Working with databases can be a very daunting task to a new user. When presented with the task of preparing and using a database, such as a database created by Microsoft Access, to return valuable information, a couple of key steps are necessary to begin manipulating the data. Probably the easiest and most crucial step in creating a database is to import the external data that you are going to be using throughout your work. Finally, exporting the information that results from such data for specific usage is another crucial aspect of external data when dealing with a database.
To begin, data comes in many different forms. These forms are textual or hyperlink, numbers and currency, dates, times, simple ‘Yes/No’ inputs, and objects such as pictures and video to name a few. All data must be imported into a database to be able to use it. A few different import sources are spreadsheets from Microsoft Excel, data already in an Access file, as well as manually written text. Once the data is imported, the data is stored in what is known as a ‘table’. A screenshot from a sample table created by myself is shown below.
Open database connectivity, or more simply ODBC, is part of what is called the ‘network language’. This allows users to connect databases very quickly and effectively.
When entering textual data, you would use what is known as a ‘transitional file type’. This file type consists of all of the text data that you are going to import into a database. Special features of text data are the DELIMITER which is simply a character, such as a quotation mark, that separates the fields or columns of your data, a TEXT QUALIFIER which again is a specific character that encloses the actual text data field within a text file, and finally text can be imported using FIXED WIDTH capabilities which allows for no need for a delimiter. Fixed width instead aligns each column with a specific number of characters such as ‘1-23=Street’, etc.
There are a couple of different ways to actually import data into a database. First, there is simply opening a pre-determined file of data such as something that is given to you by management or something found online. These files of data are links to data sources and can be opened by clicking on the ‘External Data’ tab of the database on the Access tab bar and navigating to the ‘Import & Link’ section of the ribbon. Second, manually entering data into a text box using delimiters or fixed width fields can be used, too.
Finally, exporting data from Microsoft Access is a cinch! Click on the ‘External Data’ tab and venture to the ‘Export’ section of the ribbon as seen above. You can choose several different ways to export and present your data and information from a database.
All in all, databases are a very neat and organized utility to store and manipulate data. After the need for data to be presented and used in such a manner, creating a database is a great way to import, manipulate, and export the information needed from the data set that you were originally given. A link to a website containing much more detailed information about databases is http://databaseanswers.org/tutorials.htm which is full of useful information to refer to when creating and managing databases. Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Create your own database and explore the many wonderful opportunities that Microsoft Access has to offer!
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