Getting to Know Microsoft Access, Part 10
(Page 1 of 4 )
In the tenth and final part of our series on getting to know Microsoft Access 2003, you will learn how to create charts and graphs, improve the performance of your databases, and more.
Lesson 10: Some Final Things
We’ve covered all the major objects in Access up to this point. However, I would like to use this last tutorial in the series to cover some miscellaneous topics we haven’t discussed yet. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create charts and graphs, how to improve the performance of your databases, how to create switchboards, how to exchange data with others, how to share, and how to use security to protect your database. We’ll discuss each of these topics in brief.
Charts and Graphs
Access allows you to create many different types of charts and graphs including pie, bar, line, and scatter. Before you create a chart, design it. Ask yourself: what is this chart supposed to show? When you have successfully defined your goal you must decide whether the chart will stand alone, apart from any other Access objects, or whether it will be included inside a form or report. You can link the chart to the underlying data in a form or report so the values of the chart change with the data, or you can set the chart apart from the underlying data, and it will show a static illustration of your data instead. You can even import charts into Access from Excel, for example. Just select the Insert | Chart menu option to do so.
Once you’ve decided on the data you want to use for the chart, either data from one table, or data from multiple tables, you must group the data so it is accessible to your chart. If the data is in one table, you don’t need to do anything new. If, however, the data is contained in multiple tables, you must create a cross tab or select query to group that data into one query structure, from which you can create your chart.
The easiest way to create your first chart, after you have successfully designed your query, is to use the Access Chart Wizard. To create a standalone chart, start a new form or report and choose the Chart Wizard in the New Form or New Report dialog box; select your table (or query) data. Choose the Insert | Chart menu option to start creating a new chart in a currently existing form or report. Once you’ve created your chart, you can modify it in many ways, such as by editing the row source property, editing the legend, or editing the appearance. The following screenshot shows the selection you want to make to create a new chart:
Next: Improving Performance >>
More Microsoft Access Articles
More By Sage Adams
/ 16 
