CHAPTER TASK: LEARN THE BASICS OF ACCESS 2003 Prerequisites
Welcome to your first lesson on Microsoft Access! Microsoft Access is a powerful database program you can use to store all kinds of informationfrom a simple list of recipes to an inventory catalog with tens of thousands of products. Once information is stored in a Microsoft Access database, it's easy to find, analyze, and print. Of all the programs in the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft Access is the one that most intimidates people. "Mastering Microsoft Excel or Word was hard enough," they think. "How can I ever understand a complicated program like Access?" While it's true that Microsoft Access has many advanced features (there are computer consultants whose only job is programming Access databases), creating and working with a Microsoft Access database is probably a whole lot easier than you think. With that in mind, this chapter is your introduction to Microsoft Access and the world of databases. In this chapter you will learn more about exactly what a database is, what it is used for, and how to perform simple database tasks, such as adding and deleting records. This chapter also takes you on a basic tour of various parts of a Microsoft Access database: Tables, Forms, Reports, and Queries. If you have worked with one of the other Microsoft Office applications, such as Microsoft Excel or Word, you will find that you already know a lot about the concepts covered in this chapter. And so, without further ado, turn the page and take your first step into the world of databases. |