Terminologies in Access

Database management system (DBMS)

A DBMS is an application that you can use to automate the storage, the retrieval, and the manipulation of
information in a prescribed format. There are many different types of DBMSs. DBMSs range from small
DBMSs that run on personal computers to huge DBMSs that run on mainframes.

Access manages data and provides a graphical user interface. You can use Access on personal computers to
manage data at different levels and for different purposes. You can also use Access to manage personal
information or to organize and to manage data in a small business. You can also use Access in an enterprise
to communicate with servers that store lots of data.

However, Access does not store data on its own. Access uses a database engine to store data to a hard disk
and to retrieve data from the hard disk. The database engine performs the actual interaction with the
physical data.

Database engine
A database engine is the part of a DBMS that provides a link between the DBMS and the physical data on
the hard disk. The database engine retrieves data from and stores data to user databases and to system
databases.

Simple database engines only let you read data and write data. Advanced database engines provide many
critical security features. Advanced database engines also provide a single entry point for all the users of a
database. Therefore, all users can access data in a manner that is consistent with the permissions that the
database owner grants.

Access primarily supports the Microsoft Jet Database Engine (Jet) and the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or
Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE).

Database
A database is a collection of related data that is organized so that you can easily view the data. You can also
perform operations on the data that is in a database. For example, you can retrieve data and modify data.
You can use a database as a computerized record-keeping system that maintains information and that
makes the information available when you want the information.

For example, if you want to maintain the details of all the students who attend a college, you can create
an .mdb file that contains biographical data for each student and performance scores for each student.
This .mdb file might also include the user interface forms that you use to add or to modify the details for a
new or existing student. If you want a report about a class or about the individual students in a class, you
can create a report that provides this information. The report is included in the same .mdb file. The .mdb file
contains all the student details, the forms that you use to enter these details, and the reports.

Database window
The Database window is the first window that appears when you open an .mdb file or an .adp file. The
Database window is the default window in Access. From the Database window, you can locate any database
object that is stored in a database. The Database window also displays the shortcuts that you can use to
create new database objects and to open existing database objects.

Database object
A database object is a self-contained component of a database. A database object interacts with the physical
data and then presents this data in a specialized format. Access supports the following seven database
objects:
Table

A table is a collection of data about a specific topic that is stored in rows and columns. You can categorize all
available data, such as employees and customers, and then store each category of data in a separate table.
You can store many tables in a single database. You can combine the data in different tables to retrieve the
data that you want.

To organize the data in a database, you must segregate the available data and then identify the tables that
you must have to store this data.

For additional information about how to design a database, click the following article number to view the
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
288947  Where to find information about designing a database in Access
You have to determine the structure for each table. To do this, you have to analyze the data for the
attributes that you want to store in the table.
Record

A record is a row in a table. A record contains organized details about a person, a location, or some other
real-world entity. For example, in an Employee table in the database for an organization, each record
corresponds to an employee of the organization. You may store any number of records in a table.
Field

A field is a column in a table. A field represents a defined attribute that is stored for all the records in a
table. You can define up to 255 fields in a Jet table. SQL Server supports more fields, but only 255 fields are
visible in Access. The definition of a field includes the name of the field, the type of data that is stored in the
field, and any validation rules that you must have to validate the stored data.
Data type

A data type determines the type of data that the field can store. Jet data types include the following:
Text
Memo
Number
Date/Time
Currency
AutoNumber
Yes/No
OLE object
Hyperlink
For example, to make sure that the Salary field in the Employees table only contains numbers and not text,
you must set the data type of the Salary field as Currency.
Query

A query is an instruction to retrieve information that is in a set of rows. You can use a query to retrieve
information from a single table or from multiple tables based on specific criteria. You can also use a query to
modify the information that you retrieve.

