Creating a form

In this activity, I created a form based on the 'data types' database that I made in the previous activity.

A form displays one record at a time, which is easier to read.

I clicked on 'Create form by using wizard' and on the form wizard,

I can choose which fields that can be shown in the form, I chose 'Field Name', 'Data Type' and 'Description'.

This picture shows how I wanted to display the information in the form.

I just chose 'Columnar'.

This is what the form looks like.

It's a more convenient way of displaying information as opposed to a table,

as each record is displayed one at a time, so it's more easier to read the record that you are looking for.

The problem with this type of form is that if you're looking for one record and there's around 500 records, you would have to look at each record individually until you find the one that you're looking for

Data Types

In this activity, we are to create a record of each of the data types that are available in Microsoft Access.

Querying A Database

In this activity, we are required to make queries which is basically searching for information in the databases that we have made in the previous activity.

We had to open up Microsoft Office Access
and under the 'Objects' column, click on 'queries' and click on 'Create Query in Design View'.

Q) 7&8

By dragging the Surname, First name and Postcode on the 'Field' rows, the program will know which field that we want to search in.

As shown in the picture, the numbers 2145 is typed into the Criteria row and This means that we are querying/searching for people in the address book that lives in the postcode 2145.

Q) 9-11

By clicking on 'save' and then 'open', you can see that the people listed are those in the database with the postcode of 2145.


Q) 12

This time, the number 2766 was typed in the 'or' row.

These are the results for the query.
The information that the second query selected are those with the postcode 2766.
Therefore, my results display the people who live 2154 OR 2766.
(I use microsoft office 2007 at home)


Q13)

In the 'criteria' row, I typed in *2 which searches for phone numbers ending with 2.


I also typed in *3* which searches for phone numbers with a 3 in it.

The query *2 didn't come up with any results,
so I just included the results of the *3* query.

Q) 14
A- Postcode of 2145 or 2146


Results:



B- Postcode between 2145 and 2146

Results:



C- Surnames starting with S


Results:



D- Surnames or first names containing M


Results:



E- Surnames and first names containing A


Results:

Creating a Basic Database... address book

We were required to create a basic database using Microsoft Access 2003 using the fields

Surname, First Name, Date of Birth, Home phone, Mobile, Postcode, Street and Suburb.

The instructions said to add around 10 people, but I didn't have 10 people to add right now.

I scribbled out the streets and phone numbers for privacy purposes.

Database Definitions

A list of definitions from Webopedia.

Field- A space allocated for a particular item of information. In database management systems, a field can be required, optional, or calculated. A required field is one in which you must enter data, while an optional field is one you may leave blank. A calculated field is one whose value is derived from some formula involving other fields. You do not enter data into a calculated field; the system automatically determines the correct value.

Record- A collection of fields is called a record. In database management systems, it is a complete set of information. Records are composed of fields, each of which contains one item of information. A set of records constitutes a file. For example, a personnel file might contain records that have three fields: a name field, an address field, and a phone number field

File- A collection of data or information that has a name, called the filename. Almost all information stored in a computer must be in a file. There are many different types of files: data files, text files , program files, directory files, and so on. Different types of files store different types of information. For example, program files store programs, whereas text files store text.

Query- A request for information from a database.

Database- A collection of information organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data. You can think of a database as an electronic filing system.

Report- A formatted and organized presentation of data. Most database management systems include a report writer that enables you to design and generate reports

DBMS(Database Management System)- A collection of programs that enables you to store, modify, and extract information from a database. There are many different types of DBMSs, ranging from small systems that run on personal computers to huge systems that run on mainframes.

Data Dictionary- In database management systems, a file that defines the basic organization of a database. A data dictionary contains a list of all files in the database, the number of records in each file, and the names and types of each field. Most database management systems keep the data dictionary hidden from users to prevent them from accidentally destroying its contents.
Data dictionaries do not contain any actual data from the database, only bookkeeping information for managing it. Without a data dictionary, however, a database management system cannot access data from the database.

Data Type- Classification of a particular type of information. It is easy for humans to distinguish between different types of data. We can usually tell at a glance whether a number is a percentage, a time, or an amount of money. We do this through special symbols -- %, :, and $ -- that indicate the data's type. Similarly, a computer uses special internal codes to keep track of the different types of data it processes.

Database Activity: The Yellow Pages

Definition of Database:

A database is a structured collection of records or data.
It is a collection of information categorized by specific fields and are usually searchable by keywords. A computer database relies upon software to organize the storage of data.

Examples of databases:
-Yellow Pages
-White Pages
-Wikipedia
-Address book


1) Bennett Office Supplies
122 Katoomba Street, Kattomba NSW 2780
ph: (02) 4782 2228
2) M & A Fresh Cut Flowers
91a Folwer Road, Merrylands NSW 2160
(02) 9892 1564
3) Go to Yellowpages and look up "motels" and type in "Noosa, QLD" in the location bar.



- Is the yellow/white pages a database? Give reasons for your answer.
The yellow/white pages is a database because it has a collection of data containing relevant information of businesses and is categorized by specific fields.
-What can you see as some of the advantages of using this electronic database compared to the conventional paper based version of the yellow pages?

• Easier and quicker to search for a business that you are looking for.
• Updates more often compared to the paper based version.
• Saves time rather than flicking through pages to search for a business.

-Do you see any dangers or disadvantages in this online version of the yellow pages?

• Can be hard to use for people who are computer illiterate
• Sometimes, the most relevant information are towards the bottom of the list.