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.

Six Types of Database Objects in Access 97

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.