows to default settings.
You can also hide the columns by:
First you click anywhere in the First Name column.
Then click the More button located in the Records group, and then click Hide Fields.
If you want to restore the hidden column, click the More button located in the Records
group.
Then click on Unhide Fields to open the Unhide Columns dialog box.
Select the First Name check box located in the Unhide Columns dialog box and then click
on Close.
USING THE FORM TOOL TO CREATE FORMS
In order for you to create a form for a desktop database, the following information must be
known:
How will the form be used and,
Which table will the form be created on.
After you have come to a conclusion for these decisions, you can create a form by:
In the Navigation pane, click on the table you want to use and then click the Form button
in the Forms group on the Create tab. With this method, a simple form is created that uses
all the fields in the table.
By using a Wizard. This method allows you to pick which of the tables fields you want to
use in the form.
You can change to Layout view where you are able to make the form physically while
viewing the original data. Or you can change to Design view where you are able to have
extra control over the form components.
It would be best that you begin the process of creating forms that are based on Tables by
using a Wizard or the Form tool. This is so because it is basically more proficient to make
the Wizard of the tool create a basic form for you and then you improve on that form
manually.
Displaying Data in Access
A database is basically a storehouse for information which can hold up to thousands of
records as well as just a few records stored in one table or numerous tables. A database is
only useful when you can find information when you need it regardless of how much
information it contains. In a small database, by just scrolling through the table, you can
find the information you are looking for. However, databases tend to grow and get more
complex and as a result, finding and analysing information is now more difficult.
Microsoft Access 2016 provides a wide variety of tools necessary for organizing the
display of information in a database. Access 2016 makes it possible for you to filter a table
so that you can display information that has a similar combination of characters as well as
organizing information in a table based on their fields by sorting the information.
SORTING INFORMATION IN TABLES
Based on the value of one or more fields, it is now possible for you to sort information
stored in a table. Simply put, you can sort information alphabetically and based on highest
to lowest vice versa. When you sort a table, it groups all the entries belonging to one type
together. Access always sorts chronologically from left to right and can sort by more than
one field. You can sort by the first field as well as sort by more than one field. If you chose
to sort by more than one field in one operation, these fields must be adjacent and they
must be organized in the order you want them to be sorted in. To sort records by one field
or by multiple fields you:
In the Navigation pane, display All Access Objects.
Double click on the file you want, which would be located in the Tables group, in order to
open that files table in Datasheet view.
You then clock on the arrow to the right of any field name so that a menu of sorting and
filtering options pops up.
Click on Sort A to Z to organize the records in ascending alphabetical order.
In both sorts, the first field was sorted alphabetically but the second field was left in an
apparently random order. You now have to sort both fields at the same time so that the
information is displayed correspondently. To do this, you:
Click on the Descending button which is located on the Home tab in the Sort & Filter
group.
Click on the arrow to the right of the second field name and then click on Sort A to Z to
sort the records alphabetically.
Click on anywhere in the first field column and then click on Sort A to Z to finish the
process.
Now you can sort both fields at the same time but first you have to return to the previously
saved sort order. You do this by:
Click on the Remove Sort button which is located on the Home tab in the Sort & Filter
group. This will clear the sort from both the fields.
You then click on the second filed name while holding down on the Shift key and then
click on the First field name.
Click on the Ascending button located in the Sort & Filter group. This however, will
produce the results you want so you then:
Remove the sort and click away from the Second and First fields to clear the selection.
Click on the First filed name and then pull the field name to the left of the Second field
name, letting go of the mouse button when a heavy black line appears between the field
names.
With the first field selected, press down on the Shift key and click on the Second field
name to include that field in the selection.
Click on the Ascending button located in the Sort & Filter group, to arrange the records in
the first filed in ascending order and the second field in ascending order with the first
field.
Filtering Information in Tables
When you sort the information in a table, it arranges it in a logical order however; you are
still left with the entire table to organize. Filtering is the more effective than sorting when
you need to locate records containing specific information. Whenever you filter a table,
Access does not remove the records that do not match the filter, instead it hides these
records. If you want to filter information by numerous criteria, you can apply extra filters
to the results of the first filter.
These Filter commands are located in the Sort & Filter group on the Home tab which is
shown on the menu when you click the arrow at the right end of the field name. It is also
shown on the shortcut menu when you right click anywhere in a fields name.
Unfortunately, not all these Filer commands are available in all these places.
CREATING REPORTS
An Access report can be divided into two general categories:
1) Information derived from records in one or more tables and:
2) Everything else. This category consist of the page headers and footers, explanatory and
introductory text, the title and any logos and other graphics.
Just as you can use a form tool to make a form that includes all the fields in a table, you
can make a report that includes all the fields by using a Report tool. The Report tool is
located in the Report groups on the Create tab. However, you are more likely to use a
Wizard to create a report especially if the report is based on only some of the fields in the
table.
Using a Wizard to Create a Report
The report Wizard leads you through a series of questions and then based on your answers,
it creates a report. You must then know what information to include in the report and after
you provide that information, the wizard makes a report layout and adds a text box control
and a label control for each of your specified fields. In order to create a simple report
using a Wizard you:
In the Navigation pane of the Tables group, ensure that the All Access Objects are being
displayed,
You then click on the table you want to use.
Click on the Report button, located on the Create tab in the Reports group, to make a
report based on all the fields in the selected table and show it in Layout view.
Because this not the report you want, close that report and click on NO when prompted to
save it.
You then click on the Report Wizard located on the Create tab in the Report group, to start
the wizard.

ALTERING THE DESIGN OF A REPORT
If you want, you can use the Report wizard to get a fast start on a report however this will
require you to frequently want to alter the report to obtain the results you want. Just like a
form, a report comprises of text box controls that are bound to the matching fields in the
original table and their related tables. If you want, you may add images, labels, text boxes
and other controls and you can also format them by either setting their properties in the
Property Sheet pane or using commands on the ribbon.
You can also change the content and layout of reports in both Design view and Layout
view. If you are doing a simple adjustment, it is easier to do in Layout view because you
can see the layout with the actual data making the process more spontaneous.

PRINTING AND PREVIEWING A REPORT
Just like other Microsoft Office 2016 programs, the Print preview can be used to preview
reports in Access. Previewing your reports before you print them ensures that no mistakes
made are printed in the final version.
It is very important that you pay keen attention to how the page breaks when you are
previewing your report. With a group report, you are in control of whether group headings
are permitted to appear at the bottom of a page with no information and whether groups
are permitted to break crossway pages. You can adjust the setup of your pages from the
Page setup tool tab located in the Layout View or from the tab shown when you change to
Print preview. Clicking on the Page Setup button allows you to see the Page Setup dialog
box, in which you can adjust all these settings in one place other than making other
alterations.
Whenever you are ready to print you just simply click on the Print button located on the
Print preview tab which will show the Print dialog box. Also, it is possible for you to show
the Print page of the Backstage view and then print one duplicate of the report with the
default print settings by just clicking on the Quick Print
button.

RELATIONAL DATABASE TECHNIQUES FOR MICROSOFT ACCESS 2016-
MAINTAINING DATA INTEGRITY

14. DATA TYPE SPECIFICATION
Entries in a field are restricted by the data type it was set to. If a field is set to Currency,
you cannot enter date into this field. It will not be accepted.

To set a data type in a field this is done in Design view where there are various options to
choose from:
Short Text this can hold up to 255 alphanumeric characters in the text field.
Long Text this can hold text fields of up to 65, 535 alphanumeric characters.
Number text fields with a numeric value can be entered. The Field Size property
controls the entrys size.
Date/Time this can be written in various formats and include years from 100 to 9999.
Currency this allows up to four numbers to be entered on the right of the decimal point
and 15 or less to the left of the point.
AutoNumber if you want unique numbers to be given to new records, this can be done
with AutoNumber. If a record is deleted, the AutoNumber value it was given will not be
used again. Also, the other records that remain will not be updated.
Yes/No this data type is also referred to as Boolean, named after famous Mathematician
George Boole. It is used when a field can either have one of the two possible values.
OLE Object this data type can hold graphics or objects such as a Word document.
Hyperlink this holds a path that you can click on to get to a folder located on your hard
disk, a website, or a network location.
Attachment you can attach a file to a record. This is done similarly to attaching a file to
a message in an email. The field has to be created first before it can be given the
Attachment data type. It cannot be given to a field that was created already. Once
assigned, it also cannot be changed to a different data type.
Calculated this data type holds the results of a calculation that was done of other fields
within the same table.
There is a final option in Design view called Lookup Wizard. You will learn more about it
further on in this article.
If you click on the More Fields button from the Add & Delete group found on the Fields
tool tab, there is a menu that contains a listing of data types that have predefined
properties that are able to create fields that have common data type refinements.

You can practice how to add fields of the most common data types to a table. The data you
enter will test the data type restriction. Begin by opening a new database and follow these
steps:
Go to the Tables group and choose the Create tab. Then click the Table button to start a
new blank table with an ID field that was assigned the AutoNumber data type.
Add five fields with specific data types.
Go to the Add & Delete group that is found on the Fields tool tab. Click the Short Text
button and change the selected field name to fShortText.

If you use the name of a data type to name a field, Microsoft Access will warn you that the
name might cause problems. Identify the rest of the fields in the table by putting an f
before their data type, just like in step (c).

Display the Click to Add list and choose Currency. Change the field name to fMoney.
To display a menu that contains a list of data types, some with refinements, go to the Add
& Delete group and click the More Fields.

A group of Quick Start options are found at the bottom of the data type list. These options
provide ready-made fields for common business tables. If you click a Quick Start option
such as Address, multiple fields with the appropriate properties already set, will be
inserted.

Click Standard in the Number area of the list and change the field name to fNumber.
On the More Fields menu, in the Date and Time area of the list, click Medium Date. Then,
change the field name to fDate. Display the menu again and in the Yes/No area, click
Check Box and name the field fBoolean.
Save the table and give it a name.
You can use the shortcut method, Ctrl+S. The Save As dialog box will appear. .
Switch to Design view.
Take turns clicking each entry of the Field Name column that is at the top of the design
page. Take note of the setting in the Data Type column and the property settings in the
Field Properties area. You will notice that the Default Value property of the fMoney and
fNumber fields is set to 0.
To examine how the data type restricts what you can enter in a field, switch back to
Datasheet view. In the first record, enter the following in the fShortText field: This entry is
32 characters long. Do not add the ending punctuation.
Substitute $0.00 in the fMoney field with the word currency, and then press the Tab key.

When you press the Tab key, Microsoft Access will block the entry and explain that the
data type is wrong and provide options to fix the inaccuracy.

Choose the option that says Enter new value. Enter -45.4567 and press Tab.

Microsoft Access will store the number as how you had entered it but will display it as
($45.46), which is the default format for negative currency numbers. The symbol for your
currency number may be different (yen, pound, euro) based on your computers region
and the language settings. These determine the display format for currency, date, time, as
well as other numbers. You can create a custom format to ensure that currency values
always display a specific symbol regardless of the region and language settings. You will
learn more about custom formats later on.

Enter six hundred in the fNumber field and press Tab.
When Access displays the message that it cannot accept this type of entry in this field,
click on the Enter new value option and enter 600. Then, press Tab.
Enter 54321 in the fDate cell and press Tab. When the entry is blocked by Access, click
the Calendar button to the right of the field, and click Today to insert todays date. Then
press Tab.

All Date/Time Fields come with an accompanying interactive calendar. If the date you
want to enter is close to the current date, using the Calendar button to insert a date is okay.
The arrows on either side can be clicked to see the previous or subsequent month. For
dates farther into the future it is easier to manually enter the date. Almost any entry is
accepted by Access as long as it can recognize it as a date, and you had specified it in the
format when you created the field. If you forget to enter a year and only enter the day and
month in the Date/Time field, Access will assume that the date is the current year.

Try to enter 123 and abc in the fBoolean field. Click anywhere in the field a couple of
times to toggle the check box between selected and deselected states. End with the field in
the selected state.

