What is access 2010

However, the thing that really sets databases apart from any other way of storing data is connectivity. A relational database is able to understand how lists and the objects within them relate to one another. To explore this idea, let's go back to the simple database with two lists: names of your friends, and the types of cookies you know how to make.

Because you're only making cookies you know the recipe for and you're only going to give them to your friends, this new list will get all of its information from the lists you made earlier.

See how the third list uses words that appeared in the first two lists? A database is capable of understanding that the Dad and Oatmeal cookies in the Batches list are the same things as the Dad and Oatmeal in the first two lists. This relationship seems obvious, and a person would understand it right away. Excel would treat all of these things as distinct and unrelated pieces of information. In Excel, you'd have to enter every single piece of information about a person or type of cookie each time you mentioned it because that database wouldn't be relational like an Access database.

Simply put, relational databases can recognize what a human can: If the same words appear in multiple lists, they refer to the same thing. The fact that relational databases can handle information this way allows you to enter , search , and analyze data in more than one table at a time. All of these things would be difficult to do in Excel, but in Access even complicated tasks can be simplified and made fairly user friendly.

Yes, install Microsoft Download Manager recommended No, thanks. What happens if I don't install a download manager? Why should I install the Microsoft Download Manager? In this case, you will have to download the files individually.

You would have the opportunity to download individual files on the "Thank you for downloading" page after completing your download. Files larger than 1 GB may take much longer to download and might not download correctly. You might not be able to pause the active downloads or resume downloads that have failed. The Microsoft Access Runtime enables you to distribute Access applications to users who do not have the full version of Access installed on their computers.

Details Note: There are multiple files available for this download. Once you click on the "Download" button, you will be prompted to select the files you need. File Name:. The screen layout for MS Access is significantly different from past versions.

Most of the tabs along the top of the screen have been rearranged. In addition, the default main screen after creating a new database automatically switches to the Design view to create a new table. Note that the interfaces for Access , and are all similar although the version that you use might appear slightly different from the pictures included in this tutorial. Search Holowczak. Note: Access asks whether you want to save the details of the import operation that you just completed.

If you think that you will be performing this same import operation again, click Yes , and then enter the details. You can then easily reproduce the operation in the future by clicking Saved Imports in the Import group on the External Data tab. If you don't want to save the details of the operation, click Close. Access imports the data into a new table, and then displays it under All Tables in the Navigation Pane.

After your data has been imported into an Access table, you can use the Table Analyzer Wizard to quickly identify redundant data. The wizard then provides a simple way to organize the data into separate tables, so that it is be stored in the most efficient way.

Access preserves the original table as a backup, and then creates new tables that you can use as the basis for your database application. The first two pages of the wizard contain a short tutorial — complete with buttons that you can click to see examples.

If you don't see the introductory pages, but instead see a check box labeled Show introductory pages? If you don't want to see the introductory pages again after reading the introduction, you can clear the Show introductory pages? On the Which table contains fields with values that are repeated in many records? You can let the wizard decide which fields go in which tables, or you can make that decision yourself.

If you follow the wizard's suggestions, you can still make changes to the table layout on the next page of the wizard. Note: If you let the wizard decide which fields to put in which tables, its choices may not always be appropriate for your data, especially if there is not much data to work with. You should check the wizard's results carefully. On the other hand, the wizard may suggest a more efficient organization than the one that you are thinking of, so it is a good idea to at least try the wizard's decisions once.

If you don't like the suggestions, you can still rearrange the fields manually, and you can always click Back and arrange all of the fields yourself. Click Next. On this page, you specify which tables contain which fields. If you chose to let the wizard decide, you should see multiple tables connected by relationship lines. Otherwise, Access creates only one table containing all of the fields. In either case, you can make changes on this page. You can drag fields from a table to a blank area of the page to create a new table that contains those fields.

Access prompts you for a table name. You can drag fields from one table to another table if you think that they will be stored more efficiently there. To learn more about the ID fields, click Tips in the upper-right corner of the wizard. To rename a table, double-click its title bar, type the new name, and then click OK. If the wizard finds records that have very similar values, it will identify those values as possible typographical errors and present a screen where you can confirm what to do about them.

Scroll through the list to find any that have values in the Correction column, and then click the appropriate item in the drop-down list. Select Leave as-is to keep the wizard from making any changes to the value. When you are finished, click Next. The wizard asks whether you want to create a query that resembles your original table. If you have already built forms and reports that are based on the original table, creating such a query is a good idea. The forms and reports that were based on the table now use the query for their data, and they continue to work as before.

The wizard creates the new tables as specified, and then opens them. Close them when you are finished inspecting the results. Create a new Access database that links to data in another file format You can use Access to open a file in another file format such as text, dBASE, or a spreadsheet. Access automatically creates an Access database and links the file for you. In the Open dialog box, click the type of the file that you want to open in the list. If needed, browse to the folder containing the file that you want to open.

When you find the file, double-click it to open it. Follow the instructions in the wizard. Import or link data to an existing Access database You can either import data from other sources and programs into Access tables so that the data is contained within the Access file, or you can link to the data from Access so that the data remains in the original file outside of the Access file. Excel You can bring in data from a worksheet or a named range in an Excel workbook.

Each worksheet or named range must be imported or linked separately. Access This is very handy for separating your process from your data, creating a split database.

That is, you can use one database to contain all your forms, reports, and macros, and keep your data in another database. You can then develop improvements without interrupting anyone's work. You can also combine data from many different Access databases in one, making it easier to summarize data across departments or between business partners. ODBC database Many programs support this format, including many database server products.

This helps you create "landing pad" databases, where you combine data from different systems. Text file You can connect to a simple text file, and can even use Access to change the contents of that file. This can help make Access data easy to consume by a wide range of programs. XML file This format also offers compatibility with a variety of other programs, including some web servers.

SharePoint list This makes your data usable with a web browser, the standard way to use a SharePoint list. Data Services You can connect to web data services inside your enterprise. Outlook folder You can connect to Outlook folders, so you more easily integrate your contact information with the rest of your data. Access will import or link the data to your database.

For most formats, you must specify the location of the data, and then choose how you want the data to be stored in your database. If your Access database or Access project was created in Access or later, you can use the database or project in the version of Access in which it was created or in any later version — even if the file is security enabled.

You may have a situation where you want to keep your data in an earlier version of Access, but you have users with a later version of Access that want to link to that data but still take advantage of some of the features of the later version.

The solution is to create a new "front-end" database in the later version containing forms, reports, queries, macros, but no tables , and link it to the tables in the earlier version file. If all the tables, forms, and other objects of your earlier-version Access database are contained in one file, and you want to use the database in several versions of Access, you can create a new front-end database in a later version and link it to the original file.

Users that have the earlier version of Access are still able to use the original database. Users that have the later version can use the new front-end database to link to the same data. You can create several front-end versions if you need to accommodate multiple versions of Access. Use the following procedure to convert the database to any of the three most recent formats: Access , Access , or Access This command preserves the original database in its original format, and creates a copy in the format that you specify.

Close the Access file. If the file is a multiuser Access database located on a server or in a shared folder, ensure that no one else has it open.