Microsoft Office Access 2016: Part 3 (Advanced)

Microsoft Access enables you to integrate data with other programs. In this lesson, you will import external data into Access as well as export Access data to other applications. (Lesson Introduction)

Learn how to import external data into Access so you do not have to manually key it in. This will save you time and minimize errors. (TXT Files, CSV Files, The Get External Data Wizard, Delimiters)

Learn how to import external data into Access so you do not have to manually key it in. This will save you time and minimize errors. (The Import Spreadsheet Wizard)

One of the great features of Access, not only being able to import data, is being able to export data.

Text file formats can be used to display the exported data in a simple format, but are generally used as delimited files that can then be imported into another application. (TXT Files, CSV Files, Text File Wizard, Delimiters)

When you export data to Excel, Access creates a copy of the selected data or database object and then stores the copy in an Excel worksheet. Excel is great analysing data and to distribute the results of your analysis. (Excel File)

Access includes a feature that allows you to link your tables to external data sources.

One major advantage of linking to external files is that when those external files are updated, Microsoft Access automatically sees the updates without intervention. (The Linked Table Manager)

In this topic, you will create a mail merge.

It is much more efficient to merge Access data with Word documents than it is to reenter all the information into Word. (The Microsoft Word Mail Merge Wizard, Merge Fields, The Mail Merge Task Pane)

Macros are a good alternative to learning a complex programming language to perform relatively simple tasks. Macros offers a huge range of possibilites to modifying, validating, manipulationg and working with data. (Lesson Introduction)

The users forget about the New Record button near the bottom of the screen. Lets's create a macro that opens a form, ready to accept a new record. (The Macro Builder Window, Macro Actions, Action Arguments, Object Events)

A macro condition is an expression that enables a macro to perform a task if a specific set of circumstances exist. (Macro Conditions, The Where Condition)

Learn how to introduce a macro into a form to enforce the integrity and the validity of the data that’s being input into that form.

Creating a macro to prompt the user to enter correct information ensures data integrity and maintains your database's value. (Event Properties for Data Validation, Embedded Macros)

Making data entry easy for your users through automation not only increases the accuracy of your data, but also increases the speed at which your users can enter data.

You can employ macros to do this work for you by associating them with events. For example, if you have your users enter part numbers, the price can be automatically entered based on the part number. (Event Properties for Automating Data Entry, Macro Actions for Automating Data Entry)

As the database administrator, you have the responsibility of guaranteeing database integrity through good design, clean data, and a healthy database. This lesson guides you through those processes.

Many of the problems associated with working with databases can be mitigated by performing regular backups and by performing a simple maintenance task known as Compact and Repair. (Exclusive Mode, Compact and Repair)

One of the things you never want to hear your users say is, “The database is slow.” Access has a built-in tool, the Performance Analyzer, that's designed to help you do just that: analyze performance. (Performance Analyzer)

Object dependency is when database entities (objects) rely on one another for data. Object dependency in a database can become quite complex, and it's necessary to understand object dependency in cases of advanced troubleshooting. (Object Dependencies Pane)

If anyone else ever needs to work with your database, they will need to know how everything is configured. Database documentation can give them the information they need and provide a reference to you as well. (The Database Documenter, The Documenter Dialog Box)

Microsoft® Access® provides database administrators with tools to move from a single-user database to a multipleuser networked database application. (Lesson Introduction)

Splitting a database is a simple process that divides your single ACCDB file into two files. One file becomes the front-end database and the second file becomes the back-end database and contains the data in tables. (Front-End and Back-End Databases, The Database Splitter, Advantages of a Split Database)

Another way to secure objects is to hide them. (Options)

A trusted location is a folder that is known to Microsoft Access as a location that should not be checked by the Trust Center. The purpose of trusted locations is to prevent any warnings about macros, ActiveX controls, or data connections that the Trust Center ordinarily would see as potentially harmful. (Options, The Trust Center dialog box)

Using a password prevents unauthorized access to a database that might contain sensitive data. (Password Protection)

If you're distributing your database to users outside of your design group, then it's wise to convert them first so that you don't have users changing your design elements. (The ACCDE File Format)

A digital signature is an authentication tool that verifies the content in a file. It tells the user that the content can be trusted. (Digital Signatures, Digital Certificates)

You can limit users to the database objects that they need to use and make it easier for them to access those objects. (Lesson Introduction)

A switchboard is a form that usually opens when you open a database. You should design your switchboard with the idea that it is the user's primary database interface. (Switchboard Manager)

In this topic, you will modify the switchboard to your needs. (Switchboard Appearance Options)

Start-up options can help protect your database and make it easier for users to access forms, reports, and queries. (Database Start-up Options)

Congratulations! You've completed the Microsoft® Office Access® 2016: Part 3 course. (What's Next?)