Chapter 1. Exploring Access 2007

1. Exploring Access 2007

Chapter at a Glance

In this chapter, you will learn to:
	Work in Access 2007.
	Understand database concepts.
	Open an existing database.
	Explore tables, queries, forms, reports, and other Access objects.
	Preview and print Access objects.

Microsoft Office Access 2007 is part of the 2007 Microsoft Office system, so the basic interface objectssuch as the Office menu, the Quick Access Toolbar, the Ribbon, and dialog boxeswill be familiar if you have used other Office 2007 products. However, Access has more dimensions than most of those other products or programs, so it might seem more complex until you become familiar with it.

If you are upgrading from an earlier version of Access, then you should review "Introducing Access 2007" in the front of this book to learn about differences between earlier versions and Access 2007.

In this chapter, you will learn to work in the Access program window and learn about the concepts and structure of data storage in Access, including types of databases, types of Access objects, and relationships between objects. You will experiment with a complete working database, learning about interesting features of Access as well as functionality that you will explore in more depth in later chapters.

See Also

Do you need only a quick refresher on the topics in this chapter? See the Quick Reference entries on pages xxxixlxv.

Important

Before you can use the practice files in this chapter, you need to install them from the book's companion CD to their default location. See "Using the Book's CD" on page xxv for more information.

Troubleshooting

Graphics and operating systemrelated instructions in this book reflect the Windows Vista user interface. If your computer is running Microsoft Windows XP and you experience trouble following the instructions as written, please refer to the "Information for Readers Running Windows XP" section at the beginning of this book.