Microsoft Office ® Access 2003 This page intentionally left blank Microsoft Office ® Access 2003 Virginia Andersen McGraw-Hill/Osborne New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto McGraw-Hill/Osborne 2100 Powell Street, 10th Floor Emeryville, California 94608 U.S.A To arrange bulk purchase discounts for sales promotions, premiums, or fund-raisers, please contact McGraw-Hill/Osborne at the above address For information on translations or book distributors outside the U.S.A., please see the International Contact Information page immediately following the index of this book How to Do Everything with Microsoft® Office Access 2003 Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of publisher, with the exception that the program listings may be entered, stored, and executed in a computer system, but they may not be reproduced for publication 1234567890 FGR FGR 019876543 ISBN 0-07-222938-1 Publisher: Associate Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Acquisitions Editor: Senior Project Editor: Acquisitions Coordinators: Technical Editor: Copy Editor: Proofreader: Indexer: Computer Designers: Illustrators: Series Design: Cover Series Design: Cover Illustration: Brandon A Nordin Scott Rogers Megg Morin Jody McKenzie Tana Allen, Athena Honore Margaret Levine Young Andy Saff Stefany Otis Valerie Perry Tara A Davis, Lucie Erickson, Jim Kussow, Dick Schwartz Kathleen Fay Edwards, Melinda Moore Lytle, Lyssa Wald Mickey Galicia Dodie Shoemaker Eliot Bergman This book was composed with Corel VENTURA™ Publisher Information has been obtained by McGraw-Hill/Osborne from sources believed to be reliable However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, McGraw-Hill/Osborne, or others, McGraw-Hill/Osborne does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained from the use of such information About the Author When Grace Hopper, the originator of the concept of program compilers, told Virginia Andersen in 1948 that there was a future for women in digital computers, she responded, “In what?” Nevertheless, after graduating from Stanford University, Virginia pursued the idea and carved out a career applying computers to many challenging projects such as mapping the moon’s surface in preparation for the Apollo landing; managing large industrial construction projects; conducting undersea surveillance; simulating navy weapon systems; and building reliability mathematical models She also found time to teach computer science, mathematics, and system analysis at the graduate and undergraduate levels at several Southern California universities Since retiring from the defense industry, Virginia has written or contributed to more than 30 books about personal computer–based applications, including database management, word processing, and spreadsheet analysis She has recently completed the story of her varied uses for computers over the last 50 years, Digital Recall: Computers Aren’t the Only Ones with Memory This page intentionally left blank Contents at a Glance Part I Get Started Part II Get Acquainted with Access 2003 Create a Database Create and Modify Tables Relate Tables Enter and Edit Data 25 41 73 89 Retrieve and Present Information 10 11 12 Part III Sort, Filter, and Print Records Extract Information with Queries Create Advanced Queries Understand Form and Report Design Basics Create Custom Forms and Subforms Create and Customize Reports and Subreports Create Charts and Graphs 123 139 173 189 217 255 295 Improve the Access 2003 Workplace 13 14 15 16 17 Customize the Workplace Speed Up Your Database Automate with Macros Customize Menus and Toolbars Create Custom Switchboards and Dialog Boxes 319 341 357 377 399 vii viii How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 Part IV Exchange Data with Others 18 19 20 21 Exchange Database Objects and Text Exchange Data with Outside Sources Share with Multiple Users Secure a Database 425 447 465 477 Appendix Convert to Access 2003 501 Index 509 Contents Acknowledgments Introduction xix xxi PART I Get Started CHAPTER Get Acquainted with Access 2003 Start Access and Open a Database Take a Tour of the Access Window Open a Database Open the Sample Database Tour the Database Window Look at Menu Options and Toolbar Buttons Use Shortcut Menus Open a Table Take a Tour of the Datasheet View Check Out the Subdatasheet Get Help When You Need It Ask a Question Use the Microsoft Access Help Task Pane Ask the Office Assistant Ask What’s This? Get Help with What You’re Doing 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 21 23 23 23 Create a Database 25 Design an Efficient Database Determine the Goals of the Database Distribute the Data Among the Tables Identify the Data Fields Specify Key Fields Define Table Relationships Complete the Database Create a Database with the Database Wizard Preview the Database Templates Work with the Wizard 26 28 28 29 30 31 32 33 33 34 CHAPTER ix 18 How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 Expand subdatasheet Collapse subdatasheet FIGURE 1-6 Viewing subdatasheets in the Orders table in Datasheet view Get Help When You Need It No matter how easy Access makes database management, you can’t possibly remember how to every task That’s where the Access Help feature comes in There are two ways to get help with what you are doing: ■ Use the Ask a Question box ■ Use the Microsoft Access Help task pane The Ask a Question box is always available in the upper-right corner of the menu bar so you can always get help, no matter where you are or what you’re doing in Access It shows the “Type a question for help” message The Help menu is always on the menu bar as well The Help button is also available on all built-in toolbars CHAPTER 1: Get Acquainted with Access 2003 Ask a Question You can use the Ask a Question box to get help quickly Simply type a key word or phrase in the box, press ENTER, and the Search Results task pane displays a list of relevant topics (see Figure 1-7) Scroll down the list and click on the one that matches your question The Help window opens and displays the text of the topic you chose The topic often includes expandable items such as “Predefined calculations that use aggregate functions,” as shown in Figure 1-8 To see the whole subtopic, click the expand arrow at the left of the selection If you want to see all the subtopics expanded, click the Show All link at the top-right of the window In addition to the list of subtopics, you may see many terms showing in a different color, which indicates they’re expandable to show definitions and other short explanations These are also expanded when you click Show All You can also expand them individually by clicking the colored term To collapse a single item, click it again To collapse all the items, click the Hide FIGURE 1-7 Looking at the Search Results task pane 19 20 How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 Auto Tile Back Forward Print FIGURE 1-8 Viewing the selected Help topic All button, which has replaced the Show All link All items automatically collapse when you move to another topic The four buttons in the Help page the following: ■ The Auto Tile button tiles the Help window vertically with the Search Result task pane so you can select another topic without closing the Help window ■ The Back and Forward buttons move among recently accessed Help topics ■ The Print button opens the Print dialog box so you can print the current Help topic CHAPTER 1: Get Acquainted with Access 2003 If you are working in a different language, your version of Access may not support the Ask a Question feature Use the Microsoft Access Help Task Pane You have four ways to open the Microsoft Access Help task pane (see Figure 1-9): ■ ■ ■ ■ Press F1 Choose Help | Microsoft Access Help Click the Help toolbar button If you already see a Task pane, click anywhere in the Task pane title bar and choose Help from the list of available Task panes FIGURE 1-9 Opening the Microsoft Access Help task pane 21 22 How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 If you have selected an object or other item before pressing F1, you may see a brief definition of the selected item rather than the Help task pane You can use the Help task pane to search for a topic Type specific words or phrases in the Search box and click the right-pointing arrow button If you want to browse through the Help file table of contents, click the Table of Contents hyperlink The Table of Contents displays a list of topics marked with the closed book icon Click these to expand the topics into individual Help articles (see Figure 1-10) If you are currently connected to the Internet, you also have access to all the up-to-date Help topics Additional online help includes assistance, training courses, the latest product updates, clip art and media, and a research library FIGURE 1-10 Viewing the Help Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: Get Acquainted with Access 2003 Ask the Office Assistant If you want a little variety, you can activate the Office Assistant by choosing Help | Show the Office Assistant When the assistant appears, click on the character to open a balloon asking “What would you like to do?” Type your question in the balloon and click Search This functions much like typing your question in the Ask a Question box You’ll see a list of relevant topics in the same Search Results task pane as before and you can choose one to open the Help window If you have not installed the Office Assistant, you will see a dialog box asking whether you want to install it now Click Yes and you will be prompted to insert the Microsoft Office CD To remove the Office Assistant from the screen, choose Help | Hide Office Assistant or right-click the character and choose Hide from the shortcut menu If you get tired of the paper clip, you can choose from six other characters See Chapter 13 for information about customizing the Office Assistant and other features of the Access workplace Ask What’s This? Most of the Access dialog boxes include the What’s This? tool, which gives you quick and short information about a specific element or choice in the box Activating the What’s This? help feature is a two-step process First, click the ? button in the dialog box title bar The mouse pointer changes to an arrow accompanied by a question mark Then, click the element you want to know more about To return the mouse pointer to its normal state without openingWhat’s This?, press ESC Get Help with What You’re Doing Without opening the Help window, Access gives you many hints and clues while you’re working The status bar offers information about the current activity or position of the cursor Many design windows include hint boxes that tell you about aspects of the design Other windows and dialog boxes include samples or previews of the selections made For example, when you are working in the table Design window, status bar information tells you how to move around the Design view and get help The hint box on the right describes what should appear in the Field Name column 23 This page intentionally left blank Chapter Create a Database 26 How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 How to… ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Design an efficient database Create a database with the Database Wizard Run the new application Start a new database from scratch Start a new database from Windows The information in a relational database system is distributed among related tables to optimize information storage and retrieval Common fields relate the tables so that information can be extracted and presented in useful ways If properly designed and constructed, a database can be an essential tool in managing personal or business information Design an Efficient Database The design process begins with an analysis of the tasks that will be required of the database First, find out what the system is intended to for the prospective users Interview each user and get thorough descriptions of their expectations It is essential to keep in mind that the design process also is an iterative one: as the users get used to a new system, they can think of more features they can use such as an additional data entry form, a special query, or a calculated field The database design process can be broken