Access 2010 For Dummies

A friendly, step-by-step guide to the Microsoft Office database application

Access may be the least understood and most challenging application in the Microsoft Office suite. This guide is designed to help anyone who lacks experience in creating and managing a database learn to use Access 2010 quickly and easily.

In the classic For Dummies tradition, the book provides an education in Access, the interface, and the architecture of a database. It explains the process of building a database, linking information, sharing data, generating reports, and much more.

• As the Microsoft Office database application, Access may be the least understood and most challenging part of the Office suite
• Access 2010 For Dummies walks newcomers through building and using their first database
• Covers linking information in a database, setting relationships, modeling data, and building tables
• Explores how to extract data from Access and get specific answers, create forms, and export data in reports
• A section for more experienced users looks at analyzing errors and creating an interface

Fully updated for the newest version, Access 2010 For Dummies gets new Access users up to speed and helps veterans get the most from the Office database application.

Introduction 1

Part I: Basic Training 9

Chapter 1: Getting to Know Access 2010 11

Chapter 2: Finding Your Way Around Access 37

Chapter 3: Database Basics 59

Part II: Getting It All on the Table 79

Chapter 4: Keys, Relationships, and Indexes 81

Chapter 5: Remodeling Your Data 99

Chapter 6: What’s Happening Under the Table? 115

Part III: Data Mania and Management 139

Chapter 7: Creating Data Forms 141

Chapter 8: Importing and Exporting Data 155

Chapter 9: Editing Data Automatically 169

Chapter 10: Gather Locally, Share Globally 181

Part IV: Ask Your Data, and Ye Shall Receive Answers 201

Chapter 11: Fast Finding, Filtering, and Sorting Data 203

Chapter 12: I Was Just Asking . . . for Answers 219

Chapter 13: I’ll Take These AND Those OR Them 245

Chapter 14: Queries That Think Faster Than You 255

Chapter 15: Calculating with Your Data 267

Chapter 16: Flying into Action Queries 283

Part V: Plain and Fancy Reporting 295

Chapter 17: Quick and Not-So-Dirty Automatic Reporting 297

Chapter 18: Dazzling Report Design 319

Chapter 19: Headers and Footers and Groups, Oh My! 345

Chapter 20: Magical Mass Mailings 367

Part VI: More Power to You 375

Chapter 21: Making It All Better with the Analyzer Tools 377

Chapter 22: Hello! Creating an Interface to Welcome Database Users 389

Part VII: The Part of Tens 399

Chapter 23: Ten Common Problems 401

Chapter 24: Ten Uncommon Tips 413

Index 421

Laurie Ulrich Fuller is a highly experienced tech author, consultant, and Office trainer. Her consulting firm, Limehat & Company, offers training, Web development, and marketing services.

Ken Cook is a database design expert, consultant, and author of several books on Office and Excel.

Organize and use your data to create snappy-looking reports that put your genius on display

Access 2010 provides plenty of tools for building a database. You'll also need a bit of help to create a database that delivers the reports that drive business decisions. That's why you need this book. It covers the latest Access features and tools and explains how they assist in organizing and mining data to get the information and reports you need.

• Get down to basic training — find out about the new features and tools in Access 2010 as you navigate and master the Access workspace

• Set the table — create relationships between tables, customize the way data is stored in tables, and control how data is entered

• Dive into data — discover smart ways to share your Access data online or with other programs and bring data from applications into Access

• Find the answers — learn how to sort, filter, and query your data to get at the information in your database

• Spice up your reports — use timesaving tools that let you create customized, professional reports with ease

• Make it all better — tune up your database for better performance and create a user interface to control what people see

Open the book and find:

• How to open a table, insert records, and name fields

• Techniques for importing, exporting, and editing data

• TIps for sharing your database

• Ways to find, filter, and sort data

• How to get the answers to your database queries

• Secrets for designing cool reports

• Steps for using Analyzer tools

• How to create and test a Navigation form

Learn to:

• Navigate the Access interface andunderstand database architecture

• Build tables to organize data and forms for easy data entry

• Share data and create forms and reports

• Use the power of queries to find and maintain your data