The Microsoft Access 2007 Screen

Transcription

1 1 of 1 Office Button The Microsoft Access 2007 Screen Title Bar Help Ribbon Quick Access Toolbar Database Components Active Component NOTE: THIS HELP DOCUMENT EXPLAINS THE LAYOUT OF ACCESS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW ACCESS ACTUALLY WORKS SEE THE ACCOMPANYING HELP DOCUMENTS. The New Access At first glance you will probably recognize a few similar items in this window and a few that you are unfamiliar with. The new Access has abandoned the menu bar and standard toolbars of old for a new all encompassing ribbon. This document will help you understand both some of the old features still included in Access and the new features as well. The Office Button The office button is a new feature of Access that contains all the basic commands similar to the File menu in Access From this button you will be given a menu with many different options to choose from:

2 2 of 2 1. New: Allows you to create a new database from templates or a blank database 2. Save: Saves the current database component open 3. Save As: Allows you to choose the name for the database, the location where you want to save it and the file format (also allows you to save the whole database) 4. Print: This option presents you with three different choices. The first is a quick print which does not allow you to set up and print settings and sends the current database component to your default printer. The second option is the standard print button which allows you to set up the various print settings you want to apply to your database. Lastly, the print preview allows you to preview the database component you are going to print before you decide to print it. Note: With the way Access works you cannot print the whole database only the active database component. 5. Manage: Manage is a more complicated option of the office menu but allows you to add background information to your database and ask Access to perform special functions. Specifically three things are contained in this area: a. Compact and Repair Database: Will ask Access to go through the database and make sure everything is running correctly b. Back Up Database: Essentially just a Save As but will attach a date to the save and make an exact copy of the database c. Database Properties: View and edit Access properties, such as Title, Author and Keywords 6. This menu item is fairly self-explanatory and simply allows you to save the database in a desired format so you can then it to someone. Once you choose the format Access will bring up your default mail client with the database already as an attachment. 7. Publish: This command allows you to primarily distribute the database to a server but also gives you the option of adding a digital signature to your database as well. 8. Close Database: Will close the current database you are working on. 9. Access Options: Allows you to change the settings of various Access features. 10. Exit Access: Will close all the databases you are working on and exit Access. 11. Recent Documents: Shows by default the databases you have been recently working on so that you can quickly continue working on them. Quick Access Toolbar The quick access toolbar is similar to the toolbars of the old 2003 version except that it is much smaller. The idea behind it is that it is there for you to put your most used buttons and commands. The save, undo and redo are there by default. However, these three are not just the only ones allowed to be there. Through this symbol you are able to add your own commands and even take out the ones there by default. The menu is straight forward and you simply check or uncheck the items you want to appear in the quick access menu.

3 3 of 3 Database Components This area of Access shows a list of the various database components in your database. Specifically there are three types that will be in this list: table, report, form. Each has its own unique properties. To make the component active simply click on it in the list. Active Component This area is linked to the database component area and shows the active component you have clicked on from the list. The Title Bar and Help Button The title bar is always at the top of the program window and displays the name of the program and the current database you are working on. It also has three buttons at the right most side of it that allow you to minimize Access, maximize Access or close Access (from left to right). The help button is important to point out because it is tucked off to the right and is quite small so it is easy to miss. This button is a useful tool because often times it will answer many question you have about something in Access. When you click on the button you are brought to a menu that allows you to search for something specific or you can choose from already defined keywords. The Ribbon This is the most drastic change to Access. Every Access function has been placed into a categorized tab instead of the drop down menu/toolbar system of old. In any Access 2007 you are given the following tabs: 1. Home 2. Create 3. External Data 4. Database Tools Optional tabs that must be added in are: 1. Acrobat The nice thing is that Microsoft has left a lot of the symbols the same so the buttons will be recognizable; it is just a matter of finding them. The Home Tab The home tab is where you go to execute the most common commands that you are going to be using. It is very similar to the formatting toolbar with just a few added features. The home tab consists of: The View Area: As the name suggests this area allows you to change between different views. The default views are database view, report view, form view (depending on which component is active) and is the standard view to view the data.

