Locked lesson.
About this lesson
Enter a new record into a table and move between fields.
Exercise files
Download this lesson’s related exercise files.
Services_02_START.accdb568 KB Services_02_END.accdb
564 KB
Quick reference
Enter Data into Tables
Application Terminology
AutoNumber
A number that gets new values automatically, chosen in the Data Type. AutoNumbers get new values automatically and are numbers normally hidden from users. They are excellent choices to use for Primary Keys.
Field
A column of information in a table. A field has a name, data type, size, and other properties.
Datasheet View
A way of looking at data in rows and columns, like a spreadsheet.
Navigation Pane
An area that enables you to view and manage the objects in your database. Double-click on an object name to open it.
Primary Key
A field (or combination of fields) in a table that has a unique value for every record and is designated as such.
Record Selector
Box to the left of a record where you can click to select a record of information.
Steps
Enter New Record to a Table
- To enter a new record to a table, go to the bottom of the table.
Copy Value from Previous Record
- When adding or changing information in a field, to copy the value from above, press
(Ctrl-').
Move to Next Field
- Press
to move to the next field.
Move to Previous Field
·Press 
to move back a field
- 00:06 This is lesson 2 for Access 2013 desktop databases.
- 00:11 Hi this is Crystal.
- 00:13 In this lesson, we have a database open so we can
- 00:17 look at tables that are already created.
- 00:20 You will learn what fields are, about Primary Keys
- 00:23 and Autonumbers, and how to add data.
- 00:28 You can download the sample database used in this lesson
- 00:31 by clicking on the Exercise File link .
- 00:35 The most important thing in an Access database is
- 00:38 tables because this is where data is stored.
- 00:43 Other things like Queries, Forms, and Reports,
- 00:47 don't actually have data in them.
- 00:51 All the data you see comes from tables.
- 00:54 You can see the table names in the Navigation Pane.
- 00:58 The Navigation Pane is an area that enables you to
- 01:01 view and manage the objects in your database.
- 01:05 You can change its width, collapse it, expand it,
- 01:09 sort, and change the way you see things.
- 01:12 In this database, there are tables for Customers,
- 01:16 Service information, Work, and more.
- 01:20 Double-click on a table to open it and see its data.
- 01:25 This way of looking at data in rows and columns,
- 01:29 like a spreadsheet, is called Datasheet View.
- 01:33 Each row of data is called a record.
- 01:36 Joe has a record for each of his customers.
- 01:40 Each column of information is a field.
- 01:43 The label at the top of the column is the fieldname (or caption).
- 01:48 Each field has a data type, which defines if the data will be
- 01:52 text, numbers, a date, or something else.
- 01:57 The first field in the Customers table is normally
- 02:00 hidden from users and is called CustID.
- 02:05 It is an Autonumber because it gets its value automatically
- 02:10 and it is a number
- 02:11 It is the Primary Key in the Customers table,
- 02:14 which means that each value is unique.
- 02:18 As you can see, the value is different on every record.
- 02:22 Autonumbers generally start at 1
- 02:25 and increment by 1 with each new record.
- 02:28 The second field is the Customer name, which is the main field
- 02:32 that the user will be interested in seeing.
- 02:35 It is a text data type.
- 02:38 The third field, which hasn't been filled,
- 02:41 also stores text, and is for a short note about the customer.
- 02:46 All the fields in each record of the Customers table
- 02:49 describe a particular customer.
- 02:52 Information that decribes something else, such as a service
- 02:57 like mowing lawns, trimming bushes, and edging sidewalks
- 03:02 are stored in a different table.
- 03:04 When you are thinking of tables for the database,
- 03:07 visualize your data.
- 03:10 See what you are keeping track of.
- 03:13 Each thing you can visualize is a table.
- 03:16 Tables are like nouns and
- 03:19 fields are like adjectives that describe them.
- 03:22 In the Services table, the first field is called ServiceID.
- 03:27 It is an Autonumber and the Primary Key of the Services table.
- 03:32 The next field, ServTyID, is used to link
- 03:37 each record to a Service Type.
- 03:39 Service Types could be considered to be
- 03:41 a lookup table for Services
- 03:43 since it will supply choices when creating new records.
- 03:47 The name of the service is in the ServName column.
- 03:51 Now as Joe expands his company services,
- 03:55 he can simply add more records
- 03:57 to his service types and services tables.
- 04:01 Joe opens Access and adds a record for Electrical
- 04:05 to the Service Types table.
- 04:08 New records are added at the bottom of a table.
- 04:12 (New) in the Autonumber field means that
- 04:16 Access will make a new value.
- 04:19 Note the value of the primary key,
- 04:21 Service Type ID (ServTyID), is 6.
- 04:25 Click on the pencil icon in the record selector area
- 04:29 to save the record.
- 04:31 The record selector is a box to the left of the record
- 04:34 where you can click to select a record of information.
- 04:38 The ServType is 'Electrical'.
- 04:41 Joe opens the Services table
- 04:44 and add records for the types of things he might do.
- 04:47 ServiceID is an Autonumber so Joe skips that column.
- 04:52 It will get a new value automatically.
- 04:55 These are all Electrical services so that means
- 04:59 the service type, ServTyID, is 6.
- 05:02 Time Type ID (TiTyID) is 2.
- 05:04 This correlates to billing hourly in the TimeTypes table.
- 05:09 ServName is the specific task.
- 05:12 ServRate is 50.
- 05:15 Joe will be billing at a rate of 50 dollars per hour.
- 05:19 Jo enters records for Trace Sources, System Design,
- 05:24 Get Materials, Site Layout, and so on.
- 05:30 To copy the value from above, press Ctrl '.
- 05:35 While tables are where data is stored,
- 05:38 they are not the most convenient way to put data into Access.
- 05:42 In a later lesson, we will learn about
- 05:45 using forms to put data into tables.
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