down into seven steps, each with specific goals and products, such as data entry forms, reports, analytic tools such as charts and graphs, and other end user requirements: Determine what the users want from the database and what data is needed to provide the basis for those results Plan the data distribution among the related tables in the database Identify the fields for each table Assign a unique field for each table to ensure that no two records are the same Determine how the tables are related to one another Review the design and step through procedures with users Create tables and enter data Although numbering the steps in a process implies that one step is completed before the next begins, in reality the design process is more fluid, with each step overflowing into the next You can return to a previous step anywhere along the line We will use the Home Tech Repair database as our first relational database example Home Tech Repair is a small company that specializes in maintenance and improvement of home CHAPTER 2: Create a Database 27 structures Its specialties are electrical, plumbing, structural, painting, and heating and air conditioning systems in the home Figure 2-1 shows an example of the manual record keeping system in use before the development of the Access database FIGURE 2-1 The Home Tech Repair manual work order record 28 How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 Determine the Goals of the Database A poorly designed database is of less than no value The more time spent on task and data analysis, the better the results will be To begin the database design, start at the end point Find out what the end user expects of the database, then go about structuring the design to provide these requirements To so, answer the following questions: ■ What the users want to get from the database? ■ What kinds of reports are needed (how users want the information arranged and summarized)? Then follow these directions: ■ If adequate data collection forms already exist, use them as patterns for the Access forms ■ Look at other databases that address similar information management situations and see whether they can provide any guidance with the design of your own ■ Once the tasks have been defined, develop a list of the required data items The main purpose of the Home Tech Repair database is to maintain up-to-date information about current work orders To this, it must relate the individual work orders to specific customers or employees It also must include forms for data entry and viewing of all table data In addition to the work order tracking, the owner would like to be able to conduct financial analyses; for example, to determine how much revenue has been generated by each employee or to review the total sales on a monthly basis These analyses can include summary reports with charts and graphs depicting trends and proportional distributions of types of jobs over a period of time Such studies are helpful when planning for future work Distribute the Data Among the Tables Distributing data is the cornerstone of relational databases The efficiency and effectiveness of such a database relies on the proper distribution of data among the tables that make up the database This is not as easy as it sounds, but here are some guidelines to follow: ■ The information in a table should be limited to a single subject This allows you to maintain data about each subject independently of the others ■ Tables should not contain duplicate information among its records With only one copy of each data item, you need to update it in only one place In the Home Tech Repair case, employee and customer information is repeated on several manually prepared work order sheets To reduce the redundancy, pull out both sets of information and put them in separate tables Keeping payments in a separate table will add flexibility, especially if the work is paid for in installments, such as a deposit at the start of the contract and the remainder while the work is being completed CHAPTER 2: Create a Database If specific parts are routinely used, such as plumbing fixtures or electrical devices, the list should be kept in a separate table The data in the parts table can be accessed by the form or report that brings the work order expenses together Other peripheral data can be included in separate small tables, such as shipping or payment methods The Home Tech Repair company information also can be kept in one separate place, accessible to the report that prints the invoice This table can include the company address, phone and FAX numbers, Internet address, and any short standard message to include in correspondence Identify the Data Fields All the fields should relate directly to the subject and not include any information that can be derived from other fields Include all the information you need—nothing extra Break up the information into small, logical parts, such as First Name and Last Name fields, rather than a single Full Name field Name the fields so you will be able to locate specific records and sort by individual field values You can always combine the fields later for finding and searching if you need to Table 2-1 lists the fields in each of the Home Tech Repair tables and shows the type, the size, and a brief description of the data that will be stored in the field After arranging the data in the tables, review the distribution carefully to remove any redundancies and make sure all fields in each table apply directly to that subject For example, the overhead and the total work order costs are calculated fields, and thus are not included in the Workorders table Field Data Type Field Size Description Workorder Number Number Integer Uniquely identifies work order Customer ID Text 50 Customer name Workorders Table Bid Number Text Original bid number Start Date Date N/A Scheduled start date Completion Date Date N/A Expected completion date Supervisor Text 20 Name of employee in charge Principal Worker Text 20 Name of employee who is second in charge Helper Text 20 Name of helper Material Cost Currency decimals Cost of materials Labor Cost Currency decimals Cost of labor