Fields that are assigned the Yes/No data type will not accept any entry you make. There
are two predefined values. In Design view you can set the Format property of the field to
interpret the stored value as Yes/No, True/False, or On/Off. Setting the Format can be
done from the General page of Field properties area in Design view. You can set the field
to display as a text box, combo box, or check box on the Lookup page.
Press Tab to close the record.

15. HOW TO SET THE FIELD SIZE
Field sizes can be adjusted by changing the property. To change the size of a Short Text
field, you simply estimate how many characters will be entered into the field. The
AutoNumber data type is similar to the Short Text data type in that the number of digits
that can be entered is restricted. The Field Size property of the Number data type is more
difficult than the Short Text data type. Number fields can be set to any of the sizes
outlined in the table below.

Size Description

Byte Whole numbers from 0 - 255

Integer Whole numbers from -32, 768 to 32, 767

Long Whole numbers from 2,147,483,648 through


Integer 2,147,483,647 (the default)

Single Numeric floating point values from 3.4 x 10 to the


38th to +3.4 x 10 to the 38th

Double Numeric floating point values from 1.797 x 10 to


the 38th to +1.797 x 10 to the 38th

Replication
ID Randomly generated numbers that are 16 bytes long

Decimal Numbers from -9.999 x 10 to the 27th to


+9.999 x 10 to the 27th

Long Integer is the default Field Size Property that the AutoNumber field is set to. The
only other size it can be set to is Replication ID.
To prevent invalid entry values and to stop Access from rejecting values below or above
the size limits, you set the Field Size property to allow the biggest valid entry.

16. DATA FORMAT RESTRICTION
The way that information in database tables appears is controlled by the Format and Input
Mask properties. These two properties affect how the information is shown after it was
entered in a table. With the Input Mask Property, this allows anyone who is entering new
records to know the format requirements and the length of the entry.
Input Mask property can be used to control the entry of data in Number, Currency, Short
Text, and Date/Time fields. You have to know how to create a mask when using the
Number and Currency fields, as there are no predefined masks to choose from. With Short
Text and Date/Time Fields, help is available from the Input Mask Wizard as it has
predefined masks that you can apply.
There are three sections to the Input Mask Property and they are separated by semicolons.
The following is a telephone number mask:
!\(000) 000-0000;1;#
The characters in the first section are used as placeholders for the information that should
be entered. All the characters collectively control how the entry appears. The table below
contains the input mask characters that are most common, as well their purposes:

Characters Description/Purpose

0 Required digit (0 to 9).

9 Optional space or digit.

# Optional space or digit; blank positions are converted


to spaces; minus and plus signs are allowed.

L Required letter from A to Z.

? Optional letter from A to Z.

A Required letter or digit.


a Optional letter or number.

& Required space or character of any kind.

C Optional space or character of any kind.

< Characters that follow this one are all converted to


lowercase.

> Characters that follow this one are all converted to


uppercase.

! Characters are entered into the mask and fill it from


left to right. An exclamation point can be included
anywhere in the input mask.

\ The character that follows the backslash is displayed


as a literal character.

any text Characters enclosed in double quotation marks are


treated as literal characters.

Characters that were not listed in the above table are called literal characters because they
look exactly as how they were entered. To make one of the characters from the table
listing a literal character, just put the backslash (\) character before it.
You can either choose to use or not use the other two input mask sections as they are
optional. By leaving the second section blank or including a 1 in it, this tells Access to
only store the characters that were entered. By including a 0, this tells Access to store the
characters that were entered as well as the literal characters. In the third section, if you
enter a character, this causes Access to show that character as the placeholder for the
characters to be entered. If you leave it blank, under-score will be shown by Access as the
placeholder.
The display that would be created from the input mask !\(000) 000-0000;1;# in either a
form or a table is this: (###) ###-####.
There are 10 zeroes in the first part of the mask and this will restrict entry, allowing
exactly 10 digits. It cannot be less or more. The literal characters, that is, the parentheses,
hyphen, and space are not entered. In the second section, the 1 tells Access to store just the
10 digits and not the literal characters. The third section with the # sign tells Access to use
that character as placeholder for the 10 digits that are required.
Text can also be entered in a mask along with the placeholders. In the telephone mask
example that was previously used, you could enter The telephone number is before the
input mask number. This would make The telephone number is (###) ###-### the default
entry field. Only the placeholders are replaced by the numbers you enter. This does not
affect the text. Literal characters in the mask are not affected by the Field Size property.
They will not be cut off if the property was set to a smaller number than the amount in the
literal character.

How to Create Custom Formats
As a sidebar, you can create custom formats. With the exception of the AutoNumber data
type, when you click the right end of the Format box for all other data types, an arrow will
appear. Predefined Format property options will be displayed for some data types when
the arrow is clicked.
Custom Format properties can be constructed similarly to how you construct input masks,
in order to control field displays that were assigned to the Short Text data type.

Character Description

@ Required character (can be blank).

& Optional character.

! Characters are entered into the placeholder string,


filling it from left to right. The exclamation point can
be included anywhere in the string.

< All characters following this one are converted to


lowercase.

> All characters following this one are converted to


uppercase.

* Any character that follows this one becomes a fill


character.

\ Character that follows the backslash is displayed as a


literal character.

any Characters enclosed in double quotation marks are


text treated as literal characters.

colour Applies a colour to all characters in a section of the


format. Can be black, blue, cyan, magenta, red,
yellow, or white.

Note: Financial symbols (, , , $); parentheses; blank spaces; minus (-), plus (+) can be
placed anywhere in the format as they are recognized as literal characters that do not have
quotation marks. Mathematical symbols such as the asterisk (*) and backslash (/, \) must
have the double quotation marks.
The following steps outline how to build custom formats:
Open table in Design view.
Choose the field to which the custom format is to be applied.
Enter the format in the Format box in Field Properties.
Switch to Datasheet view.
Save the table.

Data that was there before will be shown according to the format. Any new data that was
entered will follow the format when you exit the field. Look at the following example:
@.com;no link[red]
Two customizations are specified by the format. They are separated by a semicolon. The
first part which precedes the semicolon tells Access that it is to append .com. if you enter
characters. The part after the semicolon tells Access that if the field has no characters, that
is, it is empty, then no link should be displayed in red.

17. DATA VALIDATION
The information that is accepted in one or more fields in a record is defined by the
validation rule. With the exceptions of OLE Object, AutoNumber and Attachment,
validation rules can be created for all other data types
You can create validation rules for single fields or whole records in a table.
Field validation an entry at this level is tested by Access when you try to leave the field.
Record validation the contents of multiple fields are tested by Access when you try to
leave the record.
Access will reject any entry in a field or record, with an explanatory message, if they do
not satisfy the validation rule.
Validation rules can be created by constructing formulas, or as it is called in Access
terminology, expression. It is a combination of constants, operators, identifiers and
functions that evaluates to a single value. In the following example, a=b+c, b+c is the
expression or formula, while a is the result. That is that format in which Access would
build a formula. Expressions can also be used to define the conditions that a record must
meet for inclusion in a query result, to assign properties to tables or forms, etc.
Several criteria are combined in the expression used in a validation rule to define a set of
conditions that must be met by a field value for it to be considered a valid entry for the
field. Several criteria are combined using comparison, logical, and arithmetic operators.
There a numerous operators and they are used by different expression types. See the table
below:

Logical Operators Comparison Arithmetic


Operators Operators

And - Selects records that meet all < Less Than + Plus
the specified criteria

Or - Selects records that meet at > Greater - Subtract


least one criteria than

Not - Selects records that do not = Equal to * Multiply


match the criteria

/ Divide

Note: Comparison Operators can be combined to form basic operators such as Greater
than or equal to (>=), Less than or equal to (<=), and Not equal to (<>).
The Like operator is used to test if a text matches a pattern, or not. It is occasionally
grouped with the comparison operators.
A related operator, & (a text form of +) is used to combine two text strings.
Validation rules can be entered manually (by hand) into the property box of the Validation
Rule or by creating them through the use of the Expression Builder tool. This tool is not a
Wizard so it only provides you with a tiered list of elements you might need to include in
an expression. It does not guide you through the steps of expression building. There is also
an expression box for the expression to be built in.
The Expression Builder dialog box can be opened by following these steps:
Click the Fields tool tab
Click on the Field Validation group
Click the Validation button
Choose either Field Validation or Validation Rule
In the dialog box, select either functions, operators, and other elements from the list
Copy them to the expression box, or enter the expression directly in the expression box.
Simple and useful messages can be created to help explain a validation rule to users so
they will know what kind of data they are expected to enter and the format it is to be
entered in. For example, a user might try to enter a number that is bigger than 99. Instead
of seeing Invalid entry when that number is entered, a more helpful message can be
created that says Please enter a number between 1 and 99.

Simple Validation Rules

On the Fields tool tab where the Field Validation group is found, there are two commands
which provide simple validation tests for fields that do not require you to build an
expression:
Required this property is set to No, by default. If you select the Required check box
from the Field Validation group, the property is set to Yes. This means that there can be no
blank field or Null field in a record.
Unique all Indexed property of all fields, with the exception of AutoNumber, is set to No
by default. There are two Yes options in this property.
Yes (Duplicates OK) this option can be set from the Field Validation group by selecting
the Indexed check box.
Yes (No Duplicates) select the Unique check box to set this option. AutoNumber fields
are set to this option by default.
For both Yes options, an index of the data in the field and its location is created by Access
to speed up data searching. Instead of searching the actual database, Access can look in
the index to find the data location.
If the Required check box is selected, Access will check to verify if there is an entry in the
field before the record is accepted. If the Unique check box is chosen, Access will check
to verify and ensure that another record with the same value in the field does not exist
before the field entry is accepted.
TIP - The Required property can be refined by the Allow Zero Length property for
Hyperlink, Long Texts and Short Text fields. When this property is set by default to Yes,
an empty string can be entered and the field will not be considered blank or Null. An
empty string is two quotation marks with nothing between them (). A required field can
be empty but not Null. The difference between these two fields, empty and null, is the
result that is produced based on the command that was given.

18. ALLOWING ONLY VALUES THAT WERE LISTED

A person who reads the information on a computer in order to make a decision can
overlook minor inconsistencies but a computer is unable to do the same. A computer
interprets information very literally so you have to make certain specifications when
requesting a computer to carry out tasks based on the information that was inputted. For
example, if you request a list of all residents living in New York to be generated by the
computer in order to send catalogues to them, the list will only consist of those who had
listed their state in the database as New York. Residents enter their home state in different
ways. New York can be written as New York or NY or even NYC. The computer will
overlook NY and NYC and just include those who had listed their home state as New
York.

It is possible to limit the options available for entering information in a database by doing
the following:
Set the Default Value property to an entry that is most likely to be entered. Users can skip
over that field by pressing the Tab key which will leave the default entry intact. If users
enter something else, the default entry format will direct them in choosing the format for
their entries.
If there are only two options, you can utilize the Yes/No field which is represented by a
check box. One choice is indicated by a check box with a tick, while the other is indicated
by a cleared check box.
A combo box can be used for a short list of choices that will not change frequently. The
list of choices is displayed in the combo box. Just click the arrow located at the right end
of the combo box to access these options that you had provided as the lookup list. Some
combo box properties might allow users to add an entry to the displayed lookup list in the
future, or enter something else. Even though you can manually create a lookup list, using
the Lookup Wizard is easier.

Priority, Payment Type, and Status are three ready-made Quick Start lookup lists that
come with Access. These are generally used in businesses. Anyone of these can be easily
added to a table. Just go to the Fields tool tab and select the Add & Delete group, then
click the More Fields button and choose the field you want.

How to create multi-column Lookup Lists
A two-column lookup list can be created to store different names or numbers in a database
that associates the two types of entries. For example, you might want to associate
employees first names or nicknames with their ID numbers. They can select a friendly
name from a list but you want the database to store a different name. The following will
guide how on how to carry out this process.
Setting up a multi-column lookup list:
On the Lookup wizards first page, create a new lookup field and indicate that you want to
enter the values.
Change the Number of columns setting to 2 on the second page.
Enter in Col1 the data you want Access to store and the friendly name in Col2.
Click Next.
Designate the column on page three in which the data is to be stored, that is, Col1.
Click Next
Give a name to the field on the last page and if appropriate, select the Limit To List check
box
Click Finish

Click on the fields arrow to display a two-column list. The user can select an entry and
the stored valued will be shown in the field.
To see only the friendly name in the list and the table, do the following:
Go to Design view.
Select the Lookup tab for the multi-column field.
Click on Field Properties
Change the Column Widths property from 1;1 to 0;1.
Save the table.

