Microsoft Access 1B: Tables
School Database :
- The starting point for creating any database is to create the tables.
Different individuals may decide on putting certain information in different tables when designing a database and end up with similar results.
However, if you don't put some thought into the overall picture of how things work you may end up creating problems for yourself later.
- Tables contain fields like those below (eg. FirstName, LastName, Grade and Homeroom)
Notice that the field names contain no spaces or symbols.
Note: although you may want to use "First Name", instead of "FirstName", you will have problems later on with more complicated Access functions, so do not use spaces in field names.
- All of the above field names are of the "text format".
- Text is a general format used for names, addresses etc. and for numbers like Grade (above) that are not used in a calculation.
- e.g. If we were to add a field called StudentFees, we would not use the text format, because the fees would be used in calculations (eg. total of all StudentFees).
- You use the "currency" format when money is used.
- Where numbers are used that will be used in calculations (eg. ClassCredits) you would use the "number" format.
Example: if each class was worth 3 credits, a calculation for total credits would be required somewhere else later in the database.
- There is also a "date" format (eg. mm/dd/year 12/31/2012).
Type
|
Examples:
|
Purpose: |
|---|---|---|
Text |
John, 10 , Chemistry | general purpose |
Number |
10, 12.52222 | number used in calculations, decimals |
Date |
12/31/2006 or Jan 5 2006 | dates (variety of different available) |
Currency |
$10.00 | money (2 decimals) |
Forms, Queries & Reports:
- These will be described in more detail in future lessons.
- Forms: this is what the user looks at when entering information into a database. It might contain a picture of a student and have various boxes where the user can key in information. The form may have a logo of the school or business at the top and a title to identify what information is being presented.
- An example of a query that you have used frequently is the key word search on the Internet. When you enter a word in Google, the software looks for the word in the millions of internet web page files.
- An example of a query in a school database would be a form that pops up and asks for a particular student number. After entering the student number, the records of that student are looked up. This process is called a query.
- A report in a school database may be a report of all students in a particular class, all students absent on a particular day, or all books signed out by a particular student.
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