Quick reference

• 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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