Forms provide interfaces that are easier to understand and use than tables.  The status bar at the bottom of the form indicates which record you are currently viewing.

 

 

A query consists of a question and an answer.  The results of a query resemble those in a table with the difference being that the query contain selected records and the selected fields for those records.  Thus, a query may list the records in a different order than does a table.

 

 

 

A report presents the records of a table or query in a professional output.  Because they are in a more presentable fashion, they are preferable to printing tables or queries.

The Find command is very useful when attempting to find a particular record within a large quantity of records.  To use the find command, first open a desired table.  Click the field in which you wish to search within.  This will highlight all the records in the column.  Pull down the Edit menu and click Find.  In the Find What text box, enter a phrase that describes the record you are looking for.  You can narrow down the results by choosing the field to look within.  Clicking the Find Next command, will prompt Access to find this particular record within all the records.

 

The replace command incorporates the find command and allows you to not only to locate specific records but also to alter them.  It is very useful when it is necessary to make a change to a large quantity of identical records.  To demonstrate this, click on a field to highlight its records.  Click edit and click Find.  Click on the Replace tab.  Type in a phrase next to the Find what text box and the phrase you want to replace it with in the Replace with text box.  By clicking OK, all the words in the Find what text box will be changed to the ones in the Replace with text box. 

 

Mistakes arise and can be reversed by using the Undo command.  To use this function, pull down the edit menu and click on undo typing.  This will allow you to undo the last command.  While the Undo command is common to all Microsoft Office applications, Access enables the undo of only the most recent command.  The fastest way to access the undo command is to click the shortcut undo button also located on the Microsoft Access toolbar.

 

 

The delete command allows the user to remove any unwanted records in a particular database.  To use this function, click on any record to select it, the record should be highlighted.  Pull down the edit menu by clicking edit.  Click on select record to selected the entire record.  Press the delete key on the keyboard to delete this record.  A prompt similar to the one shown above will appear confirming the deletion of the record.  Keep in mind that Microsoft Access only allows the most recent events to be reversed by using the undo command. 

 

 

Data validation is a crucial part of any system. It anticipates errors that the user may make and rejects those errors prior to accepting data.  This can be demonstrated by typing a non-numerical value into a record that requires a numerical entry (i.e. zip code, copyright date).  Microsoft Access will detect this as an invalid value and a dialog box will appear indicating this.