Databases and Education

Access 2013

Access Course Progression

• Access courses can be designed for intensive immersion or semester-long courses.

• Basic Training

• File import and export functions.

• Toolbars and spell check.

• Creating and working with a database

• Finding and filtering data, tables, and fields.

Intermediate Training

• Intermediate Access Training usually involves: enhanced databased design fundamentals.

• Learn about table relationships, customization, advanced table designs, queries and report writing.

Advanced Access Training

• When Access users gain experience they will want to know how to use complex techniques involving file and data manipulation.

• Why?

• To advance their abilities to use Big Data to learn about new emerging relationships through exploration of data trends.

• Advanced users find it useful to be able to create their own toolbars that allow them to control and incorporate macros they design to get work done.

• Advanced users also want enhanced security features and set up advanced queries and to perform cross tab searches.

Why Should Students Know Access?

• Information technology professionals are required to know how to use relational databases and create relational databases.

• Technology developers, programmers, and analysts use Access frequently.

• Accountants, inventory supervisors, and human resources personnel and sales managers are required to be able to use Access in advanced ways.

• Students and business entrepreneurs need database skills to control vast information storehouses in order to investigate trends and future directions in business, governments, and education.

How Do Teachers Use Access?

• Teachers create databases to maintain records for long periods of time about their teaching practicum.

• Grades, assignments, lesson plans, visual literacy data examples, survey data, questionnaires, tests, audio recordings, digitized records of student work, etc.

• By keeping data spreadsheets, teachers can keep track of student performance records and integrate them quickly into an Access database using import and export functionality features.

What Is A Relational Database

• Access is a relational database.

• A relational database is a collection of tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules that compose a complete system which operate based on set theory.

What Can I Do With Microsoft Access 2013?

• You can use it to develop 6 different types of applications.

• Personal Applications

• Small-Business Applications

• Departmental Applications

• Corporate-Wide Applications

• Front –end applications for enterprise client/server databases

• Web Applications

Basic Level of Access User

• Access is deceptively easy to use.

• Built in Wizards make Access a product that anyone can use to create simple personal databases from finances to automated collections of documents or compile information items such as serial numbers on all your electronic equipment and personal property.

• Some databases you create will require more thought and knowledge about design and customization to make that database more functional.

Tables

• Tables are the starting point for an application.

• Whether data is stored or external data is referenced (Excel Spreadsheet) using linked tables, all other objects in a database reference tables.

• To see a list of available tables select Tables from the drop down File list of available objects.

• To view a tables design, right-click the Navigation Pane and select Design View.

• In Design view you can modify the field names, data types, and field and table properties.

Tying Tables Together

• To properly maintain data’s integrity and ease the process to work with other objects in a database, you must define relationships among the tables in a database.

• Do this by using the Relationships Window.

• Select Relationships from the Database Tool tab of the Ribbon.

Queries

• Access queries are powerful tools to find or search data for specific data points.

• A query retrieves data from your database based on criteria you supply.

• Select queries enables you to view, summarize, and perform calculations on the data in tables and linked tables.

• Action queries enable you to add to, update, and delete table data.

Forms

• Forms is a way to display, modify, and add data.

• Each form feature adds, subtracts, or modifies a database.

Reports

• Forms are used to turn data into information.

• Reports allow you to display information, usually to a printer.

Macros

• Access macros allow you to perform most of the tasks that you can perform manually with your keyboard.

Asset Tracking Template

• Track imporrtant equipment used by your business and assign it to employees.

• Like all Access 2013 apps, the Asset tracking template requires Sharepoint so you can share content with others.

Custom Web Application Template

• Allows you to build a custom Web Application database.

Blank Desktop Database Template

• Allows user to build any type of desktop database they want.

Contact Database Template

• Allows user to manage individual and corporate relationships by using this application.

• Customize by adding more tables, new views of table data, and adding any logic that suits your needs.

Issue Tracking Database Template

• Record issues related to your needs, associate them with people, and assign them to people.

Project Management Database Template

• Manage projects by breaking work items into tasks, associating them with ideas, and assigning them to students.

Task Management Database Template

• Plan and manage tasks, and then assign them to students.