19. ALLOWING ONLY VALUES IN OTHER TABLES
If a dozen sales clerks were asked to enter a specific customers name, the product, and
shipper in an invoice, the likelihood of them entering the same thing is small. Your
database accuracy as well as consistency will be improved if you provide a generated list
with information from the Customer table, the Product table, and Shippers table. This will
limit the number of correct choices so the correct information will be chosen.
Efficiency is a one of the main concerns when it comes to looking up information in
another table. You do not want the process to be tedious. To avoid this, do not rely on auto
generated numbers as the primary key for the Customer table. Instead, opt for an intuitive
CustomerID to get a unique CustomerID value. An example would be to use the two three
letters of a customers surname as well as the initials of the first and middle names. This
will be easy for users to guess as the trend when working in other tables that are linked to
the Customer table.

Multi-valued Fields
Database tables are usually built with the fields only able to hold one value. Sometimes
the need arises where you need to store multiple values in one field.
The following steps guide you on how to set up a multi-valued field that limits values to
those in a table:
Create a new lookup field.
On the Lookup wizards first page, indicate that you want to look up table values.
Choose a table from the list on the second page.
Select the fields you want included from the third page.
Indicate the sorting you want from the fourth page.
If there are any adjustments to be made to the column width, do so on the fifth page.
On the final page, enter the name for the field
Choose the Allow Multiple Values check box.

Opening the table in Datasheet view allows you to click on the fields arrow which will
display a list from which you can choose entries by selecting their check boxes. When you
click on OK, the selected values in the field are displayed.

Multi-valued fields are not easy to change and there can be unexpected results in filters
and queries, so think carefully about the use of your database before creating a multi-
valued field.

20. CREATING QUERIES

Two basic types of queries can be created to aid in locating specific items of information
when using Microsoft Access 2016. They are:
Select this finds the records in the database that matches the criteria you specified. It
then displays those records in a datasheet, form, or report. This query option can be used
to display specific fields from specific records from one table or multiple tables.
Action this finds the records in the database that matches the criteria you specified and
then does something with those records. An action query is used to guarantee the on-going
accuracy of a database.

Both types of queries can be saved and run at any time to generate updated results of any
data changes.

21. USING A WIZARD TO CREATE QUERIES
Previously, you learned how to get information from a database table by filtering it. Even
though the filtering techniques are effective, they are limited by the fact that the filters are
only saved temporarily or not saved at all. Also, the filters are only applied to the table or
form that is opened at the moment. Filters can be made permanently available, or you can
filter multiple tables or tables that are not open. This can be done by using queries.

The type of query that is most common is the select query. To set up a select query you
would use a query wizard. There are four types of wizards available:
Simple a query is set up by this wizard to get data from one table or multiple tables. The
results are then displayed in a datasheet.
Find Duplicates a query is set up by this wizard to find specified records that contain the
same information in one field or more than one field.
Find Unmatched a query is set up by this wizard to find records in a single table that
dont have related records in another table.
Crosstab a query is set up by this wizard to calculate and restructure data to make it
easier to be analysed. This type of query can be used for calculation of averages, sums,
and counts. It can also be used for other types of totals such as data that is grouped by two
types of information, one down the left side of the datasheet and another across the top.
Microsoft Access must understand the relationship between fields in multiple tables in
order for a query to work effectively.

Whether you are creating a query manually or by using a wizard, what you are essentially
doing is creating a statement that describes the conditions that have to be met for records
to be matched in one table or multiple tables. When the query is run, the records that
match will appear in a new datasheet.

CREATING MANUAL QUERIES
Less common queries can be created manually by using Query Designer. The features of
Query Designer are listed below:
The top pane consists of field lists for the table which can be included in the query.
There are lines connecting the field lists to show that tables are related by common fields.
A key icon indicates the primary key field in a table.
The Field row of the design grid has the names of the names of the fields that are actually
included in the query.
The Table row indicates which table each field belongs to.
The Sort row shows which field or fields, if any, that the query results will be sorted on.
In the Show row if the check box is selected, then this means that results datasheet will
display the field. If the box is cleared, it means that the field can be used to determine the
query results, however, it will not be displayed.
The Criteria row can contain criteria that determine the records to be displayed.
Finally, the Or row sets up alternative criteria.

When you manually create a query, you add field lists to the top pane of Query Designer
for the tables to be used. You do so by double clicking or dragging fields from the list to
consecutive columns of the design grid. You then specify on which field to sort the records
that match and which field value to display in the results datasheet. Similar to filters,
queries are most powerful when the criteria are set up in Criteria and Or rows because this
is where you specify exactly which information is to be extracted.

An existing query can be modified and rerun to show variations of the same basic criteria.
This can be done in Design view. However, doing this repeatedly can become a tedious
task. A parameter query can be set up to avoid the wearisome task. Parameter queries
display a dialog box to prompt for the information that will be used in the query. A
parameter query can be set up if you know that you will run variations of the same query.
This query type is very helpful when used as the basis for a report that you will
occasionally run.

23. USING QUERIES TO SUMMARIZE DATA
A query is normally used to locate all records that meet particular criteria. However, there
are times when you are more interested in the summary of the query results than the
details of the records.
Summary information can be extracted easily by creating a query that groups the
necessary fields and also does the math. The mathematical calculations are done by
utilizing an aggregate function. They are listed below:
Sum the total of the values in a field is calculated
Avg the average of the values in a field is calculated
Min the lowest value in a field is extracted.
Max the highest value in the field is extracted.
Count the number of values in a field are counted. Null (blank) is not included in the
count.
StDev the standard deviation of the values in a field are calculated.
Var the variance of the values in a field are calculated.

You are given the option of creating a summary query by the Simple Query wizard when a
query you created by using that wizard is based on a table with fields that contain numeric
data. On the wizards second page, you can select Summary and then click on Summary
Options. A dialog box is displayed for you to specify which aggregate function you want
to use.
When manually creating a query or making changes to one that was already created, a
Total row can be added to the grid. Just go to the Design tool tab and click on the
Show/Hide group and then select the Totals button. From a list, you can then choose the
aggregate function that you want. This list allows you to do several things. You can group
fields, enter an expression select the first or last record that meets the specified criteria, or
make additional criteria refinements.
All the data in a table can be summarized without creating a query. To do so you firstly
open the table in Datasheet view. To add a Total row at the bottom of the table, go to the
Home tab in Records group and click on the Totals button. The row can be removed from
the table by clicking the Totals button again. From a list you can select the type of
summary data that you want to be displayed in the total row of each field. The types of
summary available for each field are dependent on its data type.

24. USING QUERIES TO DO CALCULATIONS
You previously learned that queries have built-in aggregate functions that can be used to
summarize data. Queries can also be used to perform calculations and also create new
fields in which to save them.

A basic principle of good database design is to never store information that can be
calculated from data that already exists. To avoid increasing the size of the database by
creating new fields and populating it with unnecessary information, you can use an
expression in a query to calculate the required information from data that already exists,
whenever that information is needed.
The results from one query can be used as a field in another query.

25. USING QUERIES TO UPDATE RECORDS

Updating Records

As the size of a database grows through usage, the possibility exists that errors will
manifest themselves or some information will become out-dated. It is a tedious task to
scroll through records to identify those that need changing. Microsoft Access 2016
provides tools and techniques to help you to efficiently complete such a task.
The Find & Replace command which is found on the Home Tab under the Find group will
help you to find or replace multiple occurrences of the same word or phrase. These
commands work similarly to those found in Word and Excel.
An action query is the tool needed to manipulate information that was stored in a database.
An action query searches records and finds the ones that match the selection criteria and
performs an action on them. Certain kinds of data manipulation are easy to be done with
an action query. Using a query saves times and helps to avoid errors.
There are four kinds of action queries:
Append this action adds records from one table or multiple tables to the end of one table
or multiple tables.
Delete this action deletes records from one table or multiple tables.
Make-table this action creates a new table from part or all of the data in one or more
tables.
Update this action makes changes to records in one table or multiple tables. You should
always make a backup copy a table before running an update query as permanent changes
will be made to the underlying table. To create a copy of a table:
Go to the Navigation pane
Click on the Tables list
Click the table you want to copy
Press Ctrl+C to copy
Press Ctrl+V to paste the copy
Enter a name for the new table in the Paste Table As dialog box
Click OK

The backup copy of the table will become a part of the database. When you are sure that
the update query produced the desired results, you can delete the backup table.
An action query cannot be created directly. Firstly, you have to create a select query and
then convert it. You would then open the existing select query in Query Designer and click
on the Design tool tab and choose the appropriate button in the Query Type group. Or,
right-click the query in Query Designer, click Query Type, and choose the query type that
you want.

USING QUERIES TO DELETE RECORDS

Deleting Records

The information that is stored in a database might become out-dated and need to be
discarded in order to maintain an efficient database. Discarding obsolete records needs to
be done periodically. Once more, the task can be a tedious and time consuming one if you
choose to scroll through every table manually and delete records. A delete query is used to
get rid of records that match a particular pattern.

Please take into consideration, the fact that deleted records cannot be recovered and a
delete query can have far-reaching effects that you never expected.

There is an option called Cascade Delete Related Records which will not only delete
records from the table you selected but also records from another table that are related to
the first table. If this is the option you want, then select it. If not, please ensure this option
is deselected before you run the delete query.

To guarantee that you will not accidentally delete any relevant and needed information, go
to the Database tools tab, click the Relationships button and display the Relationships
page. You will see if you are deleting any data from a table that has a relationship with
another table. If such a relationship exists, right-click the relationship line, click Edit
Relationship and if the Enforce Referential Integrity check box was selected, ensure that
the Cascade Delete Records check box is not selected.

You might want to take further precautions to safeguard your database against potential
problems before attempting any record deletions. You can create a new table to store the
records you want to delete and review them one more before permanently deleting them.

CREATING CUSTOM FORMS
There are three basic sections in every form: the Form Header, Detail, and Form Footer.
When you use the Form tool or wizard to create a form, a logo placeholder and a title is
added to the Form Header section. Each field in the underlying table has a set of text box
and label controls that are added to the Detail section. The Form Footer section is left
blank. Any form can be customized by adding controls to its sections. These controls can
be rearranged to make the form easier to work with.

When designing a form, the main thing to take into consideration is the ease with which
data can be entered. When data entry is made easier, people are less likely to make
mistakes. One way to eliminate mistakes is to have Access automatically enter data based
on entries that were already made. A second way to eliminate mistakes is to make it
possible for data to be entered simultaneously in more than one table by using sub forms.

28. HOW TO MODIFY FORMS THAT WERE CREATED BY A WIZARD

A form that is intended as the primary means of entering new records will usually include
all fields from the underlying table. Using the Form tool is the fastest way to create a form
that includes all the fields from a single table. Using a wizard is another way, and this
method provides more control over the creation of the form. With either method, the form
can be easily customized after it has been created.

You can gauge the effects of moving and sizing controls and labels because the data in the
underlying table is displayed in Layout view. You can adjust properties on the Property
Sheet pane to modify form elements and make the most of the adjustments that you will
likely want in the custom form.

Working in Design view will allow you more control over the layout of a form as you can
modify the structure of the form on a design grid. However, the data from the underlying
table(s) will not be seen.
The form design grid has three sections:
Form Header this section contains the information that will be shown at the top of the
form, for example is a title.
Detail this section contains a text box control and an associated label control for each
field that was chosen to be included in the form.
Form Footer this section can contain information that is to be displayed at the bottom of
the form. This section is closed by default.
Design view will allow you to work with the form by doing the following:
Adjusting the size of sections.
Applying a theme.
Changing the size of controls.
Arranging controls logically to facilitate the entry of data.
Adjusting the properties of form elements in the Property Sheet pane.
Adding fields from the Field List pane.
Adding controls to limit data entry choices and functionality to the form.