Description Memo N/A Description of work order Drawing Hyperlink N/A File of drawing, as required TABLE 2-1 Distributing Data Among Home Tech Repair Tables 29 30 How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 Field Data Type Field Size Description Employee ID Number Integer Uniquely identifies employee First Name Text 20 Employee’s first name Last Name Text 25 Employee’s last name SSN Text 10 Social Security Number Specialty Text 25 Special labor skills Address Text 50 Employee’s home address City Text 50 City Employees Table State Text State ZIP Text ZIP code Work Phone Text 12 Office phone or pager Pager Text 12 Home phone Hourly Rate Currency decimals Salary hourly rate Billing Rate Currency decimals Customer’s billing rate Comments Memo N/A Additional information Badge Picture OLE Object N/A Employee picture Customers Table Customer ID Number Integer Uniquely identifies customer First Name Text 20 Customer’s first name Last Name Text 25 Customer’s last name Billing Address Text 50 Address to send bill to City Text 50 City State Text State ZIP Text ZIP code Phone Number Text 12 Customer’s phone FAX Number Text 12 Customer’s FAX number Notes Memo N/A Additional customer information TABLE 2-1 Distributing Data Among Home Tech Repair Tables (continued) Specify Key Fields Each of the three main tables of the Home Tech Repair database has a field that uniquely identifies a record: Workorder Number, Employee ID, and Customer ID The values in these fields can be entered by the user or assigned by Access in the form of an incremental AutoNumber CHAPTER 2: Create a Database If the number has no other significance, such as identifying the general location of the job, let Access enter the number and you can be sure there are no duplicates If you don’t already have a unique field, plan on asking Access to assign a special AutoNumber field to act as the primary key so you can be sure each record in the table is unique Define Table Relationships To relate two tables, you use common fields The linking field in the main table usually is the primary key field—for example, the Customer ID field in the Customers table The linking field in the other table is called the foreign key and usually is not a primary key—for example, the Customer ID field in the Workorders table The linking fields need not have the same names but should be the same data types and contain matching values The relationship between the Customers and Workorders table is one-to-many because one customer might contract for more than one job The relationship between the Employees table and the Workorders table also is one-to-many because one employee can work on more than one job at a time and in one of three slots in a single job Figure 2-2 shows the Home Tech Repair tables in the Access Relationships window The field lists have been lengthened to display all the fields There are three instances of the Employees table in the Relationships window because it is linked to three separate fields in the Workorders table The figure also shows a fourth table, Bid Data, which we can add later Chapter contains information about working in the Relationships window and defining relationships FIGURE 2-2 The Home Tech Repair tables 31 32 How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 You Can Relate Tables Three Different Ways One-to-Many This is the most common relationship between tables One record in one table can have many matching records in another table The table on the “one” side often is called the parent table and the other is the child table For example, the Customers table would have one record for each customer, whereas the Workorders table might have more than one work order for the same customer Both tables would include a field with a value that represents that specific customer and links the two tables One-to-One This relationship is more like a lookup tool in which each record in one of the tables has a matching record in the other table Both tables have the same standing and neither table is designated as the parent The key fields in both tables are the primary keys One good use for this type of relationship is to store in the first table additional, seldom-referenced information about an item, such as an abstract of a book or the details of a work order Many-to-Many The many-to-many relationship is not exactly permitted as such in a relational database Many records in one table have the same values in the key field as many records in the second table If you relate tables in this way using Access, you must create a third table, called a junction table, to place between the first two, then relate the two original tables to the junction using two one-to-many relationships For example, the relationship between the Employees and the Customers tables is many-to-many, and the Workorders tables could serve as a junction table between them Complete the Database Now is the time to consult with the users for additional comments and suggestions Step through the operations you plan to carry out with the information Then, armed with the “go-ahead,” the following: Enter just enough data to test the application You can complete the tables later Create the forms, reports, and queries If the database is for inexperienced users, you can add a switchboard and other custom tools to make their jobs easier A switchboard is the user’s main interface with the database and displays a list of actions the user can take Clicking on an item in the list opens a data entry form, previews a report, or offers the chance to change items on the switchboard ... CHAPTER 15 1 15 2 15 3 15 3 15 4 15 4 15 6 15 8 15 9 15 9 16 0 16 1 16 1 16 3 16 4 16 6 16 6 16 7 16 9 17 4 17 4 17 7 17 8 18 1 18 2 18 3 18 5 18 5 18 7 18 7 18 8 Understand Form and Report Design Basics 18 9 Use... 99 99 10 3 10 6 10 6 10 8 10 9 11 0 11 1 11 2 11 2 11 3 11 3 11 3 11 4 11 8 11 8 PART II Retrieve and Present Information CHAPTER Sort, Filter, and Print Records 12 3 Sort Records... Hide and Show Fields 14 1 14 2 14 3 14 5 14 6 14 8 14 9 15 0 CHAPTER xi xii How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Access 2003 Specify the Record Order