When we create software it is as important to design a perfect database as to create a front end design. A good relational database which is normalized reduces the chance of any type of logical bugs in the future. Access is a database management structure created by Microsoft in order to solve the data storage problem and is a part of the Microsoft Office suite. Access 2007 comes with the Microsoft Office 07 edition and has major changes from its earlier predecessors.
To install access database, we have to install the Microsoft Office software first, after installation we can find a Microsoft Office folder in our start up menu and inside it we can find the link to the Microsoft Access 2007. We can also obtain the same by going to the windows folder where Office was installed. We can notice the change in design from Access 2003 almost immediately.
The first step is to create a blank database on a desired location. A table is the soul of a database and we have to create the table according to the needs and demands of the software. Each table column must have a definite data type such as Text, Memo, Number, DateTime etc.
We must define a column with unique values in a table and assign the primary key constraint to it; most of these types of columns will have AutoNumber as data type. Field size for each column must be specified according to requirement. The table is valid only when we save the table with a table name and according to nomenclature rules the name should start with “tbl”.
We can connect our front end of application to the access database through Object database connectivity driver or commonly known as ODBC driver and can populate, edit or search the table by giving specific queries. We can also assign a password to the access database to provide more security. We can also create access forms instead of front end applications and write code inside it.
Download Access 2007 Step by Step Study Material .