Microsoft Access Tutorial - Creating Your Database

In our last Microsoft Access tutorial, we discussed the definition of a database, and how a database is used to store and retrieve information. But before we can start storing and retrieving information, we need to create a database file. So in this tutorial, we will be creating our first database file.

At this stage, I need to warn you that, for the purposes of these tutorials, we will be using Microsoft Access 2003. The interface changes between Access 2000, Access 2002 (XP) and Access 2003 are only minimal, so if you are using any of these versions (which the majority of people are), you shouldn’t have any problems with what is being taught here. For those of you that have upgraded to 2007, these tutorials may prove a little more difficult to follow, as the interface in Access 2007 has changed quite dramatically. That said, the theory that I will be teaching here is still relevant in Access 2007, and if you are willing to experiment with the fancy new toolbars and setup, you should be able to go through these tutorials using Access 2007.

While we’re on the subject of Access 2007, and the dramatic change in the user interface, I should mention a product I have come across that will ease your woes. Classic Menu for Access 2007 is a downloadable add-in for Microsoft Access 2007 that will bring back all the old toolbars that you have grown accustomed to in the earlier versions of Access. Not only that, but all the features that are new in Access 2007 have been added to the old toolbars, so you get the best of both worlds. It’s easy to install, and very quick to download (it’s only a 1.8mb file).

The other thing I haven’t mentioned as yet is that we will be basing these tutorials around a real life application. We will be building, from scratch, a database for a fictitious company called Bobbles ‘R’ Us. The database we create will track products, customers, suppliers, sales and correspondence. There are other Microsft Access tutorials out there that use the standard “Northwind” template that ships with Microsoft Office. The problem with this is that a lot of the learning takes place in the creation of the database. By building an application from scratch, you will have a deeper understanding of the way everything links together, and you will then be able to use this knowledge to build your own databases. For this same reason, we will be keeping the use of wizards to a minimum. Wizards are fine if you want something done quickly, but they are limited in their customisability, and using them will not broaden your knowledge of how a database works.

The first thing to do is open up Microsoft Access from the Start Menu. Once it is open, choose “New…” from the File menu, and select “Blank Database” from the options that pop up. Save the database to a place easily accessible (the desktop is fine), and call it Bobbles.mdb.

Congratulations! You have created your first database! How easy was that? Actually, don’t get too excited, you have just created your first database file; creating the database itself is going to take quite a few more steps.

You will then be presented with the Database Window. Down the left hand side of this window is a pane called the “Objects Bar”, which has a list of object types that the database uses (Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports, Pages, Macros & Modules). In the next Microsoft Access Tutorial, we are going to explain each of these objects, and what their roles are within your database.

Please keep in mind that if you have any questions, or suggestions on what should be covered in these posts, you are welcome to leave a comment or send me an email at microsoftaccesstutorials@gmail.com. Talk to you again soon.