Different Form Types
Majority of forms will allow you to enter data and add or edit records in one table or
multiple tables. There are some forms that will allow you to do more than that as they are
more specialized. From the Create tab of the Forms group the following types of forms
can be created:
Form Design you can design a form from scratch from the blank design grid in that is
displayed in Design view.
Blank form a blank canvas is displayed in Layout view and the Field List pane is opened
so you can drag fields from the database tables onto the form.
Navigation this type displays a gallery of predefined navigation form layouts.

Additional types of forms can be accessed by clicking the More Forms button:
Multiple items more than one record is displayed on a single form page. This is also
sometimes referred to as a Continuous form.
Datasheet this forms looks like a datasheet (table) and also acts like one.
Split two co-ordinated views of the same data is provided, one in form and one in
datasheet. This makes the process of finding and editing records much simpler and easier.
Modal dialog this form looks like a dialog box and behaves like one. It has OK and
Cancel default buttons. Nothing else can be done while this form is still active. It has to be
closed first.

How to Add Controls

Text box and label controls are the most common controls found in forms; however, there
are many other types of controls that you can use to enhance your forms. Enhancements
include adding list boxes, combo boxes, and check boxes. This gives people choices
instead of them having to make entries in text boxes.

When a form is displayed in Design view or Layout view, the available controls in that
view can be found on the Design tool tab in the Controls gallery. Each control is one of
these types:
Bound this is a control that is linked to a field in a table or the datasheet that was created
by a query and include the following:
Text boxes and labels
Combo boxes, check boxes, list boxes, and option groups and buttons
Charts
Sub-forms or sub-reports
Unbound this is a control that is not bound to any underlying data and includes the
following:
Buttons and toggle buttons
Tabs and page breaks
Hyperlinks, web browser controls, and navigation controls
Attachments
Frames
Lines and images

29. HOW TO DISPLAY SUB-FORMS

If there is a one-to-many relationship between two tables, the information from the one
side and the many side can be displayed by using a main form and a sub-form. For
example, there is a table with Customers names and another table with customer Orders.
These tables are related. The main form might display information about the customer (the
one side) while the sub-form would list all orders that were made by this customer (the
many side). So, one customer has many orders.

To create a main form to include all the fields of one table with a sub-form that includes
all the fields of another table, this can be done quickly by using the Form tool to create the
form and its sub-form. This can be done as long as only a single one-to-many relationship
between tables was already defined on the Relationships page. Just click the primary table
in the Navigation pane, then go to the Forms group and from the Create tab, click the
Form button. The Form tool will create and display both a main form and a sub-form, with
each one containing all the fields of its source table.

How to create fields for main forms & Sub-forms
The Form wizard can be used to create a main and sub-form to include only some fields in
their underlying tables. The following steps guide you on how to use the Form wizard:
Firstly, you have to ensure that a relationship exists between the tables before using the
wizard:
Go to the Forms group
Then to the Create tab
Click Form Wizard
Go to the Tables/Queries list on the wizards first page and click the table on which you
want the form to be based.
In Available Fields list, double-click the fields you want included in the sub-form.
Click Next
Select the primary table and Form with sub-form(s) on the wizards second page.
From the third page of the wizard, choose the layout that you want
Click Next
On the wizards final page, enter the titles for your forms and select Open the form to view
or enter information
Click Finish

30.IMPORTING INFORMATION
Access 2016 has made it flawlessly easier for users to import their data into an Access
database without having to re-enter the data. Importation is possible if the data already
exists in other documents on your computer. This feature is called the Get External Data
Wizard. With this feature you can transport your data into an Access database easily. The
basic steps are as listed below:
Click the External Data tab found in the Import & Link group to choose the type of source
file that you wish to be imported. This commences the Get External Data wizard;
State where the file is found on the first page of the wizard;
State whether you wish to import the data as a new table, add it to an available table or to
generate a linked table. This is on the basis of the type of source;
Click Ok to open the suitable import wizard or to open the dialog box in order to complete
the following step;
Follow the instructions to guide you to choose the data from the source file, data
formatting, selecting a primary key and specifying the object that is targeted;
Click Finish.
Certain tips to note are that once you have clicked the Data Services button, it will not
start the wizard. The Data Services button only opens the Create Link to Data Services
dialog box.
If you wish to import your data into an already available table, it is quite easier to import
the data into Excel first. After doing so, you can manage it there and then import it into
your Access database.
After the completion of the importation process, you can go back to the Get External Data
wizard. This allows you to save all the steps that you took to import your data. Once you
have done this you would not have to go over the steps for other similar processes of
importing.
How to save the steps of import:
Choose the Save Import Steps in the Get External Data wizard which shows the settings
for the saving process;
Give the saved import process a name. You can state a description which is of your choice;
Click Create Outlook Task if you are using Microsoft Outlook, to create a task that gives a
reminder to use the import process for some time in the future;
Click Save Import.
You can also run a saved import operation. The steps are as follows:
Click Saved Imports in the Import & Link group
Select the import process of your choice
Click Run
Here is a tip: if you decide on creating an Outlook task, a task window will be opened for
you which consist of information about the task. All you are required to do is set a specific
time frame, make any changes of your choice to the settings, then select Save & Close in
the Actions group found on the task tab.
Another thing to note is that if an Outlook task has been formed from the import process,
you can select Run Import found in the Microsoft Access group.

31.IMPORTING FROM OTHER ACCESS DATABASES
There is also the process of importing data from other Access databases in Access 2016.
Lets say you have an Access database that consists of tables with product types with their
information and orders made. Also, if there is another table with the contact information
of the customer. You would only need one database that consists all of the information.
Importing the information on the product into the contacts database will only save time.
This helps you to avoid the process of recreating.

Importing the typical Access objects is a very easy process to take on. If you want to
import a table, the option of importing the table definition only will be made available to
you. Otherwise from that, you can import the definition and the data. When it comes on to
importing a query, you can import it as is or just import query result in the form of a table.
You should note that if you decide on using a few fields or records from a table of
different database, a query can be created. This allows you to choose all your needed
information. After you have done so, you can import the outcome of the query as a table.
On the other hand, the table can be imported and be edited in Design view. Otherwise, it
can be cleaned up with the use of queries.
It is not possible to import only selected fields or record. If you are to import an Access
object, it would be imported with its original name into the open database. If an object
with the same name exists in the open database, the new object would be renamed with a
number at the end.

33. IMPORTING FROM TEXT FILES
As known by many, text files are quite the common denominator of all types of
documents. Majority of programs can create text files once they can work with words and
numbers. Access 2016 allows users to import data of tables and lists from text files
consisting of data organised in two ways, Delimited text file and Fixed-width text file.
Delimited Text File
At the end of each record stands a paragraph mark. In the table or list, each field is parted
by a special character called a Delimiter or even a comma. It is to be ensured that the field
has enclosed quotation marks entirely. In order to evade fields consisting of delimiters,
some users surround all fields with quotation marks.
Fixed-width Text File
Data in a specific field of each record contains the exact number of characters. If the field
is not filled with the data, it becomes expanded with spaces so that the next field has the
identical number of characters from the start of each record. For instance, if the first field
consists of 12 characters, the following field commences with 13 characters from the
starting point of the record. This is still possible even if data of the first field contains only
characters.
This type of text file is usually complicated to import into databases. Users have to be
careful when counting the characters of each field. After doing such, they would have to
state the sizes of the field whether in the database or import program. If any of the fields
are over the required length of even one character, all records would be in disarray. In
Access 2016, this problem has been abolished and now has been made simple to import
fixed-width text file.

34.IMPORTING FROM OTHER DATABASE PROGRAMS
Sometimes when you want to import data from various databases developed in different
programs apart from Access, doesnt always seem to go as planned. The result that you
may get regularly isnt what you normally would expect, unfortunately. Take for instance;
you may realize that transaction records consist of unnecessary information, like the name
of the buyer or product in each record. A database with information about a person may
have their entire name and address in only one field. Instead you would prefer the first
name, last name and address to be in different fields and it goes on. In Access 2016, you
can select all your needed information as it stands and make your adjustments there easily.
Otherwise you can import your data into either a Word or Excel program and make your
adjustments there. After that is done you can import that data into your Access database.
You are to keep in mind that you can only import data from an old database program if
you have exported that data to a fixed-width text file. After that you can then import it into
Access.
35.IMPORTING FROM SHAREPOINT LISTS
There are two methods to take to import content from SharePoint lists into Access using a
Microsoft SharePoint site. They are as follows:
Importing this duplicates the list in the Access Database. The user is required to choose
the lists that are to be duplicated while the import operation is running. From the chosen
lists, you would state if you want the whole list to be imported or you want to a certain
view. In Access 2016, the import process generates a table. The list is then duplicated and
is placed in that table as records and fields. If there is altered data in Access or SharePoint,
it will not be imitated.
Linking this forms a table connecting information to the base of the data in the Access
database. Linking process is more reliable than the Importing process when you want to
have the information updated in both places. Linked tables can be specified by a blue
arrow in the Access Navigation pane directing to a yellow table. Revised data is shown in
the SharePoint list when the view is restored in Access. It also goes both ways.
There are some steps to follow before importing data of a SharePoint list into Access
when you have selected your process. They are as follows:
Write down the SharePoint sites URL;
Select the lists you wish to duplicate to the database from the SharePoint site
Choose if you want a whole list or just a certain view
Note that you can import more than one list in one import process. You can only import a
single list of data into your database in one process. If one of the views is not of your
liking, you can develop your own view with your chosen fields and lists. You can then go
ahead with the importing operation.
Reassess the columns in the list or view
Select the database that you wish to import the lists.
Access generates a table after you have imported a SharePoint list and it is saved as the
given name of the source list. If that name already exists, Access automatically adds a
number to that new tables name. An example of this is: Contacts1. A table will not be
overwritten by Access in the destination database or make an addition to the existing table
with the data of a list or view.
There are a number of steps to follow when importing the SharePoint list or lists you have
discovered. These steps are as follows:
Open a blank database
Click on the More button on the tab named External Data in the
To begin the wizard, select the SharePoint List which shows a list of popular SharePoint
sites.
Select the address of the site you wish to connect to or type it in the available box. You
can find this on the Select the source and destination of the data page in the Specify a
SharePoint area.
Select Import the source data or link to the data source.
Click Next
Type in your site credentials if you are incited to do so.
Click in the box on the Import data from list page to import each list into the database.
Click on the view in the Items to import column for each chosen lists that you wish to
import into the database
Select the Import display values instead of IDs for fields that look up values stored in
another list box
Click Ok
It is to be noted that with troubleshooting, there will be no display of the progress bar
during the process of importing the lists. This process takes time to go through. Refuse
selecting ok multiple times.
Select Close after seeing the last page of the wizard
OR
Save the import steps then present the required information
Click Save Import
After the completion of the import process or link to a list, open the resulting table in
Datasheet view to prove that all fields and records have been imported. Also, verifies that
there were no errors. By changing to Design view, you can check the type of data and
other property fields.

