Microsoft Access Practice Exercise - Houston Public Library

Houston Public Library
Microsoft Access - Exercise

Follow the directions below to create an Address Database. Remember that
there is usually more than one way to do something. If you think of a
different way to do a task, try it! If it doesn't work, you can always use
the Undo button. Please read through each direction before performing the
action.


Starting Access

1. Launch the Access program by double clicking on the Access icon on the
desktop. A Microsoft Access window will appear.
2. Click "New " on the file menu or click the new file icon on the toolbar.
3. In the pane on the right side, click Blank database.
4. The File New Database Window will appear.
5. Type the file name Address Book.
6. Click the little triangle to the right of the "Save in: text box".
7. Click 3 ½ Floppy (A:) on the drop-down menu (or Desktop if you do not
have a floppy disk).
8. Click Create.


Creating a Table


1. Click the Tables tab in the database window.
2. Click New.
3. The New Table Wizard appears.
4. Select Table Wizard and click OK.
5. Select the Personal toggle located above the Sample Tables column.
Select Addresses from the Sample Tables column (left click once to
highlight.)
6. Select FirstName from the Sample Fields column (click once to highlight
the selection.) Click the right pointing arrow button or double click the
selection to add it to the Fields in My New Table column.
7. Repeat step #6 with LastName, Address, City, State, Postal Code, and
Home Phone Number from the Sample Fields column.
8. Click Next.
9. The Table Wizard offers the name "Addresses" for your table; we'll keep
that name. (On this same screen, there is a "YES" default for setting a
Primary Key). Click Next.
10. Click Finish and view your new table.
11. Close the " Addresses" table (Click the X in the top right corner of
the table window.)


Entering Table Data


1. Click the Tables tab in the database window.
2. Double click Addresses to open the table we have created. In the table
fields, ignore the one labeled Addresses ID for now.
3. Press the right arrow key or tab key and enter these field values,
pressing enter after each value:




First Name |Last Name |Address |City |State |ZIPCode |Phone # |
|Betty |Bop |123 Apple Way |Houston |TX |77333 |(713)555-5555
| |Daffy |Duck |5492 Hill St |Houston |TX |77009 |(713)555-9999
| |Mickey |Mouse |902 East Lucky Ave |Humble |TX |77398
|(281)555-5555 | |

4. Click Save and close the table.





Creating a Form


1. Click the Forms tab in the database window.
2. Click New.
3. The New Form Window appears.
4. Select Form Wizard and click OK.
5. Click the two right pointing arrows button to move all the fields over
to the right side of the window.
6. Select Address ID and click the left pointing arrow button to move it
back over to the Available Field side of the window.
7. Click Next.
8. Select Columnar; Click Next. Select Standard style; Click Next.
9. The wizard offers "Addresses" for the form title, which is fine.
10. Click Finish and view the form.
11. Click the right pointing arrow button at the bottom of the form window
(next to the Record: box). Click this arrow two more times and notice
the entries. The form should be empty on the fourth record.
12. Click Save and close the form.


Entering Data into a Form

In Access, you can enter data into Tables or Forms. Some find it
easier to enter and view data in forms rather than tables. Let's use the
form we just created to enter more data.

1. Click the Forms tab in the database window
2. Double click "Addresses" to open the form.
3. Click the right pointing arrow with a star button at the bottom of the
form. The form should be on the fourth record, which is blank. Enter
the following field values. Press the enter key or tab key after each
entry to move to the next cell.


First Name |Last Name |Address |City |State |ZIPCode |Phone # |
|Sponge |Bob |758 Awesome Way |Houston |TX |77999 |(713)555-
0000 | |
4. Betty Bop is spelled incorrectly. Click the left arrow with a line
button at the bottom of the form. This will automatically take you to
the first record.
5. Click the Last Name text box with the word "Bop." Click before the "p"
and enter "o." It should now read "Boop."
6. Click Save and close the form.
7. Access should automatically update the table with the new form data.
Click the Tables tab and double click Addresses to open the table
8. You should see the Sponge Bob record and the spelling correction of
"Boop" in the table.
9. Click Save.
10. Close the table (click the X in the top right hand corner of the
window.)


Queries


Let's find the people in our Address Book database that live in Houston.
We are planning a last minute birthday party and need to call them
immediately. We have four records in our database. If there were more
records, it would be time consuming to go through all the addresses.
Queries allow you to pluck only certain pieces of data out of your
database. Let's make a query to find the people in our database that are
located in Houston.

1. Click the Queries tab in the database window.
2. Click New.
3. The New Query Window appears. Select Simple Query Wizard and click OK
4. Click the downward pointing arrow on the right of the Tables/Queries:
text box.
5. Select Table: Addresses.
6. Select First Name, Last Name, City, and Home Phone field values (click
once to highlight the selection and then click the right pointing arrow
or double click the selection) and move to the Selected Fields side of
the window.
7. Click Next.
8. Under "What title do you want for your query?" type: Houston in the text
box and click Finish.
9. The results are displayed. The records are displayed with four fields
that were included in the search. We only want the records that include
the city Houston. We have a little more work to do.
10. Select query Houston already created. Click on Design icon on the
toolbar to look at the query in Design View.
11. At the bottom half of the screen there is a grid. Under the City
column and along the Criteria row, we want to type: Houston in that cell.
We are making a query, which looks for only those records that include
Houston - not the friends that live in Humble, for example.
12. Click the Run tool (red exclamation point) on the tool bar to get the
results of the query.
13. The records that include Houston are displayed. Now we know who to
call and their phone number.
14. Click Save and close the database window.
15. Close Access.

Congratulations! You have created a Microsoft Access database.



Questions? Ask a Houston Public Librarian!
www.houstonlibrary.org or (832) 393-1313