Microsoft Access 2010

I. Office 2007 to Office 2010 changes

From the Ribbon to BackstageThe Ribbon contains the set of commands for working in a document, while the Microsoft Office Backstage view is the set of commands you use to do things to a document.

Open a document, and click the File tab to see the Backstage view. The Backstage view is where you manage your documents and related data about them — create, save, and send documents, inspect documents for hidden metadata or personal information, set options such as turning on or off AutoComplete suggestions, and more.

 TIP    To quickly return to your document from the Backstage view, click the Home tab, or press ESC on your keyboard.

The File tab replaces the Microsoft Office Button and the File menu used in earlier releases of Microsoft Office.

Where is the File tab located?1

Instructor Contact Information:Doug BloodworthEmail: dbloodworth@utm.eduCell: Upon Request

The File tab is located in the upper-left corner of Microsoft Office 2010 programs.

 TIP    To quickly return to your document from Backstage view, click the Home tab, or press ESC on your keyboard.

What do I see when I click the File tab?When you click the File tab, you see many of the same basic commands that you saw when you clicked the

Microsoft Office Button or on the File menu in earlier releases of Microsoft Office. You'll find Open, Save, and Print, as well as a new Backstage view tab called Save & Send, which offers multiple options for sharing and sending documents.

 TIP    To quickly return to your document from Backstage view, click the Home tab, or press ESC on your keyboard.

The Info tabThe Info tab displays different commands, properties, and metadata depending on the state of the document and where it is stored. Commands on the Info tab can include Check In, Check Out, and Permissions.

Commands in the Backstage view are highlighted depending on how important it is for the user to notice and interact with the commands. For example, Permissions on the Info tab is highlighted in red when permissions set on the document might limit editing.

2

II. How to get started with Access 2010 Access 2010 opens in Backstage view, which contains many of the commands that were on the File menu in Access 2003 and Access 2007. In Backstage view, you can create and save new databases, start from a template, open existing databases, and publish them to SharePoint.

You can also get help in Backstage view. We have many free resources available to help you learn Access 2010, including training courses and a menu-to-ribbon guide that lets you click any Access 2003 command, and then shows you exactly where that command is located in Access 2010.

3

To find these free resources, click the File tab, and then click Help. Then, under Support, click Getting Started.

III. Things you might be looking for

Look over the table below to find some of the common and familiar things that you might be looking for in Access 2010. Although this list isn’t comprehensive, it’s a good place to start. For a full list of Access 2010 commands, click the File tab, click Help, and then click Getting Started.

To... Do this… And then... Rearrange items in the Navigation Pane

Right-click the top of the Navigation Pane

Select the organization options you want, such as Sort By or View By

Create new tables, forms, and other objects

Click the Create tab Click the command for the object you want to create

View and edit database relationships Click the Database Tools tab In the Relationships group, click Relationships

Split a database into front-end and back-end databases

Click the Database Tools tab In the Move Data group, click Access Database

Save a database as a different version Access database

Click the File tab Click Save & Publish, and then, under Save Database As, click the format you want

Import or export data Click the External Data tab Select the data format from which you want to import, or to which you want to export

Encrypt a database Click the File tab Click Encrypt with Password

4

IV. Where is Print Preview? In Access 2010, look for Print Preview in Backstage view, alongside other useful print-related settings. Click the File tab, click Print, and then click Print Preview. The Print Preview tab opens with a preview of how the current object will look when printed.

You can use the options on the Print Preview tab to fine-tune your preferences, for example, to change the paper size, set margins, or to change the orientation from portrait to landscape. You can also export the object’s data in a variety of formats by using the commands in the Data group. When you’re ready to print, click Print at the far left of the Print Preview tab.

V. What happened to Tools | Options?

Looking for the program settings that let you control things like selecting a default form for the current database? Or perhaps you’d like to configure the database so that objects are displayed in overlapping windows instead of on document tabs.

Click the File tab, and then click Options. This opens the Access Options dialog box, where you can customize your Access settings and preferences.

You can use the options on the Print Preview tab to fine-tune your preferences, for example, to change the paper size, set margins, or to change the orientation from portrait to landscape. You can also export the object’s data in a variety of formats by using the commands in the Data group. When you’re ready to print, click Print at the far left of the Print Preview tab.