37.IMPORTING FROM .HTML FILES
We are all aware that HTML is used to develop web sites. It is used to connect the
appearance and arrangement of the displayed content within a web browser. For an
accurate display of a table on a web site, the cells and rows of a table must be within a
fitting HTML tag.
In an .html file the tags and their related end tags make the data appears as a structured
table when being viewed in a web browser. Office 2016 programs save documents in the
format of HTML. They can also read and import documents that were saved by another
program in HTML format. When an .html file is imported into Access, the document is
scanned by the program. After that process, it spots out anything that resembles the
structured data. You can have it assessed to see what Access has established and choose
whether you wish to import it or not.
38.IMPORTING FROM .XML FILES
The XML format is usually used to switch information between programs on and off the
web. Like the HTML format, the XML format is a plain text that specifies formatting
within tags. It also uses start and end tags. The difference between them is that HTML tags
explain the appearance of the elements, while the XML tags signifies the formation of the
elements in a document. The XML tag set is extensible hence the implication of its name.
It suggests that there are ways to add your own tags.
XML tags the datas structure other than its look. It is easy for data to be imported from an
.xml file into a database table. An .xml file may sae the data and structure for a table.
Otherwise, the data may be saved in an .xml file for the structure that is defined by an
associated plan saved in an .xsd file. You must ensure the schemas .xsd file is in the same
folder as the associated .xml file once the structure is defined by a scheme. If not, Access
2016 will import only the data and automatically selected properties to all fields.
A simple tip to go by is that Access 2016 can request a transform to XML data while it is
imported or exported. A transform is defined as a type of template that is used to convert
XML data to other format types. When a request is made to transform during the process
of import, the data is transformed before it is placed into the table. This allows you to
adjust an .xml file to another table structure.
Now lets say you want to fill a database from more than one source. From an Access
database, you will have to import three tables and a form. After which you will import
information from a comma-delimited text file into an available table. Lastly, you will
import information into a new table from an Excel worksheet. Some steps to follow on
this task are listed below. First you can create a practice folder to save what you will be
doing. The steps are as follows:
Select the Access button on the External Data tab to start the Get External Data Wizard;
Click Browse which is on the Select the source and destination of the data page;
Click the Products and Suppliers database
Click Open
Click Ok to open the Import Objects dialog box
Click Select All on the Table page
Select Options. This would show the added choices
Click Forms tab
Then click Categories
Select Ok which will close the dialog box and start the importing procedure
Click Close after the import process has ended. You will find this on the Save Imports
Steps page
Now open the Categories, Products and Suppliers tables on the Navigation pane. Go over
their records to ensure that all tables are imported successfully. After which you close
them.

EXPORTING INFORMATION
In the database of Access 2016, you can export database items in every file format which
you can import data from. Also, you can export data in Portable Document Format (PDF)
as well as XML Paper Specification (XPS) format. The accessible formats depend on the
item you wish to export.
In order to display a list of the export file formats accessible for a certain Access object,
you must right-click the object then click to export. This can be done from the Navigation
Pane.
A similarity between the import and export process is that they are organized for a
majority of file types. This is done by an easy-to-follow wizard with the use of steps
which are as follows:
Choose the object you wish to export in the Navigation pane
Go to the External Data tab
Click on the button in the Export group for the type of file or program you wish to create.
This starts the Export wizard
On the first page of the wizard, indicate:
The format or location of the destination file
Whether to export only data or data with formatting
Whether to open the file after the completion of the export process
And/or
Whether to export selected records only
Select OK.
After the completion of the export process, you will be required to return to the Export
wizard. This gives you the chance to save the export steps to avoid having to go over them
in the future. The saving process for the export steps is almost the same as the saving
process for the import steps.
The phases of exporting Access database objects in PDF, XPS format or as email
attachments are somewhat different but are still automated.
EXPORTING TO OTHER ACCESS DATABASES
It is quite easy to export any one object from an Access 2016 database to another database
or even to a database of an earlier Access version. However, you are not able to export
more than one object in one task.
EXPORTING TO EXCEL WORKSHEETS
In this process, you are allowed to export a table, form, report or query from an Access
2016 database to an Excel 2016 worksheet. You can also export to a workbook that can be
accessed by earlier Excel versions.
Access performs the export process on the main datasheet or form when exporting a table
with a Subdatasheet or form with a sub form. In order to export a Subdatasheet or sub
form, you are required to execute another export process on that object.
To join more than one Access objects into one Excel workbook, you must first export the
single objects to different workbooks. After which you will merge all the worksheets in
Excel.
EXPORTING TO WORD DOCUMENTS
It is quite an easy task to take on when wanting to move a table from query results to a
saved Word document. All you would do is just simply copy and paste the data from the
datasheet. Though, if you wish to work with the report contents in Word, you will have to
export the report.
A Rich Text Format (RTF) is created when information is exported from Access 2016 to
Word. This can be accessed through Word and a number of other applications.
EXPORTING TO TEXT FILES
Text files are known to be the lowest common denominator file format. In a text format,
majority of applications can open, display and save data. The drawback on text files is that
they dont have any formatting information. Therefore, they appear to be plain in all
applications time after time.
You may have the choice to export the layout data. This varies on the type of content you
are attempting to export from a database. If this option is selected the text of no format
will be in order in the text file in the Access object. Otherwise, the information will be
stored in either delimited or fixed-length lines.
EXPORTING TO .PDF AND .XPS FILES
Saving an object in the Portable Document Format (PDF) or the XML Paper Specification
(XPS) format allow persons to view the database object. They will not be able to make
any changes though. The PDF and XPS formats are intended to transport objects in an
electronic representation of the way they appear when printed. Data in .pdf and .xps files
is basically stagnant. Content cannot be edited with ease. Hence, these formats are perfect
for objects that will be involved with legal documents. It is easy to send both file types via
email to numerous recipients. They can be accessible for download on a website by
persons who wants them. However, .xps files cannot be accessed or manipulated in Office
2016 programs.
You have the option of choosing the destination location and format, allocating a name
and enhance the file size for your method of proposed distribution. This is done when you
specify that you wish to export a database object in PDF or XPS format. You can do this
by selecting the PDF or XPS button in the Export group found on the external Data tab.
This opens up the Publish As PDF or XPS dialog box. You can signify the records or
pages that are to be included in the PDF or XPS edition of the object. This can be done by
selecting Options to view the dialog box. You also have the choice of signifying whether
to include or exclude accessibility structure tags. The object will be saved with your
specifications when you have selected Publish. After which the Export wizard allows you
to save the export steps.
It is to note that another way of creating a.pdf or .xps file is by showing the Save As page
of the Backstage view as well as in the File Types pane. You then select Save Object As to
show the accessible formats in the right pane. To display the Publish As PDF or XPS
dialog box, select PDF or XPS then click Save As. You would then have the chance of
saving the file in the normal way.

EXPORTING TO SHAREPOINT LISTS
In Access 2016 you can export a table of query database object to a SharePoint site as a
SharePoint list. This is possible if you have permission to create content on a SharePoint
site. The list content is stagnant and will not display the changes that were made to the
source table or query after the process of export. However, you cant manipulate data of an
available list.
Note briefly that you can export just a single object to a SharePoint list each time.
However, when Access exports a table, it also exports the tables that are associated with
that table.
EXPORTING TO .HTML FILES
Numerous organizations have found the advantages of sharing their information within
their company or even around the world via a website. In Access 2016, you have the
chance to export various data as web-ready .html files such as tables, queries and so forth.
Those objects can be viewed in a web browser.
Access does a conversion to an HTML table when a table, query or form is exported.
When a report is exported, it is converted by Access to a series of linked .html files; one
for each page of the report.
Heres a tip: You can view the HTML tags that signifies the structure of a file. To do this
you can display the file in a web browser or open in another text editor.

EXPORTING TO .XML FILES
You can export data such as tables, forms, queries and reports from Access in an XML
format. This can be used by other applications. Steps to take when exporting to an .xml
file are as follows:
Select the XML File button in the Export group on the External Data tab to start the
Export wizard. You will signify the destination location and give it a name
To open the Export XML box, click OK. In that box you can:
Choose the Data (XML) check box to export the data
Choose the Schema of the data (XSD) check box to form a different .xsd schema. This
consists of the structure of the XML data
Choose the Presentation of your data (XSL) check box to export an .xls style sheet. It
describes how to view the XML data
Click OK to save the object along with your specifications. You are then given the chance
to save the export steps by the Export wizard.
The tagged .xml file can be displayed in Internet Explorer and the .xsd file can be
displayed in any text editor.
In order to export a table as a joint data or schema file, select More Options in the XML
dialog box. You then click the Schema tab, click Embed Schema in exported XML Data
Document. After that you then click OK.
Below there are a few steps to follow to export an Access table to another Access database
then to an Excel worksheet. They are as follows:
Select Suppliers in the Tables group on the Navigation pane.
Note that there is no need of opening a table when exporting it entirely.
Click the Access button to commence the Export Access Database wizard. This is on the
External Data tab in the Export group
Click Browse on the wizards page
Go to your practice folder and click Exported
Now click Save
Click Ok to open the Export dialog box
Select Definition and Data in the Export Tables section
Click Ok after you see Suppliers shown in the Export Suppliers to box. The data will then
be exported
Select Close on the Save Export Steps page
Now to ensure the data was successfully exported
Have the Exported database displayed in a different order of Access
Note that one database can only be opened at a time in one order of Access. If another
database is opened without closing the previous, you will be asked to save your data by
Access. If you wish to open two databases at a time, from the Start screen you can start a
second instance of Access. After that you open the second database from the Backstage
view.
Double-click Suppliers in the Tables group which ensures the import was done accurately
Then close the Exported database.
Lets say you want to supply someone with the data of the Suppliers table who does not
have an installed Access program. You can export it to an Excel workbook. The steps are
as follows:
Open the Suppliers table in the Datasheet view from your saved database
Select the Excel button which commences the Export Excel Spread sheet wizard
Click Browse on the wizards page
Check to see if your practice folder is selected in the File Save dialog box
Now click Save
Know that you have the ability to change the name and format in the File Save dialog box.
Also, you can choose a different format and make edits of the name in the wizard.
Choose the Export data with formatting and layout check box
Then select Open the destination file after the export operation is complete check box
Click Ok. This opens the exported workbook in Excel
Now close the workbook in Excel; click close on the Save Export Steps page of the
Export-Excel Spread sheet wizard
Heres an important tip: You can export the table as an attachment in an email if you wish
to view it in Outlook. You do this by selecting the Email button in the Export group.
Steps in exporting data from Access 2016 to a text file:
Select the Text File button to start the Export Text File wizard after the Suppliers table
has been opened in the Datasheet view
Rename your file to Suppliers_fixed.txt from the default file name in the File Name box
Select Export data with formatting and layout and Open destination file after the export
operation is complete check boxes
Click Ok to open the Encode Suppliers As dialog box
Select Windows (Default)
Click Ok which will start your default text editor and open the exported text file
Exit the text file then exit the wizard without the export steps saved
Go over steps 1 to 7 to re-export the table. This time round, you should save the table as
Suppliers_delim..txt. Do not choose the Export data with formatting and layout and Open
destination file after the export operation is complete check boxes
Note that you can try out different approaches with the wizard options. You can go as far
as you wish then go back to try another approach. At any chosen point you can just click
finish when you are through. This will accept the default settings for all the wizards last
options.
Change between the Delimited and Fixed Width options to see the difference in the data in
the Sample export format box
Select Delimited
Click Next
On the wizards next page, the options may vary if you are exporting a delimited or fixed-
width file
Ensure Comma is selected
Select the Include Field Names on First Row check bow
Click Finish which will export the table as an unformatted text file
To confirm the exported file, go to you practice folder and double-click Suppliers_delim.

