Introduction
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About This Book
If you’re developing a database application with the tools in Microsoft Access, this book gives
you a thorough understanding of “programming without pain." It provides a solid founda-
tion for designing databases, forms, and reports and getting them all to work together. You’ll
learn that you can quickly create complex applications by linking design elements with Visual
Basic. Th is boo k w ill also show you how to ta ke advantag e of som e of t he more advanced f ea-
tures of Microsoft Access. You’ll learn how to build an Access project that links directly to a
Microsoft SQL Server database. You’ll also learn how to use Access tools to link to your Access
data from the Web or link your Access application to data stored on the Web.
If you’re new to developing applications, particularly database applications, this probably
should not be the first book you read about Microsoft Access. I recommend that you first
take a look at Microsoft Office Access 2003 Step by Step or Faster Smarter Microsoft Office
Access 2003.
Microsoft Office Access 2003 Inside Out is divided into seven major parts:
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Part 1 prov ides an ov er view of Access and d iscusses work you mu st d o b ef ore you w rite
a single line of code.
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Chapter 1 explains the major features that a database should provide, explores
those features in Access, and discusses some of the main reasons why you should
consider using database software.
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Chapter 2 describes the architecture of Microsoft Access, gives you an overview
of the major objects in an Access database by taking you on a tour through two
of the sample databases, and explains the many ways you can use Access to cre-
ate an application.
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Chapter 3 explains a simple technique that you can use to design a good rela-
tional database application with little effort. Even if you’re already familiar with
Access or creating database applications in general, getting the table design right
is so important that this chapter is a “must read" for everyone. Starting with a
good design is the key to building easy-to-use and easy-to-modify applications.
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Part 2 shows you how to create your desktop application database and tables and build
queries to analyze and update data in your tables.
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Chapter 4 teaches you how to create databases, tables, and the indexes for those
tables.
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Chapter 5 shows you the ins and outs of modifying tables even after you’ve
already begun to load data and build other parts of your application.
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Chapter 6 explains how to link to or import data from other sources.
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Chapter 7 shows you how to build simple queries and how to work with data in
Datasheet view.
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