5

Some settings in the Access Options dialog box apply only to Access. But some preferences (for example, the color scheme) will apply to all other Microsoft Office 2010 programs that you have installed.

VI. Keep your favorite commands nearby The Quick Access Toolbar in the upper- left corner of the Access program window provides shortcuts to commands you’ll use often.

By adding buttons to this toolbar, you can keep all of your favorite commands visible at all times, even when you switch ribbon tabs.

Click the drop-down arrow next to the Quick Access Toolbar to turn on or off any of the commands in the list. If the command you want to add isn’t shown in the list, switch to the ribbon tab where the button appears and then right-click it there. On the menu that appears, click Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

6

VII. Introducing KeyTips Access 2010 provides shortcuts for the ribbon, called KeyTips, so you can quickly perform tasks without using your mouse.

To make KeyTips appear on the ribbon, press the ALT key.

Next, to switch to a tab on the ribbon using your keyboard, press the key of the letter displayed under that tab. In the example shown here, you would press C to open the Create tab, X to open the External Data tab, Y to open the Database Tools tab, and so on.

Once you’ve switched to a ribbon tab in this way, all available KeyTips for that tab appear on the screen. You can then finish the sequence by pressing the final key (or keys) for the command you want to use.

To go back one level while in a sequence, press the ESC key. Doing so multiple times in a row cancels KeyTips mode.

VIII. Do keyboard shortcuts still work? Keyboard shortcuts from Access 2003 are still available in Access 2010. If you know a shortcut sequence, go ahead and type it. For example, with a form in Layout View, ALT+F8 still opens the Field List, and ALT+F4 quits Access 2010.

Many of the old menu accelerators are still available as well. For example, pressing ALT, T, O in succession opens the Access Options dialog box (formerly Tools | Options), and so on. As you begin to type an ALT key sequence, you may see a box pop up:

If you know the entire key sequence that you want, go ahead and finish typing it. If you don’t remember (or never learned) any ALT key sequences, press the ESC key to cancel and use KeyTips instead.

IX. Working with new and old Access files Access 2010 (and Access 2007) databases use a new format for saving files. If people you work with are using different versions of Access, don’t worry — you can still open and edit older databases in Access 2010, and share your files with people who don’t yet have Access 2010.

By default, Access 2010 and Access 2007 create databases in the .accdb file format. This format supports newer features such as multivalued fields, data macros, and publishing to SharePoint so people can use the database in a Web browser.

Files created in the Access 2003 format (.mdb) will run in Access 2010, but features such as the Database window and toolbars will be replaced by the new user interface.

7

X. Opening a 2003 database in Access 2010 If you use Access 2010 to open a database that was created with Access 2003, you’ll see a switchboard (if one was created). Even though you are working in Access 2010, you’re technically still working in the earlier file format. You won’t be able to use new Access 2010 features such as multi-valued fields and publishing to SharePoint.

You can convert your file, but before you do, ask yourself if you need to collaborate on your file with people who still use Access 2003 (or an even older version). If the answer is yes, you may want to keep the file in the .mdb format because after you save an older database as an .accdb file, you can only use that database in Access 2010 (or Access 2007).

Note If other people have created linked tables using your database, you might break those links if you convert the database to Access 2010. To convert the Access 2003 file to the new Access 2010 (and Access 2007) format, open the file, and then, on the File tab, click Save & Publish. Then, under Database File Types, click Access Database (*.accdb). Click Save As.

If any database objects are open when you click Save As, Access 2010 prompts you to close them prior to creating the copy. Click Yes to make Access close the objects, or click No to cancel the entire process. If necessary, Access will also prompt you to save any changes. Then, in the Save As dialog box, type a file name in the File name box, and then click Save

8

XI. What is New? The new user interface — introduced in Office Access 2007 and enhanced in Access 2010 — was designed to make it easy for you to find commands and features that before were often buried in complex menus and toolbars.

A. The ribbonThe ribbon is a collection of tabs that contain groups of commands that are organized by feature and functionality. The ribbon replaces the layers of menus and toolbars found in earlier versions of Access. The following image shows the ribbon with the Home tab selected.

Key features of the ribbon include:

Command tabs — Tabs that display commands that are commonly used together so that you can find the commands that you need when you need them.

Contextual command tabs — A command tab that appears depending on your context — that is, the object that you are working on or the task that you are performing. A contextual command tab contains the commands most likely to apply to what you are doing.