COPYING TO AND FROM OTHER OFFICE PROGRAMS
It is popularly known that when needing to get information in or out of a database, all you
do is copy and paste. This is the easiest and quicker way to do so at times. When
transferring data from an Access table to a Word or Excel document, this task works quite
well. Data that you paste in a Word document automatically becomes a Word table. It is
completed with a heading row consisting of the field captions viewed as column headings.
When you paste data into an Excel document it is displayed as a normal row-and-column
format.
It is a bit complex though, to transfer data into another Access table by using the copy and
paste technique. It is to be ensured that the data that you wish to paste meets all the criteria
for entering it manually. You are to have the accurate table cells chosen when using the
paste technique. Access displays an error message if it faces a problem during the pasting
process of a group of records. It would then paste the acknowledged problem records into
a Paste Errors table. Within that table, you can troubleshoot the problem, fix it then re-
copy and paste.
When copying a whole table from a database to another, you must:
Open both databases;
Copy the table from the first database to the Office Clipboard
Paste the table into the other database
The table data and/or structure can be inserted as a new table or join the data to an
available table.
Some steps to follow when wanting to copy and paste records amongst an Access database
table, Excel worksheet and a Word document are listed below:
Use the row selector to drag through the six records to be selected when the pointer
changes to a right arrow
Click Copy on the Home tab in the Clipboard group
Open a blank Excel worksheet
Select cell A1 then click Paste on the Excel Home tab
Go back to the Access database
To copy and paste a few fields of a few records:
Make a selection from the FirstName field to the Region field for six records when the
pointer turns to a thick cross
Select Copy in the clipboard group
Go back to Excel then click Paste in cell A9 to input the new selected data
Open a blank Word document
Click Paste in the Home tab to form a formatted table in the document
Close the Word and Excel documents without saving changes.
Exit the Customers table.
To copy information from an Excel worksheet to an available database table:
From the practice folder double-click the Shippers Excel workbook
Copy from A1:H6 cells of the open worksheet
Go back to Access and right-click in the Tables group of the Navigation pane
Click Paste
Select Yes when Access requires you to state if the first row has column headings
Click Ok. This will tell that the import process has been successful. The new Shippers
table will be added to the Tables group of the Navigation pane
Double-click on the Shippers table to open it. Check to see if all records were copied
successfully.
There are some key points to go by. They are as follows:
The import process in Access 2016 is an easy task when importing from Access to other
programs without having to re-type the data.
You can link an Access database to data that is maintain regularly in another program. You
can work with the data in the Access database without the need of importing it.
Depending on the object you wish to export, you can export data from an Access database
in different formats.
The easiest way to make data accessible to other Office programs is by copying and
pasting the data from Access.
You can only use the copy and paste technique into a database if the data in other Office
programs is appropriately set up.

Make Databases User Friendly - 311
Using a Microsoft Access 2016 database can be a complicated blend of objects as well as
tools used to manoeuvre them. Information is actually much safer when it is inserted into
Access database by persons who are not familiar with the program. Also, data that is
retrieved will also be safe making Access users pleased. That is if the data is protected
from the workings of Access. Data and a group of objects can be transformed into an
application that arranges usual tasks. This is when users pay keen attention to the job at
hand and not try to study the program that runs the database. It can be made easier to
access and control the information with an attempt. It can also be hard for users to make
changes or erase it.
Access 2016 allows users to manipulate access to a database by simply creating a
navigation form. Also, another way is by forming custom groups in the Navigation Pane.
You can also have control over what commands and parts of the database users can work
with.

39.DESIGNING NAVIGATION FORMS
A navigation form is shown as a group of buttons used to display and work with reports
and forms. A navigation form can be added to any database, making it easier to input data
and locate what is needed. This is when users lack excess knowledge on Access.
It is to be noted that you cannot work with tables and queries from a navigation form
directly. If you want users to have the ability to see a table or query results in a navigation
form, it would be quite easy. All you need to do is create datasheet forms pertaining to the
objects. After which you would then enter those forms into the navigation form.
You have the choice of making a selection from the six navigation form layouts listed
below:
Horizontal Tabs This appoints each object to a button. This appears as a tab which is
across the top of the form
Vertical Tabs, Left This assigns each object to a button down the left side of the form
Vertical Tabs, Right This assigns each of the objects to a button down the right side of
the form
Horizontal Tabs, 2 Levels This assigns each main object to a button in the very first row
at the top of the form. It also assigns each secondary object to a button on the second row.
Take for instance, if the Customers form is referred to a button at the first level, you may
refer a New Customer form to a button at the second level. Users can give reference to the
Customers form in order to know if whether a customer record is in existence. If it does
not exist, users can select the button for the New Customer form. You do this to view a
new blank record where u can input the customers data.
Horizontal Tabs and Vertical Tabs, Left This refers each object to a button that is across
the top or down the left side of the form. It relies on where you can input it. You can have
one navigation form with this agreement. This pleases the needs of two different groups.
For instance, order-related buttons across the top and inventory-related buttons down the
side.
Horizontal Tabs and Vertical Tabs, Right This refers each object to a button across the
top or down to the right side of the form. This also depends on where it is to be entered.
The chosen layout relies on the number and type of database objects you require to be
made accessible. It also relies on the way you may want to organize them.
When a navigation form is generated, it is shown in Layout view. This is so that you can
start its design. The forms role is provided by a navigation control. It contains a
placeholder for a navigation button and a subform or subreport control. A form or report
can be dragged from the Navigation pane to the button placeholder. This is when the
Navigation Target Name property on the Data page of the buttons Property Sheet pane. It
is given the name of the form or report. That given name can also be viewed on the button.
Note that the name can be changed at the bottom by switching its Caption property. The
report and form can be viewed in the subform or subreport control. A new placeholder
navigation button will be ready to receive the following form or report that is entered. This
is after it has been added to the navigation bar.
A navigation form can be a fitting as a home page for a database. It can be so, if it is
automatically shown when the database has been opened. A default start up page can make
it easier for users of the database. If you may wonder, it would rapidly access the database
objects that may require more work correspondence.
There are steps to follow when creating a datasheet form to view available customers also
a form for new customer data. All you would be required to do is create an easy two-level
navigation form to give an easy access to the customer data. You will then add three forms
and a report to it.
The steps are as follows:
Click Customers in the Navigation pane of the Tables group
Then click More Forms on the Create tab of the Forms group
In the list, select Datasheet to create a datasheet form that looks like the Customers table
Save form as Customer List
Open the Property Sheet pane
Next you must set the Allow Additions, Allow Deletions and Allow edits properties to No
Close the Property Sheet pane then the form to save your changes
Right-click Customer Records in the Forms group of the Navigation pane
Then click Copy
Right-click anywhere in the Forms group then click Paste
Type New Customer as the name of the form in the Paste As dialog box
Click Ok
Open the New Customer form in Layout view
Right-click the title of the form. Click on Form Properties. This will open the Property
Sheet pane for the form.
Set the Data Entry, Allow Additions, Allow Deletions and Allow Edits properties to Yes
on the Data page.
Close the Property Sheet pane then close the form to save the changes
Now you have created two new forms. There is one for special for data lookup and the
other for entering data. You can create a navigation form so that new forms are easy to
acknowledge and access. The steps for this are as follows:
Click the Navigation button on the Create tab in the Forms group
Then click Horizontal Tabs, 2 Levels. If Access opens the Field List pane, close it
Display the Property Sheet pane for the form then enter Home Page in the Caption
property on the Format page
Now click Enter then close the Property Sheet pane
Click the Navigation Form title in the Form Header then re-click it to activate it to do you
edits
Change the title to Forms and Reports then click Enter
Click in the Form Header a distance away from the title control and logo placeholder
Apply the Light Green, Background 2 colour
Click the Logo button on the Design tool lab of the Header/Footer group
Then insert the Logo graphic from the practice folder
Save the form as Home Page
Next, the steps to fill the navigation form by adding forms and reports to it are listed
below. This is by assigning the forms and reports to the two rows of buttons on the
navigation bar. Here are the steps:
Click Customer Records in the Navigation pane
Drag it to the first-level placeholder button at the top of the navigation control
You can now see that the first-level button is now labelled Customer Records. Since the
button is active, the Customer Records form is shown in the subform control. You can also
see that an Add New button has been added to the first-level navigation bar.
Now, click Customer List in the Forms group of the Navigation pane
Next, drag it to the second-level placeholder button below Customer Records. You can
then see that the second-level button is now named as Customer List. The datasheet form
will then reveal itself in the subform control when the button has become active.
Drag the New Customer form to the second-level placeholder button to the right of the
Customer List. You can see that the first-level Customer Records button consists of two
second-level buttons and a second-level placeholder button
In the Reports group of the Navigation pane, you can drag Customer Orders to the first-
level placeholder button to the right of Customer Records.
If you wish, you can test the work you have done in your database. The steps are below:
Change to Form View
Select the Customer Records button
After, you then click the Customer List and New Customer buttons to see the effect of the
form
To format the navigation buttons in order to describe the chain of command clearly:
You must change back to Layout view
Click the Customer Records button
Click and hold down the Ctrl key then click the Customer Orders button
Click the Change Shape button on the Format tool tab of the Control Formatting group
Then select the second shape in the second column which is the Round Same Side Corner
Rectangle
Now click the Quick Styles button in the Control Formatting group without changing the
selection
Select the fourth thumbnail in the rightmost column which is the Subtle Effect Orange,
Accent 6
Repeat steps 8 to 10 for the first Customer Records second-level button. This makes it
identical to the first-level buttons but applies the fourth thumbnail in the second column
(Subtle Effect Green, Accent 1)
Copy the formatting of Customer List to New Customer using Format Painter
Now, switch to Form view where the buttons looks like coloured tabs
Click the Customer Records button
40.CREATING CUSTOM CATEGORIES
The Navigation pane is placed into groups which makes it easier to choose database
objects. Built-in categories are made available in numbers. It allows you to filter by
category in different ways.
You can develop custom groups to supply database users with access to certain database
objects. In Access 2016 you can drag and place any suitable Access objects into a custom
category. This is to form a shortcut leading to the object. The object on the other hand
remains in its home group. This blend of categories and object shortcuts can all be used to
create objects that are used often. It can also make them more accessible. Take for
instance, an accounting department running a group of reports on the final day of the
month. For this you can create an Accounting group with a Month End Reports group.
After such, you can then add easy ways to the reports of that group. Other from that, if the
Marketing Department works with numerous forms, queries and reports regularly, you can
develop a Marketing category. This consists of a group of ways to get to the objects
quickly, or a group of all types of objects. There is nothing to prevent the mix of objects
that you may input in a group.
Lets say you wish to create a custom category, add two groups to it then add shortcuts to
database objects to the groups. The steps to do this are as follows:
To open the Navigation Options dialog box, right-click All Access Objects at the top of
the Navigation pane then click Navigation Options
Click Add Item in the Grouping Options area to add a new category with the name
Custom Category 1 to the list
Rename Custom Category 1 with the title Garden Company then click Enter. You will then
see that the heading at the top of the list changes to Groups for Garden Company. This
shows the category that is selected in the list on the left
Click Add Group below the Groups for Garden Company list
Replace Custom Group 1 with Forms then click Enter
Note briefly Each custom category consists of a default group with the name Unassigned
Objects. This group has all the objects in the database and is source for the shortcuts
created in you custom groups.
Go over step 5 to save a group with the name Reports.
Click OK. Even though it is not yet visible, the Garden Company category has been added
to the Navigation pane.
Click All Access Objects at the top of the Navigation pane. This shows the list of the
available categories.
Click Garden Company
You will now see this category has an empty Forms group, an empty Reports group and
the Unassigned Objects group.
Click the Customer List form in the Unassigned Objects group
Click and hold down the Shift key then click the New Customer form to select the
Customer List, Customer Records, Home Page and New Customer forms
Drag the selection to the top of the Navigation pane. Release the selection when you reach
the top of the Forms group header. You can see the selected forms are no longer in the
Unassigned Objects group. However, the shortcuts for them are displayed in the customs
Forms group.
Click the Alphabetical List of Products in the Unassigned Objects group
Select the Sales By Category reports
Right-click the selection then select Add to group
Then click Reports
Select the chevron at the right end of the Unassigned Objects group header to hide its
objects
Now verify the new shortcuts by opening all forms and reports.
41.CONTROLLING WHICH FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE
There will a time when users with no knowledge of using Access database get access to it.
When this happens, you should have control on what features are to be viewed once
opened. By setting up the startup options for the database, you can have control of the
users environment. For instance, the startup options controls whether the ribbon tabs are
available as well as the Navigation pane. Also, whether a certain object is viewed on
startup and other features of Access 2016.
Note that added control can be attained by the use of Macros and Microsoft Visual Basic
for Applications (VBA) measures.
42. ASSIGNING PASSWORDS TO DATABASES
Access 2016 provides you with the opportunity to prevent unauthorized individuals from
gaining access to your databases, through the use of passwords. By doing so, upon
opening the database, Access will ask the user to input the password and will then open
the database when the correct one is inputted.
Assigning a password to or removing a password from a database is not a difficult
process. You first need to have the database open and ensure that it is not opened by
anyone else. This only applies if the database in question is located on a network and used
by other individuals. Once the database is located on your personal computer you can
proceed. A password can be a phrase or any word.However you should keep the following
points in mind if you want to create a password that is secure and not easily cracked.
Pay keen attention to case as this can cause confusion.
You can include letters, accented characters, numbers, spaces, and most punctuation
marks.
A good password includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and symbols or numbers,
There is also an additional benefit when you assign a password to a database. Access
created databases have a binary extension- meaning only the computer can process and
understand the instructions or information. Should you proceed to open the file in a
different programme such as Word or text editor, you will realise that majority of the
content is incomprehensible. While you may be able to decipher some of the data, it is
unlikely that anything significant will be gained. However caution should be taken as
there are tools on the market that can be used to search for key words that can discover
restricted information. A password protected database is however encrypted each time it is
closed thus limiting an individual from deciphering the data. Once the correct password is
entered when the file is opened in Access it is automatically decrypted and readable.
Note of Caution: While assigning a password to a database is an easy feat and an avenue
for keeping unauthorized persons from accessing the database, there are still options to
crack passwords. There are special programs on the market that can be used to recover
passwords that are forgotten. Additionally, for databases that are used by multiple
individuals, the possibility exists that the password may pass around. Hence it is advised
that such simple passwords only be used for databases that are used by a single individual.

