Microsoft Access (part 4)


Importing Exporting

Importing
Importing objects from another database will create a complete copy
of a table, query, or any other database object that you select. Import a
database object by following these steps:

1. Open the destination database.

2. Select File|Get External|Import from the menu bar.

3. Choose the database the object is located in a click the Import button.

4. From the Import Objects window, click on
the object tabs to find the
object you want to import into the database. Click the Options >>
button
to view more options. Under Import Tables, select "Definition
and Data"
if the entire table should be copied or "Definition Only" if
the table structure should be copied but not the data. Under Import
Queries
, select "As Tables" if the queries should appear as regular
tables in the destination database. Highlight the object name, and
click OK.


5. The new object will now appear with the existing objects in the
database.


Exporting
The effect of importing can also be achieved using the opposite method of exporting.

1. Open the database containing an object that will be copied (exported) to another database.

2. Find the object in the Database Window and highlight it. Then, select File|Export... from the menu bar.

3. Select the destination database from the window and click Save.

4. You will be prompted to name the new object and may also be given other options, such as whether to copy the structure or data and structure of a table. Click OK to complete the export procedure.


Linking
Unlike importing, linking objects from another database will create a link to an object in another database while not copying the table to the current database. Create a link by following these steps:
1. Open the destination database.

2. Select File|Get External|Link Tables... from the menu bar.

3. Choose the database that the table is located in and click the Link button.

4. A window listing the tables in the database will then appear. Highlight the table or tables that should be linked and click OK. A link to the table will appear in the Database Window as a small table icon preceded by a small right arrow.



Sorting And Filtering

Introduction
Sorting and filtering allow you to view records in a table in a different way either by reordering all of the records in the table or view only those records in a table that meets certain criteria that you specify.


Sorting
You may want to view the records in a table in a different order than they appear such as sorting by a date or in alphabetical order, for example. Follow these steps to execute a simple sort of records in a table based on the values of one field:

1. In table view, place the cursor in the column that you want to sort by.

2. Select Records|Sort|Sort Ascending or Records|Sort|Sort Descending from the menu bar or click the Sort Ascending or Sort Descending buttons on the toolbar.

To sort by more than one column (such as sorting by date and then sorting records with the same date alphabetically), highlight the columns by clicking and dragging the mouse over the field labels and select one of the sort methods stated above.


Filter by Selection
This feature will filter records that contain identical data values in a given field such as filtering out all of the records that have the value "Smith" in a name field. To Filter by Selection, place the cursor in the field that you want to filter the other records by and click the Filter by Selectionbutton on the toolbar or select Records|Filter|Filter By Selectionfrom the menu bar. In the example below, the cursor is placed in the City field of the second record that displays the value "Ft. Myers" so the filtered table will show only the records where the city is Ft. Myers.



Filter by Form
If the table is large, it may be difficult to find the record that contains the value you would like to filter by so using Filter by Form may be advantageous instead. This method creates a blank version of the table with drop-down menus for each field that each contain the values found in the records of that field. Under the default Look for tab of the Filter by Form window, click in the field to enter the filter criteria. To specify an alternate criteria if records may contain one of two specified values, click the Or tab at the bottom of the window and select another criteria from the drop-down menu. More Or tabs will appear after one criteria is set to allow you to add more alternate criteria for the filter. After you have selected all of the criteria you want to filter, click the Apply Filter button on the toolbar.



The following methods can be used to select records based on the record selected by that do not have exactly the same value. Type these formats into the field where the drop-down menu appears instead of selecting an absolute value.

Filter by Form
Format Explanation
Like "*Street" Selects all records that end with "Street"
<="G" Selects all records that begin with the letters A through G
>1/1/00 Selects all dates since 1/1/00
<> 0 Selects all records not equal to zero


Saving A Filter
The filtered contents of a table can be saved as a query by selecting File|Save As Query from the menu bar. Enter a name for the query and click OK. The query is now saved within the database.




KEYBOARD SHORTKEYS

Keyboard shortcuts can save time and the effort of constantly switching from the keyboard to the mouse to execute simple commands and query.with the help of short keys you can easily access your data.

Action Keystroke

Database actions
Open existing database CTRL+O
Open a new database CTRL+N
Save CTRL+S
Save record SHIFT+ENTER
Print CTRL+P
Display database window F11
Find and Replace CTRL+F
Copy CTRL+C
Cut CTRL+X
Paste CTRL+V
Undo CTRL+Z
Help F1
Toggle between Form and Design view F5

Other
Insert line break in a memo field CTRL+ENTER
Insert current date CTRL+;
Insert current time CTRL+:
Copy data from previous record CTRL+'
Add a record CTRL++
Delete a record CTRL+-

Action Keystroke

Editing
Select all CTRL+A
Copy CTRL+C
Cut CTRL+X
Paste CTRL+V
Undo CTRL+Z
Redo CTRL+Y
Find CTRL+F
Replace CTRL+H
Spell checker F7
Toggle between Edit mode and Navigation mode F2
Open window for editing large content fields SHIFT+F2
Switch from current field to current record ESC



Navigating Through a datasheet
Next field TAB
Previous field SHIFT+TAB
First field of record HOME
Last field of record END
Next record DOWN ARROW
Previous record UP ARROW
First field of first record CTRL+HOME
Last field of last record C



How To Install MS Access?

Process
1. Verify that your system meets the basic requirements for Access. You'll need at least a 233MHz or faster Pentium processor with 128MB of RAM. You'll also need at least 180MB of free hard disk space.

2. Ensure that your operating system is up-to-date. You'll need Windows 2000 or later to run Access 2003. It's a good idea to apply all security updates and hotfixes to your system before installing access by visiting http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

3. Insert the MS Office CD into your CD-ROM drive. The installation process will begin automatically and ask you to wait while the system prepares the Installation Wizard.

4. The next step of the process will prompt you to enter your name, your organization's name and the product key found on your CD case. Once you've completed this, click Next to continue.

5. The next screen will prompt you to accept the terms of the End User License Agreement (EULA) by clicking the check box. Once you've done so, click Next to continue.

6. If you'd like to install the entire Office suite (or you're using an Access-only CD), you can choose "Install Now" on the next screen. If you'd like to customize your installation, you may do so at this stage. Otherwise, accept the default Install Now and click Next.

7. The next screen summarizes the installation. After you've reviewed the comments, click the Install button to begin the installation.

8. When the installation completes, you may be prompted to restart your computer. Go ahead and do so.

9. When your comptuer restarts, the first thing you should do is visit the Office Update site at http://officeupdate.microsoft.comto download any security patches for Access. This is a critical step.


==============> COURSE COMPLETE <==============

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