Galleries — New controls that display a preview of a style or option so that you can see the results before you commit to a choice.

B. Backstage viewNew in Access 2010, Backstage view contains commands that you apply to an entire database, such as compact and repair, or open a new database. Commands are arranged on tabs on the left side of the screen, and each tab contains a group of related commands or links. For example, if you click New, you see set of buttons that let you create a new database from scratch, or by selecting from a library of professionally designed database templates.

9

C. Navigation PaneNOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007. The Navigation Pane lists and provides easy access to all of the objects in the currently open database.

Use the Navigation Pane to organize your objects by object type, date created, date modified, related table (based on object dependencies), or in custom groups that you create. Need more space to work on your form design? You can easily collapse the Navigation Pane so that it takes up little space, but still remains available.

The Navigation Pane replaces the Database window that was used in versions of Access earlier than Access 2007. For a video demonstration of the Navigation Pane, see the article Demo: Meet the Navigation Pane.

D.Tabbed objects

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007. By default, your tables, queries, forms, reports, and macros are displayed as tabbed objects in the Access window.  NOTE    You can change this setting per database, and use objects windows instead of tabs.

10

By clicking the object tabs, you can easily switch between various objects.

E. Help windowAccess 2010 offers both Access Help and Access Developer Reference content in the same Help window. The two systems contain different types of assistance content. The Help Viewer lets you choose which content to display. You can change the scope of your search to the Access Developer Reference content only, for example. Regardless of the settings that you make in the Help window, all of the Access Help and Access Developer Reference content is always available online, at Office.com or at MSDN.

XII. What is New? -- More powerful object creation toolsA. Create tab

Use the Create tab to quickly create new forms, reports, tables, queries, and other database objects. If you select a table or query in the Navigation Pane, you can create a new form or report based on that object in one click by using the Form or Report command.

The new forms and reports that are created by this one-click process use an updated design to help make them more visually appealing and immediately useful. Automatically generated forms and reports get a professional looking design with headers that include a logo and a title. In addition, an automatically generated report also includes the date and time as well as informative footers and totals.

B. Report view and Layout view

11

These views, introduced in Office Access 2007 and enhanced in Access 2010, let you work with forms and reports interactively. By using Report view, you can browse an accurate rendering of your report without having to print or display it in Print Preview. To focus on certain records, use the filter feature, or use a Find operation to search for matching text. You can use the Copy command to copy text to the Clipboard, or click the active hyperlinks displayed in your report to follow a link in your browser.

Layout view lets you make design changes while you browse your data. You can use Layout view to make many common design changes while you view data in a form or report. For example, add a field by dragging a field name from the new Field List pane, or change properties by using the property sheet.

Layout view now offers improved design layouts — groups of controls that you can adjust as one so that you can easily rearrange fields, columns, rows, or whole layouts. You can also remove a field or add formatting easily in Layout view.

C. Streamlined creation of grouping and sorting in reports

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

Access has a new way to group and sort data in reports, and to add totals. The interface is easy to navigate and understand, and when it is used with the new Layout view, you see the effect of your changes instantly.

Suppose that you want to see total sales by region in a report. Use Layout view and the Group, Sort, and Total pane to add a group level and request a total — and see the changes live, in your report. The Total row makes adding a sum, average, count, maximum, or minimum to your report headers or footers easy. Simple totals no longer require manually creating a calculated field. Now you just point and click.

12

D.Improved control layouts to help you create polished forms and reportsForms and reports often contain tabular information, such as a column that contains customer names or a row that contains all the fields for a customer. You can group these controls into a layout that can easily be manipulated as one unit, including the label.

Because you can select controls from different sections, such as the label in the section header or footer, there is considerable flexibility. You can easily:

Move or resize a layout. For example, move a column to the left or right. Format a layout. For example, set a customer-name column in bold so that it stands out. Add a column (field) to a layout. Delete a column (field) from a layout. Merge or split cells

Layouts are saved with your design, so that they remain available. The following video shows you how layouts work in forms and reports.

13

E. Split forms for fast browsing of data

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

Use a split form to create a form that combines a Datasheet view and a Form view. You can set a property to tell Access to put the datasheet on the top, bottom, left, or right.

 NOTE    Split forms

are not available in web databases.

