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.
Contributed by Sage Adams Rating: / 31 October 25, 2004
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.
The My Recent Documents folder, located on the left of the Open File dialog box, is used to access databases you have worked on recently. The Files of type menu, at the bottom of the dialog box, allows you see types of files other than the typical Microsoft Office Access file types, which can sometimes be advantageous. You may also choose to search for a file if you don’t know what it is called. To do this, select the arrow next to the word ‘Tools’, in the upper-right corner of the dialog box, and select ‘Search’ from the resulting menu.
Assuming you don’t currently have a database created in Access, you can use the Northwind sample database that comes with Access 2003, to explore the capabilities of the software. The Northwind sample database is typically located in the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples
Double-click the sample database in the \Samples folder to open the Northwind database. Alternatively, you can open the Northwind database by selecting it from the Help | Sample Databases | Northwind Sample Database menu.
When opened, Northwind displays a welcome screen – you’ll learn how to make these in a later lesson. For now, click the Display Database Window button, in the welcome screen, to get rid of the welcome screen, and to display the Database window. Your screen should now look similar to the following:
See that little window inside your main window? That is, for all intents and purposes, the database. Let’s quickly review what’s in the Database window. It has a title and it has standard windows buttons to maximize, minimize, or close the window. It’s also got several buttons in a toolbar that includes a button to open an extant object, a button to create new objects, and a button to delete extant objects. Finally it’s got several options for changing the views of the objects on the screen. Click each of the views to see which one you like best; I prefer the list view.
The Database window consists of multiple ‘pages’. You display a page by clicking the appropriate object button listed underneath the Objects title button. When opened, each object page replaces the current object page you are viewing.
The objects available to you include: tables, queries, forms, reports, pages, macros, and modules.
Tables hold all your data. In Access you will almost always distribute your data among several tables, in order to take advantage of the relational nature of Access. We’ll talk more about the meaning of the word ‘relational’ in the next lesson.
Queries are saved questions. Generally, a query has a finite number of records that answer the question you’re asking.
Forms are a more convenient way of entering data into your tables than the standard table datasheet view. Forms display a single record at a time, making data entry more conceptually simple and attractive.
Reports are useful for printing your data. Reports can be very simple or very polished. Reports can include totals or other value summaries and are useful for preparing information for various groups. You can also create reports to be used for mailing labels.
Data access pages are data views you can use on a website. Data Access Pages make use of HTML and XML technologies.
Macros are commands that perform certain tasks and are especially useful as actions that respond to button clicks.
Modules are Visual Basic programs used in advanced Access programming.
The Groups title button includes favorites that are useful if your database is used by multiple people or departments. Each group can have its own selection of favorite tables, queries, reports, forms, and so forth. You can easily create new groups by right-clicking the area beneath the Groups title button and selecting ‘New Group’ from the menu.
You’ll also notice that several more buttons have become un-dimmed at the top of the program window, now that you have opened the Northwind database. Run your mouse pointer slowly over these and read the resulting tool tips to see what each of them does.
Access 2003 provides two major help features that will be invaluable to you as you learn Access: the Microsoft Access Help task pane and the Ask a Question box.
Ask a Question
The Ask a Question box is always available to you and is located in the upper-right corner of the program window. The words ‘Type a question for help’ are displayed in the box. Place your cursor in the box and click to begin typing your question.
The Ask a Question box works best when you use a single word or select phrase. Type your word or phrase in the box and then press Enter to see a list of results. You’ll generally get a list of possible answers to your word or phrase, so scroll down the list and select the one you feel most accurately answers your question. Sometimes an answer will include subtopics, marked with an expand arrow, and you can click this arrow to see the subtopics. Click the Show All link in the top-right corner of the help window to see all the subtopics as well as the main topic. One especially useful feature of the Help window is the Auto Tile button in the upper-left corner. This will vertically tile the Help window with the Search Result task pane so you can select another topic without having to close the Help window.
Microsoft Access Help
Press F1 to open the Microsoft Access Help task pane. The search box works like the Ask a Question box; type in your word or query in the search box and search by pressing the arrow. You may also use the Table of Contents link to browse through the entire list of topics at once. This can be especially useful if you don’t know the exact terminology of what you’re looking for.
Finally you can enable the Office Assistant, a ‘cute’ character that helps you find what you are looking for in Access. Activate the Office Assistant by choosing the Help | Show Office Assistant. To hide the Office Assistant choose Help | Hide Office Assistant.
You don’t even have to open the Help window to get help. Access automatically provides hints to help you while you work. The status bar gives you information about whatever you are currently doing in Access. Many of the windows and dialog boxes also give you hints about design elements, or even give you samples that show you what you can do.
Microsoft Access 
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