Access 97: Level 1

Course length: 1 day

Course description

Overview: Students will learn the basic skills necessary to begin using Access 97. They will design and create databases, tables, queries, forms, and reports. This course meets the Microsoft Proficiency Guidelines for Access at the Expert level.

Prerequisites: To ensure your success, we recommend students first take the Software Training course, Windows 98: Introduction, or have extensive equivalent knowledge.

Delivery method: Instructor-led, group-paced, classroom-delivery learning model with structured hands-on activities.

Benefits: Students learn how to create and use database objects, including tables, queries, forms, and reports.

Target student: Students enrolling in this course should understand the basic concepts involved in working with a personal computer (PC). For example, students should be familiar with terms such as computer memory, data files, and program files. Students should also be familiar with the components that make up the PC, including input, output, and storage devices. Students should also be familiar with Windows 98, and be fairly comfortable working in a Windows environment. No prior knowledge of databases or Access is assumed.

What's next: Access 97: Level 1 is the first course in this series. Software Training’s Access 97: Level 2, the next course in this series, teaches student how to enhance their database designs by using the principles of normalization and table relationships. Students also learn how to query multiple tables for data that is used in customized forms and reports. Students who want to learn advanced features can take the third course in this series, Access 97: Advanced. In that course, students learn to create advanced queries, create more efficient forms and reports, and work with macros. The final course in this Software Training series, Access 97: Introduction to Application Design, teaches students to create custom applications.

Performance-based objectives

Lesson objectives help students become comfortable with the course, and also provide a means to evaluate learning. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand database concepts and terminology in Access 97.
• Design and create tables.
• Enter and manipulate data in tables.
• Use Access queries to select and analyze information in a table.
• Create data forms for viewing and inputting data.
• Create reports that summarize and group data.
• Perform database maintenance procedures.

Course content

Lesson 1: Overview of Access 97

Introduction to database concepts and terminology

An introduction to Access 97

Database planning and design

Lesson 2: Creating tables

Examining a table

Creating a table with the Table Wizard

Creating a table in Design View

Types of primary keys

Lesson 3: Working with tables

Adding records

Modifying the table design

Finding and editing records

Deleting, adding, and copying records and values

Filtering and sorting records

Lesson 4: Using select queries

Selecting fields and sorting records

Refining the results of a query

Using queries to perform calculations

Joining tables in a query

Lesson 5: Creating and using forms

Creating a form

Modifying the form design

Using a form to locate and organize information

Multiple-table forms

Lesson 6: Creating and using reports

Creating a report

Creating a report that contains totals

Lesson 7: Database maintenance

Creating a database

Copying objects

Using Windows Explorer

Compacting a database