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Database
Concepts
What
is a Database?
Have
you ever worked in a database before? You don't even have
to think about it: you have. Our entire world is based on
information. The telephone book, the schedule of a sports
team, and a university's timetable are all different types
of databases. They take information and organize it in such
a way that we can extract any information that we desire and
act upon that information. Some databases are simple, such
as a phone list. Other databases are so large and complex,
they need computer space greater than 100 PC's combined. Databases
can simplify our work and our lives by keeping us organized.
Storing
Information in a Database
As an
example, let's go back to the phone book. If you were trying
to find your entry in the phone book, you would discover there
are several categories of information about you: your last
name, your first name, your address, your city (in suburban
phone books), and, of course, your phone number. Each of these
pieces of information has to be identified. In a database,
these categories are defined as FIELDS. In other words,
in a phone book, "Last Name" is considered a field, "First
Name" is considered a field, and so on. When the information
from each of these fields is combined together as one unit,
that unit is considered a single RECORD. All of the
records combined becomes a TABLE, one of the types
of objects a database can contain. Since a table is organized
into rows and columns, it is best to think of each column
as a field and each row as a record. Below is a sample of
a table in Access.
Database
Objects in Access 2000
As previously
stated, the TABLE is one of six types of items that you may
see in a typical database, and it is generally considered
the most important one. However, tables merely store the raw
data. You need other types of database objects to make use
of the data. There are 6 types of database objects. In this
seminar, we will deal with 4 of the 6. These 4 objects are:
- TABLES:
store the data for the database
- QUERIES:
allow a user to select or interact with different sections
of data in the database of their own choosing
- FORMS:
used in conjunction with tables, they allow the user to
see a single record or allow for easier data entry
- REPORTS:
organizes and summarizes information so that it may be easily
read and printed
There
are two types of database objects that will not be discussed
in this seminar: macros and modules. Macros are programs within
Access that allow users to automate certain tasks. Modules
are pieces of Visual Basic programming which can be associated
with a database or particular parts of a database.
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