F. Embedded macros in forms and reports

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

Use embedded macros to avoid having to write code. An embedded macro is stored in a property and is a part of the object to which it belongs. You can change the design of an embedded macro without having to worry about other controls that might use the macro — each embedded macro is independent. Embedded macros are trusted because they are automatically prevented from performing potentially unsafe operations.

14

XIII. What’s New? New data types and controlsNew in Access 2010, calculated fields let you store the result of a calculation.

Office Access 2007 introduced the following new and enhanced data types and controls:

Multivalued fields Attachment data type Enhanced Memo fields Built-in calendar control for date/time fields

A. Calculated fieldsYou can create a field that displays a value that is calculated from other data in the same table. You use the Expression Builder to create the calculation, so you benefit from IntelliSense and easy access to Help for expression values.

Data from other tables cannot be used as the source for the calculated data. Some expressions are not supported by calculated fields.

B. Multivalued fields

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

A multivalued field can store more than one value per record. Suppose that you have to assign a task to one of your employees or contractors, but you want to assign it to more than one person. In most database management systems and in versions of Access earlier than Office Access 2007, you had to create a many-to-many relationship to do this correctly.

 NOTE    Access creates a hidden table to maintain the necessary many-to-many relationship for each multivalued field.

Multivalued fields are especially appropriate when you work with a SharePoint list that contains one of the multivalued field types that are used in Windows SharePoint Services. Access 2010 is compatible with these data types.

C. Attachment fields for files

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

The Attachment data type lets you easily store all kinds of documents and binary files in your database without any unnecessary growth in database size. Access automatically compresses attachments, when it is possible, to minimize space usage. Do you want to attach a Word document to a record or save a series of digital pictures in your database?

15

Using attachments make these tasks much easier. You can even add multiple attachments to a single record.

 NOTE    You can use attachment fields in web databases, but each web table can have at most one attachment field.

D.Memo fields now store rich text and support revision history

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

Rich text memo fields mean you are no longer limited to plain text in your records. You can format text with options (such as bold, italic, in addition to different fonts and colors, and other common formatting options) and store the text in your database. Rich-formatted text is stored in a Memo field in an HTML-based format that is compatible with the rich text data type in Windows SharePoint Services. You set the new TextFormat property to either RichText or PlainText, and the information is then correctly formatted in text box controls and in Datasheet view.

Memo fields are useful for storing large amounts of information. You can configure the Append Only property to retain a history of all changes to a Memo field. You can then view a history of those changes. This feature also supports the tracking feature in Windows SharePoint Services so that you can also use Access to view the SharePoint list content history.

E. Calendar for picking dates

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

Fields and controls that use the Date/Time data type automatically gain support for a built-in interactive calendar, introduced in Access 2007. The calendar button automatically appears to the right of the date. Want to know the date for this coming Friday? Click the button and the calendar automatically appears to let you find and choose the date. You can opt to turn off the calendar for a field or a control by using a property.

XIV. What’s New? Improved data presentation -- New data presentation features help you create database objects more quickly and then analyze your data more easily.

16

A. Enhanced sorting and filtering tools

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

Suppose that you have to quickly find a matching value or sort a column of data. The AutoFilter feature introduced in Office Access 2007 augments already powerful filtering abilities so that you can quickly focus on the data that you need. You can easily select from the unique values in a column, which is useful for situations when you can't recall the name that you need, or you can sort the values by using context menu options in plain language, such as Sort Oldest to Newest or Sort Smallest to Largest.

The most common filter options are easily visible in menu commands, or you can use quick filters to limit information based on the data that you enter. Quick filter options automatically change based on the data type so that you will see sensible choices for text, date, and numeric information.

B. Totals and alternating background colors in datasheets17

 NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

Datasheet view offers a Total row, in which you can show a sum, count, average, maximum, minimum, standard deviation, or variance. After you add the Total row, you point to the arrow in the column's cell and select the calculation that you want.

Datasheets, reports, and continuous forms support an alternating background color for rows, which you can configure independently of the default background color. Shading every other row is easy, and you can choose any color.

C. Conditional formattingAccess 2010 adds new conditional formatting features, enabling you to achieve some of the same formatting styles as are available in Excel. For example, you can now add Data Bars to make a column of numbers more readable, as shown in the following illustration:

 NOTE    Conditional formatting is not available in web databases.

