Getting to Know MS Access 2003
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This article introduces features in MS Access such as the Getting Started screen, shows you the sample database that comes with Access, and defines the different "objects" that are available such as reports, modules and macros.
Let’s begin the tutorial with an overview of Access 2003. It helps to have the program installed on your computer before following the tutorial.
Open your Access program. When it has loaded onto your screen, you’ll see the main Access window accompanied by the Getting Started task pane. The Getting Started task pane is located on the right of your Access window. Your program should present you with a screen that looks similar (but not identical) to the one below:
The Getting Started task pane has links to connect to Microsoft Online, to get the latest news about Access, and more. It also includes a useful Search for help feature that we’ll discuss later in this lesson. One of the most useful features of the Getting Started task pane is the list of recently accessed databases; it is denoted by the word ‘Open’ in a very large font, with a list of your recently accessed databases underneath it (assuming you have any). You can close the Getting Started task pane by clicking the ‘X’ in the top-right corner of the task pane.
You’ll see most of the menu commands in the main window are unavailable to you when you first start Access; they are dimmed. To access these commands you must have an Access database open in the window. You can create a new database easily enough, and we’ll cover this extensively in lesson 2. For now, let’s look at what else you can see and do in the main window.
Buttons (underneath the menus) present shortcuts to commonly used menu items. Rest your mouse pointer over each one of those buttons to show a tool tip that will tell you what the button does. We’ll be exploring these buttons in more detail in later lessons.
The status bar, the grayish strip located at the bottom of the Access window, is a useful feature. It gives you information about whatever you are doing in Access. Keep your eye on the status bar while working to learn interesting things.
One button that is available to you immediately is the Open File button. It looks like a little, yellow, open file. Click it and you will be presented with a screen that allows you to easily find the file you wish to open in Access.
Next: Open a File, Explore the Sample Database >>
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