Microsoft Access

MS Access is a relational database management system developed in the form of physical files with an extension .mdb or .accdb. Ms Access data base system is based on data base objects like tables, queries, forms and reports. Ms Access allows us to create data bases in three ways namely... 1. Blank data base : It allows us to create a new data base with user specified objects ad formatting 2. Online template: It allows us to customize the existing data bases by importing the data bases from a network. 3. Local template: It allows us to customize an existing data base. Ms Access allows us to create a database table in the form of, 1. Data sheet view: This type of representation allows to accept the data first and then supports to customize the structure (field name, constraints, etc) 2. Table wizard: This allows to creating a new data base table by selecting specific data fields from different data bases. 3. Design view: This allows us to create a new data base table by specifying the structure initially and it allows us to accept the data. 4. Table structure: Ms Access has a standard menu with the following options, a. Home: This consists of different groups related to the appearance, formatting, and record navigations of a database. b. Create: This supports the groups related to the table, form, reports, queries and macros manipulations. c. External data: This allows to import or export the data base into different soft wares like excel, XPS, PDF. d. Database tools: This allows to perform the database manipulations like migrating the database from Ms Access to other database servers like SQL server, allows to generate user defined macros, GUI forms through visual basics. A table structure mainly consists of field name, data type, and description. Every field consists of a specific property sheet (field properties). Field name should start with an alphabet. Data type specifies the type of value that holds by the corresponding field. Description specifies a user friendly text for the field name.

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Ms Access supports the following data types: 1. Auto number: This generates an automatic unique number whenever a new record is created. 2. Text: This allows us to accept a textual data (a single lined data). 3. Memo: This is a multi-lined textual data accepting data type. 4. Number: Used to accept a numerical value. 5. Date/Time: Used to accept a date or time based values. 6. Currency: Used to specify a formatted numerical value. 7. Yes/No: Used to accept a true or false logic based values. 8. OLE object: Object linking and embedded object is used to attach an object and also supports customizing the object. 9. Attachment: Used to attach an external file. 10. Hyperlink: This allows us to specify the URL for a specific data. 11. Lookup Wizard: This allows us to specify data through either referring from other fields or manual list.

Table property sheet: A property sheet consists of the characteristics of a particular selected field. MS Access displays the property sheet of a field in design view only. Some properties are validation text, validation rule, default value, required, etc.

Validation rule: A validation rule allows restricting a range of values in the specified column. If the validation rule is violated then system defined error message will be displayed. This message will be customized through validation text property. Primary key: A primary key is a combination of not null and no duplicates feature. A table can have only one primary key for a field. If more than one field requires primary key feature, such can be treated as composite key. Composite primary key: a composite primary key allows representing the primary key feature based on the specified fields data together. Relationship in MS Access: A relationship specifies a data association in between multiple columns in same table or in different table. A relationship allows controlling the data in a field based on the data of other field. When multiple tables are related with each other such tables are treated as parent and child tables. A parent table consists of uniquely identified records. A

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child table consists of referenced data. A relationship requires a common field among the tables. Ms Access provides the relationship in two ways 1. By using lookup wizard (data type) 2. By using relationship through database tools tab Queries: A query is a database object, which allows representing the table data in a filtered manner, also allows updating the table data. A query is based on one or more tables.Ms Access supports the query process in the form of wizard and design view. A query wizard mainly supports the following types of queries Simple query: This is the default query which filters the data.(minimum one field required) Crosstab query: This type of query allows generating a summarized data (sum, avg, count, etc.) with the minimum of 3 fields. Find duplicates query: This query allows retrieving repeated data from the specified tables. Find unmatched query: This type of query retrieves those records which do not have any specific matching records in the child table.

Types of queries: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Select query: It is used to retrieve the specific data from the specified tables. Updatable query: Used to update a specific field in the table with or without condition. Delete query: Used to remove the records from the table based on a specific condition. Make table query: This allows creating a new table by executing the query. Append query: Used to add new records to an existing table. Crosstab query: Used to generate a pivot format data representation.

MS Access supports query design view for generating different types of queries. The design view consists of tables list (show tables), field list selection (table name.* indicates all fields), criteria, logical operations, etc. Parameters in query: Ms Access supports parameters for supplying a value to a query dynamically i.e. through parameters a query output can be controlled.

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