XV. Enhanced security18

Enhanced security features and strong integration with Windows SharePoint Services help you to more effectively manage and allow you to make your information tracking applications more secure than before. By storing your tracking application data in lists on Windows SharePoint Services, you can audit revision history, recover deleted information, and configure data access permissions.

Office Access 2007 introduced a new security model that has been carried forward and improved in Access 2010. Unified trust decisions are integrated with the Microsoft Office Trust Center. Trusted locations make it easy to trust all databases in secure folders. You can load an Office Access 2007 application that has code or macros that are disabled to provide a more secure, sandboxed (that is, unsafe commands can't be run) experience. Trusted macros are run in Sandbox mode.

XVI. Collect data by using InfoPath forms and Outlook NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

The Data Collection feature helps you collect feedback by using Outlook and, optionally, InfoPath. You can automatically generate an InfoPath form or an HTML form and embed it in the body of an e-mail message. You can then send the form to recipients selected from your Outlook contacts, or to the names of recipients stored in a field in your Access database.

You choose whether to collect new information or update existing information. Recipients then complete the form and return it. Outlook recognizes the incoming forms and automatically saves the data in your Access database — no retyping required.

XVII. Export to PDF and XPS19

In Access 2010, you can export data to a PDF (Portable Document Format) or XPS (XML Paper Specification) file format for printing, posting, and e-mail distribution, provided that you first install the Publish as PDF or XPS add-in. Exporting a form, report, or datasheet to a .pdf or .xps file lets you capture information in an easy-to-distribute form that retains all your formatting characteristics, but doesn't require others to install Access on their computers to print or review your output.

Portable Document Format    A PDF is a fixed-layout electronic file format that preserves document formatting and helps with file sharing. The PDF format makes sure that when the file is viewed online or printed, it retains exactly the format that you intended, and the data in the file cannot be easily copied or changed. The PDF format is also useful for documents that will be reproduced by using commercial printing methods.

XML Paper Specification    An XPS is an electronic file format that preserves document formatting and helps with file sharing. The XPS format makes sure that when the file is viewed online or printed, it retains exactly the format that you intended, and the data in the file cannot be easily copied or changed.

XVIII. Working with external data made easierYou can now connect to a Web service as an external data source. You'll need a Web service definition file provided by the Web service administrator. After you install the definition file, you can link to Web service data as a linked table.

New features introduced in Office Access 2007 make it easier to import and export data. You can save an import or export operation and then reuse the saved operation the next time that you want to perform the same task. The Import Spreadsheet Wizard lets you override the data type chosen by Access, and you can import, export, and link to files that have the Office Excel 2007 at least file formats.

XIX. A better way to troubleshoot problems NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

Microsoft Office Diagnostics is a series of diagnostic tests that can help you discover why your computer is crashing. The diagnostic tests can solve some problems directly and can identify ways that you can solve other problems. Microsoft Office Diagnostics replaces the following Microsoft Office 2003 features: Detect and Repair, and Microsoft Office Application Recovery.

XX. Improved spelling checker NOTE    This feature was introduced in Access 2007.

The following are some new features of the spelling checker.

The spelling checker behaves more consistently across the Office programs. Examples of this change include the following:

Several spelling checker options are now global. If you change one of these options in one Office program, that option is also changed for all the other Office programs. For more information, see the article Choose how spelling and grammar checking work.

20

In addition to sharing the same custom dictionaries, all programs can manage them by using the same dialog box. For more information, see the article Use custom dictionaries to add words to the spelling checker.

The spelling checker includes the post-reform French dictionary. In Microsoft Office 2003, this was an add-in that had to be separately installed. For more information, see the article Choose how spelling and grammar checking work.

An exclusion dictionary is automatically created for a language the first time that language is used. You can use exclusion dictionaries to force the spelling checker to flag words you want to avoid using. Exclusion dictionaries are useful for avoiding words that are obscene or that don't match your style guide. For more information, see the article Use exclusion dictionaries to specify a preferred spelling for a word.

21

XXI. Using an Access Database (Pulling Data from a Database)Note: In Other Handout

XXII. Building a Database Note: In Other Handout

XXIII. Managing a Database (Create Select Queries)Note: In Other Handout

XXIV. Maintaining and Documenting a DatabaseNote: In Other Handout

22