Follow these steps to assign and remove a password
Bring up Access without opening a database then display the Open page of the Backstage
view. Select the Open text box, and go to the database that you will be using.
Select the Open arrow. A list will appear, choose the option Open Exclusive.
The database will now be safe for a password to be assigned as it cannot be accessed by
anyone until you close it.
Go to the Database Tools group, then to the Database Tools tab, and select the
option Encrypt with Password.
A text box will appear with the option, Set Database Password.
In Password box, input the desired password and then type it once again in the field
labelled, Verify.
NOTE: It is very important that you keep your password in a safe place in the event that
you are unable to remember it.
Then select OK
Follow these steps to learn how to decrypt the password
Bring up the database that has been encrypted. A text box appears labelled Password
Required
In the Enter database password box, type your password and then select OK.
To remove the password, go to the Database Tools tab, that is located in the Database
Tools group, and select the option Decrypt Database.
A text box will appear with the prompt, Unset Database Password
Go to the Password box and type your password then select.
43. SPLITTING DATABASES
When an individual uses a database that is stored on a network drive and not directly
stored to on their personal computer, Access automatically transfers the objects used in
that database from the network, to the computer that is being used by that individual.
Access provides the option to split the database as processing time may become slower if
multiple persons are using the same database all at once. When a database is split, it is
organized into two sections.
Back-end database: This section stores all the data in table and remains on the network
computer.
Front-end Database: This section stores all the forms, queries and reports that are used
when working on the database. It is then sent to the local computer of those who are
working on the database
Because Access can move the data required by a database object over the network much
faster than it can move the entire object, database performance is improved. An added
benefit is that when the database is split, the central data that is located in the front-end
database is further protected, preventing issues that may affect its reliability and usability.
A database is split by using the Database Splitter Wizard. To begin this you need to go the
Database Tools tab, then to the Move Data group and click the Access Database button.
Open the database to be used and follow the following steps.
Close any open database objects, and then save the database with the word split at the
end.

NOTE: Always ensure that you save a local copy of the database that you are going to
split, in the event that the results are not to your favour.
The Home Page navigation form will be displayed once the new version of your database
opens. Simply close the form.
Go to the Database Tools tab, then to the Move Data group and click the Access Database
button to activate the Database Splitter wizard.
The wizard will pop-up and explain the process before you begin.
Select the option Split Database. Go to Create Back-end Database text box; choose a
name, a file style, and a location for the back-end database file.
To make things much simpler consider remaining with the name that Access recommends.
By doing so you are able to retain the original file name, and to show that the database is
the back-end portion, insert _be into the name, just before the file name extension.
Unless some the users only have access to an earlier version of Access, the file type
should remain as is.
Go to the File Name box, and input the path to the location of the back-end database
The chosen location should be accessible to all users of the database.
A confirmation message will appear when the wizard has completed the splitting process.
After this you may distribute the split database to anyone who needs to access it, once that
individuals computer has connection to the one that it is stored on.
44. SECURING DATABASES FOR DISTRIBUTION
Controlling and monitoring access to a database is an easy process, once the database is
being used on your personal computer or on your companys network. However, once the
database is sent to other individuals, it becomes difficult to exercise any control. It is
impossible to track who has access to the object or tools. Should this be a concern Access
provides the option to distribute the database as an Access Database Executable (.accde
file)
Let us presume that you want to make a database accessible for use by numerous
organizations, but you do not want the organizations associates to be able to make
modifications to the database objects. You can save the database as an .accde file and
allocate that file in the place of the .accdb file. Saving a database as an .accde file collects
and compacts the resulting database. Operators of the.accde file can observe forms and
reports, fill in information, and run queries, but they cannot modify the design of forms
and reports.
NOTE: ACCDE databases also confine what can be done with macros, modules, and VBA
code. These areas however cannot be adequately discussed in this portion of the training
guide.

You cannot save a database in ACCDE format and try to change it back to the foundation
ACCDB format, so after you have saved a database as an .accde file, also make sure that
you preserve the original .accdb file in a safe place. If you need to change a form or report
in the database, you will need to make the change in the original database and then save it
as an .accde file again.
NOTE: When generating an ACCDE database that is logged on to by multiple users, first
confirm that no user has the database open. In File Explorer or Windows Explorer, search
for the location of the file, and confirm that there is no file with a similar name with an
.accdb (Locked Access Database) extension. If you try to create an .accde file for an open
database, you will be cautioned that the database has already been unlocked by someone
else (the user name and computer name will be provided) and you will be prompted to try
again later.
Let us examine how to generate a secure database by saving it as a distributable .accde
file. You will then test the file.
Close any open database objects, and then bring up the Save As page of that is found at
the Backstage view.
Go to the Advanced area located on the right pane, click twice on the option, Make
ACCDE.
Go to the Save As text box, ensure that the database that you are working with is being
displayed, change the name of the database to the name you desire and add the extension,
_accde, and then select Save.
Close the database but do not leave Access.
Follow these steps to verify that you have created an executable file.
Bring up the Open page that is located at the Backstage view, and then bring up the
contents of the database
The icon for an ACCDE database shows a red lock over the standard Access icon.
NOTE: Adjustments may need to be done to the widths of the column to show the file
types.

Click twice on the version of your database that is acknowledged as a Microsoft Access
ACCDE Database. A rather frightening security notice will be shown.
This warning generally appears if you open a file of that format and the computer assumes
that it is from an untrusted source or that it is kept in an untrusted location.
Seeing that you are aware of the source and storage location you can go ahead and select
Open.
In the Navigation pane, right-click each object. Notice that the Design View command is
not available. Neither is it available on the Home tab or the View Shortcuts toolbar, this
indicates that you are unable to make any form of design alterations to the forms and
reports in database.
NOTE: If you alter the Navigation pane category to All Access Objects, you can right-
click tables and display them in Design view. To avoid the likelihood of modifications to
table design in an .accde file, remove right of entry to the Navigation pane as described in
Controlling which features are available in Make databases user friendly, and then
create the file.
45. PACKAGING AND SIGNING DATABASES
The Package And Sign tool is an excellent means of conveying to users of a file that has
been saved in the format aadc, that it is secure. The tool can be used to create an Acccess
Deployment (accdc) file, which basically contains the compressed database. The file is
then verified using a digital signature, which indicates that no modifications have been
done since the file was packaged.
NOTE: Digital Signatures can be bought from third-party companies.
How to package the existing database as a signed .accdc file:
Close all the database objects then go to the Backstage view and display the Save As page.
Go to the Advanced area, located on the right pane, and click twice on the option, Package
and Sign.
A security message will pop up asking for confirmation to use the installed certificate,
select OK.
Go to the Create Microsoft Access Signed Package text box, and identify where the
package will be stored and the name for the package. In the Save as type box, set it to
Microsoft Access Signed Package, and then select Create.
The following steps show how to use the packaged file:
Go to the location where the signed ACCDC database is stored.
Click twice on the package. Access will display a security warning; select the option Show
Signature Details.
In the Digital Signature Details text box, check the signature then select OK.
Go to the warning notice box and select Open.
A text box, labelled Extract Database To will appear, select the location to which the
database will be extracted then select OK.
46. PREVENTING DATABASE PROBLEMS
Continuous use of any database can cause the internal structure of the database to develop
issues such as file bloating, fragmentation or poor space usage. Luckily, Access is
programmed to analyse your database files once they are opened and used, but keen
attention should still be taken, especially if the performance seems inconsistent. It is quite
unfortunate when you have created large, important databases and when you try to retrieve
the data you are informed that the file is corrupted.
There are numerous steps that can be taken to ensure that your database is running as it
should. An important and initial step is to always ensure that your database is backed up
in the event of damage or corruption.
Along with regular backing up, Access has additional tools to help with protection.
The Compact and Repair Database option enhances the performance of your database by
reorganizing the storage of your file on your hard disk and then makes an effort to correct
any corruption.
NOTE: It is important to utilise this option on a frequent basis. Access provides the option
to run this automatically once the database is closed.
The Database Documenter utility can generate a comprehensive report with adequate
information for data rebuilding should the need arise.
The Analyze Performance utility reviews the objects within the database and provides
advice: ideas, suggestions and recommendations. Access can follow through with any of
the suggested feedback upon instruction.
The Analyze Table utility examines the tables in the database to determine whether they
meet the required standard for design and makes suggestions to any problems that may be
found.

Follow these steps to learn how to Back-up Your Database
Close all the database objects then go to the Backstage view and display the Save As page.
Go to the Advanced area, located on the right pane, and click twice on the option, Back
Up Database.
In the Save As text box, and then click Save, which duplicates the database with the
present date affixed to the file name in the stated folder.
Running the Compact and Repair Database utility.
Go to the Backstage view and bring up the Info page then select Compact & Repair
Database.
NOTE: The Compact And Repair Database button can also be found in the in the Tools
group on the Database Tools tab.
The utility will begin running and should only take a couple seconds. If the database has
not been compacted in a while and it is used frequently, the run time may be extended and
the file size could also be reduced.
Running the Analyze Performance utility
Go to the Navigation pane and select the Forms area then choose, Home Page.
Go to the Analyze group, then to Database Tools tab and select Analyze Performance
button which will reveal the Performance Analyzer text box.
To start the analyser select the All Object Types tab, and choose the option Select All
Select each entry and go through the data that is located in Analysis Notes area.
NOTE: It is important to inspect the suggestions given as they can provide assistance in
improving the database and correct irregularities immediately.
After you have completed that, close the Performance Analyzer text box.
How to create a report of the structure of the database
Go to the Database Tools tab, located under the Analyze group, and select the Database
Documenter button which will bring up the Documenter text box.
Click the Select the Tables tab, and then choose Options to open the Print Table Definition
text box.
Select the option Cancel in the Print Table Definition box.
On the All Object Types tab, select the option Select All and then choose OK. This will
initiate the process and generate the report. Access will then display the results in Print
Preview.
Efficient Ways to Work in Access
There are numerous ways to ensure that you reduce the time spent working in Access.
These are not limited to but include:
Changing the default program options.
Customizing the ribbon.
Manipulating the Quick Access Toolbar.
If you use Microsoft Access 2013 only occasionally, you might be faultlessly happy
creating new databases by using the wide range of tools we have examined throughout this
guide. Additionally you and the other individuals who use your databases might be
contented with the default working environment and behind-the-scenes settings of the
Access program that have been pre-installed on your computers.
However, if you create a lot of databases of various types, you might find that you want to
modernize the development process or change aspects of the program to make it more
suitable for the users of the databases you create.
47. CHANGING DEFAULT PROGRAM OPTIONS
Once you have become acquainted with working with Access you may desire to change
program options to suit how you work.
Bring up the Backstage view, and then select Options to bring up the Access Options box,
with the General page displayed.
The options on this page control the user interface appearance, the availability of Live
Preview, the default file format and storage location, and user identification.
The selections that are shown in the bottom section of the General page are applicable to
all Microsoft office programs.
Go to the Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office region; and select click the Office
Background object which will display the available options such as Calligraphy, Circles
and Stripes, Straws, etc. You can select whichever suits your need to add a background
effect to the top of your programs.
Move away from the list or press Esc to close the list, if you do not want to make a
selection.
To view options that control the features for the current database, go to the left pane and
select Current Database. These features are applicable only to the active database
Go all the way to the end of the page to find all the options.
Go to the Navigation area, and select the Navigation Options checkbox to bring up the
Navigation Options selections. This controls the behaviour and characteristics of the
Navigation Pane.
Select Cancel. Go to the section in the left of the Access Options text box, and select
Datasheet. The preferences contained within this area control how gridlines, cells and
fonts and results when viewed in Datasheet.
Next, bring up the Object Designers page and go through the entire page to view the
different options.