4 4 of 4 Or you also have the option of choosing from many different views such as design view (when modifying the appearance of database objects). Note: This is not an exhaustive list and many views become available when you have different database components active (see the intro help document on Access for the list of different views and why you would want to be in them The Clipboard Area: This is where you go to cut, copy, and paste. The Font Area: This area allows you to apply basic formatting to the font in your database. Things such as the font colour, the font type, size, alignment and even if each row alternates colours to distinguish data. The Rich Text Area: Allows you to apply further text styles and allows you to apply styles to text so that it may be bulleted, numbered and highlight certain parts of the text. The Records Area: This area allows you to modify the various records contained in your database (each row is a record). Specifically, this area gives you tools that allow you to refresh the data in tables, check for spelling areas, modify the various field sizes and even save or delete them. The Sort & Filter Area: The sort and filter area allows you to sort or filter data the way you want so you can only view certain records or view all the records in alphabetical order. The Find Area: This area gives you access to such commands as being able to find certain words and find and replace certain words. The Create Tab This tab is the main tab you will be probably working with in Access and allows you to create the three main components of a database and gives you options to edit them as well. Specifically you can find the following areas: The Tables Area: This area allows you to create the first main database component which is a table. It gives you the option of creating a basic table with no formatting, a new table from a design template, gives you a menu option to modify the design of your table (either the one you are creating or an already created one) and a drop-down button that allows you to create sharepoints from a variety of options. The Forms Area: This area allows you to create the second main database component which is a form. From this area you are given a variety of options such as creating three different kinds of basic form based off fields from an existing table, creating a blank form, a drop-down menu that gives you additional options such as a form wizard, and more form styles and finally gives you a button that allows you to change an existing or new form. The Report Area: This area allows you to create the last main database component which is a report. You are provided with buttons that allow you to create a basic report based on a table, a blank report, use a report wizard to create a report and a button that allows you to edit current and new reports.

5 5 of 5 The Other Area: This area allows you to create queries and view the various queries as well. It also allows you to view the queries you have created and even design and create macros to be used in Access. The External Data Tab This tab is used for compiling data into your database and also used for exporting the data from your database into other forms. The tab consists of the following areas: The Import Area: This area is used for the main compiling data part of creating a database. From this area you are given a variety of buttons that allow you to import data from other sources such as other Access files, Excel workbooks, text files, etc. The Export Area: This area is used to export the data from your database to another source. You are provided with buttons that allow you to export the data to Excel, Word, a text file, etc. The Collect Data Area: This area is really neat and allows you to create s that will be sent out to people with your Access form attached so that they fill out the data and it will be returned to you. The first button in this area allows you to send the to collect data and the second button allows you to view the replies and compile the data. The SharePoint Lists Area: This is a complicated area and provides you with buttons that allow you to create and manage the sharepoints you have created in Access. Providing buttons that allow you to synchronize with people s databases, moving your sharepoints, etc. The Database Tools Tab The database tools tab is a general tab used for editing the whole database and not just one specific part of it. It is used to create relationships between different tables, create macros, protect it, etc. The database tools tab consists of the following areas: The Macro Area: This area of the tab is another complicated area and allows you to create macros (mini programs) in Access. Specifically this area provides buttons that allow you to go into Visual Basic and write macros that way, a button to run macros, a button that allows you to create a menu for your macros and button that will convert recorded macros to Visual Basic. The Show/Hide Area: This area although it is labelled Show/Hide is mostly used to create relationships between the tables in your database. Specifically it provides buttons that allow you to create a relationship between a table, a button that allows you to view an objects dependences, allows you to view an objects property sheet and finally allows you to show or hide the message bar. The Analyze Area: This area is used when you want Access to analyze various database components. The first two button provide you with options that allow you to

6 6 of 6 analyze the forms in terms of performance and where the forms are connected and the last button allows you to analyze the tables in your database. The Move Data Area: As the name implies, this area allows you to move the data in your database to another place. Specifically the two buttons in this area either allow you to move it to a SQL server or split the database into two parts: one that contains the tables and the other that contains the forms and queries. The Database Tools Area: This is a very mixed area that to put simply allows you to change genreal database properties. Some buttons included in this area are a button that allow you to encrpyt your database so you need a password to open it, a button to add in add-ins and a button that allows you to save your database in the ACCDE format. Final Things Access has tabs that appear when an object or database component requires a unique set of buttons. It is always highlighted in a special colour and appears after all the regular tabs. An example is shown below when a table component of the database is active.