Go to the page labelled, Proofing. This will reveal the options available for checking
spelling.
Go to the AutoCorrect options section and select the AutoCorrect Options pointer to bring
up the AutoCorrect box.
Go to the AutoCorrect options section and select the AutoCorrect Options pointer to bring
up the AutoCorrect box.
If you do not know all the features that are associated with this option then you can scroll
to the bottom to view the built-in options and then close the box.
Next, click on the Language option to bring up that page. If you wish, you can select the
option to include additional languages for databases that will be operated by other non-
English speaking individuals.
Display Click on the Client Settings page, to view the options that control how the default
programs for Access operate for the local computer.
Although you may notice the options Customize Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar as the
next options, select Add-ins. Those will be explored under a different heading. The
Manage option at the end of the page can be used to add or remove add-ins
The final option, Trust Center, displays the options that control the privacy and safety of
your databases.
48. CUSTOMIZING THE RIBBON
Sometimes the many buttons located on the ribbon become overbearing for some
individuals. If you wish to have less commands being shown or restrict certain commands
from use by users, the Customize Ribbon option located in the left area of the Access
Options box can fulfil these requests.
In the box on the left, you can list all the commands available in Access. In the one on the
right, you can display the commands that are currently available on the ribbon.
Customizing the ribbon involves:
Turning off tabs that are not used frequently.
Moving a predefined group by taking it from one tab and placing it on another.
Creating a specialized group on a tab and placing commands on it.
Creating a new tab to suit a particular need.
By experimenting with the ribbon you can design it to suit your particular working needs
for more efficient use.
Let us go through a few of these customizations:
Go to the Access Options text box and bring up the Customize the Ribbon page.
Go to the Customize the Ribbon options and uncheck the boxes for the options External
Data and Database Tools tabs. Then select OK to remove all the tabs, excluding File,
Home, and Create.
Go to the Access Options text box again and bring up the Customize the Ribbon page. In
the Customize the Ribbon options, choose the Database Tools option box.
From the list of options in the Customize the Ribbon, select the + that is next to Database
Tools to bring up the groups on this tab.
To view the groups that are built in, go to the left and bring up the Choose commands
from options and select Main Tabs.
Go to the Customize the Ribbon option, and select the option, Move Data group, and then
choose Remove to take the group from the Database Tools tab on the ribbon.
The Home group should be expanded to display the groups under it, if that does not
appear, select the + next to it and chose the word Home.
At the bottom of the list, select New Group. When that appears at the end of the Home
group options, select Rename and input FINAL in the Display name area and select OK.
Next select the Move up tab until it goes above Views in the group list.
Select the Final (Custom), then bring up the Choose commands from list and select File
Tab to show the available option.
From the list of options in the Choose commands from, select Encode/Decode Database,
and then select Add. Follow the same steps to add Encode/Decode Database.
Follow these steps to create a custom Search tab
Go to the Customize the Ribbon option and take out the Find and Sort & Filter groups that
are on the Home tab.
Click the word Home, and then below the list box, click New Tab. Notice that Access adds
a new tab called New Tab (Custom) to the list, selects it for display on the ribbon, and
assigns it one custom group. Select the word Home and then at the end of the option box,
choose New Tab. A new tab will automatically be added to the list of options, and
assigned as a custom group, labelled as New Tab (Custom).
Click on it and then select Rename. In the box the pops up, input the word SEARCH in
the Display name box and select OK.
With the newly created tab selected, bring up the Choose commands from options and
then select Main Tabs. Then in the box extend the Home tab.
Place the Sort & Filter and Find groups onto the newly created tab [Search (Custom)].
Select the Access Options box to view to two additional options that have been created.
Restoring the Ribbon to its default configuration
In the Access Options box, bring up the Customize Ribbon page, select Reset and then
choose the Reset all customizations.
Select Yes, when the message asks you to approve that you want to delete all the
customizations.


49. MANIPULATING THE QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR
The Quick Access Toolbar usually displays the Save, Undo, and Redo buttons. Buttons
that are used regularly may also be added to this tab as well so that you do not have to
switch between tabs every time. If you click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button
it reveals a list of commands commonly used. Those that are checked currently appear on
the Toolbar. By checking or unchecking the commands are added or removed from the
toolbar. The Toolbar will expand to accommodate commands as you add them, although
some may not be shown as you go along. To prevent this, the Quick Access Toolbar has
the option to place it below the Ribbon.
You can view additional commands by selecting the option, More Command on the Quick
Access Toolbar
The Quick Access Toolbar can be customized in these ways:
You can create a custom Quick Access Toolbar for your databases or for a particular one.
You can add a command from different areas to the toolbar.
You can show a separator between buttons.
You can place the buttons in a special order.
You can reset to default settings.

Go to the Access Options text box and bring up the Quick Access Toolbar page. Pull up
the Choose commands from list and select All Commands.
Under the Customize Quick Access Toolbar options, select Redo and then go back to the
top and select Separator, to separate the default commands from the custom ones that will
be added.

Scroll about two-thirds of the way down the Choose commands from list box, click Quick
Print, and then click Add. O down the list of the option Choose commands from until you
see Quick Print, and then chose Add.
Follow the above step to add the Forms, Reports, and Tables ribbon groups. This will
enable you to utilize their commands without bringing up the Forms, Reports, and Tables
ribbon groups
Change the order the groups appear by moving them around.
The arrows located to the right of these added groups shows that when you select these
buttons, the commands will be displayed.
If you close the Access Options box, you will notice that in addition to the regular
commands, the Quick Access Toolbar also has the Quick Print option and the Tables,
Forms, and Reports group options. Notice also that a line acts as the separator.
Let us see how these new additions operate
If you have an installed printer and it is on, select the Quick Print button located on the
Quick Access Toolbar. Your document should be printed automatically.
Lets restore the default Quick Access Toolbar configuration.
Go to the Access Options box and bring up the Quick Access Toolbar page. Select the
option Reset and then choose Reset only Quick Access Toolbar.
When the message box appears to confirm, select Yes and this will reset the configuration
of the Quick Access Toolbar to its default setting.
50. ACCESS 2016 KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
If you are like anyone else you are almost always searching
for ways to limit the time spend doing work. So, of course
Microsoft would not exempt Access from being able to provide
users with keyboard shortcuts. Here is a list keyboard
shortcuts in Access that will help you to quickly perform
commands or to move the focus without using the mouse.
Shortcut Keys for Access web app
These shortcut keys are available when you are customizing a web app in Access. Some of
the shortcuts listed under Desktop database shortcut keys are also available when
customizing a web app.
Press TAB to go through Advance through the entire tables and views (when not in Edit
mode)
Use the Arrow keys to navigate a table or view selector
Use the F11 key to display or hide the Navigation Pane
When in Edit mode use TAB to go through the controls on a view (Move the selected
control(s)
Select F4 to display or remove the properties for the selected control A combination of
Alt & F8 will display or hide the Field List
Runtime (browser) shortcut keys
These shortcut keys are available when you are using an Access web app in the browser.
You can also use any shortcut keys that are provided by the browser itself.
To bring up a new item press the key N
The option Delete will automatically delete an item
To edit select the key E
The combination Ctrl+S will easily save an item
To cancel an option press the key Escape
The / key can edit the filter
To close a box that has popped up select the key Escape
When you are working in the browse you can use the keys Tab, Shift+Tab and the arrow
keys to navigate between table list, the view selector, the action bar, the search box, and
controls on views.
Shortcut Keys for opening databases
The combination of CTRL+N will open a new database
The combination of CTRL+N will open an existing database
Shortcut Keys for printing and saving
The combination of CTRL+P automatically prints an existing or chosen object.
To bring up the Print text box from that is located in Print Preview press the keys P or
CTRL+P
To bring up the Page Setup text box from that is located in Print Preview press the key S
By pressing the key C or ESC you can automatically stop Print Preview or Layout
Preview
By pressing the keys CTRL+S or SHIFT+ F12 and database will automatically be saved.
To bring up the Save As option press F12
Press the key F4 or ALT+ DOWN ARROW to bring up a combo box
Press the key F9 to restore the refresh the subjects of a Lookup field list box or combo box
Select the DOWN ARROW to go down one line Select the PAGE DOWN
key to go down a single page
Select the UP ARROW to go up one page
Select the PAGE UP to go one page up
Shortcut Keys for editing controls in form and report Design view
To copy a section or area to the Clipboard press the keys CTRL+C
To copy a section or area and copy it to the Clipboard press the keys CTRL+X
To paste the copied area from the clipboard to another area press the keys CTRL+V
Press the key F2 to show the entire hyperlink address for a required hyperlink.
Press the key F2 to go verify your spelling Check spelling
Press the keys ALT+ENTER to bring up a property sheet in Design view
Press the keys ALT+F4 to leave Access
Press the keys CTRL+F2 start a Builder
Shortcut Keys for navigating and opening objects
To open a required table or query in Datasheet view press the ENTER key
To open the required form or report press the ENTER key
If you wish to run a particular macro press the ENTER key
Shortcut Keys for working with menus
Press the Shortcut key to bring up the shortcut menu. This key is usually located at the
lower right on the keyboard
To show the keys for access press the keys ALT or F10
To bring up the program icon menu press the keys ALT+SPACEBAR
To choose the initial or final command on the menu or submenu press the keys HOME or
END
To hide the visible menu and submenu at simultaneously press the key ALT
To close either at different times simply press the ESC
Shortcut keys for working with text and data in Access
Shortcut Keys for selecting text and data
Selecting text in a field
To alter the size of a particular area by a single character located at the right press the keys
SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
To alter the size of a particular area by a single word located at the right press the keys
CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
To alter the size of a particular area by a single character located to the left press the keys
SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
To alter the size of a particular area by a single word located to the left press the keys
CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
Selecting a field or record
To choose a next field press the TAB key
To lengthen the required field of another record, if the current one is also selected press
the SHIFT+DOWN ARROW keys
To easily select all the fields in the database press the CTRL+A or
CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR keys
Shortcut Keys for extending a selection
To extend a choose area that is Extend a selection to adjacent fields in the same row in
Datasheet view-LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
To extend the area of a required field of a selection next to a row press the keys UP
ARROW or DOWN ARROW
To go back to the selection made, press the keys SHIFT+F8
To end the Extend mode altogether press the ESC key
Shortcut Keys for selecting and moving a column in Datasheet view
Once in Navigation mode you can choose a current column or abandon the column
selected by pressing the keys CTRL+SPACEBAR
If a current column is selected and you wish to extend the selection to another column to
the right press the keys SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
If a current column is selected and you wish to extend the selection to another column to
the left press the keys -SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
If you wish to move a chosen column or columns to either the left or right, turn on the
Move mode and press the keys CTRL+SHIFT+F8
Shortcut Keys for editing text and data and moving the insertion point in a field
If you want to move the point of insertion one character to the right press the RIGHT
ARROW
If you want to move the point of insertion a single term to the right press CTRL+RIGHT
ARROW
If you want to move the point of insertion one character to the left press LEFT ARROW
If you want to move the point of insertion a single term to the left press CTRL+LEFT
ARROW
If you want to move the point of insertion all the way to the end of the field press the END
key
If you want to move the point of insertion all the way to the beginning of the field, press
the HOME key
There are many more shortcuts available in access and through experimentation many
more can be discovered. Shortcut keys make working in Access or any Microsoft Office
program more efficient.

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