In Access, you can categorize queries as follows:

Select query

A select query retrieves information that you want from one or more tables in a database. Then, the select
query presents the information that you retrieved in a format that you want. You can also use a select query
to group records and to calculate sums, counts, averages, and other types of mathematical values. The
select query can also do string manipulation.
Parameter query

A parameter query retrieves information in an interactive manner. You specify the information that you want
by providing specific criteria. You can use a parameter query to extend the flexibility of other query types.
Action query

An action query performs an action on data in a table. You can use an action query to insert new records, to
update existing records, or to delete existing records.
Crosstab query

You can use a crosstab query to analyze information that you retrieved. You can use a crosstab query to
group data in rows or in columns. You can also use a crosstab query to calculate the sum or the average of
a data group.
SQL-specific queries, such as the union query, the pass through query, and the data definition
query

In Access, you can also use an SQL query to retrieve information. However, Access does not provide a
graphical user interface that you can use to create an SQL-specific query.
You can also use an Access query as the source of data for other database objects, such as other queries,
forms, reports, or data access pages.
Form

In Access, you can use a form as the graphical user interface to data. Forms do not store any data. Forms
only fetch data from tables or from queries and then present this data to you. However, you can bind a form
to a query or to a table in your database. If you change any data in a bound form, the data in the
corresponding table or query is updated. You can use a form to insert data in a table, to modify the existing
data in a table, or to delete data from a table.

You can also create unbound forms. Unbound forms are not connected to a record source, such as a table, a
query, or an SQL statement. For example, a dialog box is an unbound form. Forms use controls and
properties.
Control

A control is an object on a form, on a report, or on a data access page. You can use a control to display
data, to perform actions, or to enhance the representation of data. For example, you can use a text box on
a form, on a report, or on a data access page to display data. You can also use a command button on a form
to open another form or a report. You can organize or separate the controls in a form by using lines or
rectangles.
Property

A property is a characteristic of a control object or a database object that is defined. The value of a property
defines the behavior of a control object or a database object. You can set and retrieve properties.

For example, Left is a property of a text box control. The Left property defines the left starting point of the
text box when the text box appears.
Report

A report presents the data from a table or from a query in a preformatted and useful manner. You can
control the appearance of a report. Reports can use controls to improve the graphical representation of data
and to make the reports more useful.

You can present the results of complicated calculations on data in a report. You can use a report to view
data or to print data for additional analysis. For example, you can create reports for sales summaries, phone
lists, and mailing labels for the employees in your organization. You cannot modify the data in a report.

Data access page

A data access page is an HTML page that lets you use a Web browser to access the data in an Access
database. You can use data access pages to view and to work with Access data over the Internet or over an
intranet. When you view a data access page, the Web browser opens a local copy of the page. This local
copy is connected to the corresponding database. Therefore, any changes that you make to the presentation
of the data, such as filtering or sorting, only affect the local copy of the page. However, any changes that
you make to the data are reflected in the underlying database.

Macro

A macro is a database object that lets you automate tasks in an Access database. You can create macros
that run when an event occurs and that automatically perform specific actions. You can use macros to
automatically open a form, print a report, or run some code. You can also run another macro from a macro.
Access also lets you group related macros together and store them as a single macro. Such groups of
macros are referred to as macro groups.
Module

A module is a collection of Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code declarations, code statements,
and code procedures that are stored as a unit to help you organize VBA code in Access.

Modules are different from macros because they are designed to perform complicated tasks that a macro
cannot complete. In Access, you can use a module as a stand-alone database object or as a part of another
database object, such as a form or a report. Stand-alone modules are referred to as standard modules.
Standard modules are available throughout a database. Modules that are a part of forms or of reports are
referred to as class modules. In class modules, you can write VBA code for event procedures that are
triggered when the corresponding event occurs in a form or in a report.
References

Access lets you reuse existing libraries, and it lets you use the functionality of pre-existing modules by using
references. A VBA project in Access can contain references to object libraries that use .dll files, .tbl files, and
other files, including Access files or ActiveX Controls. To view VBA project references, clickReferences on
the Tools menu in the Visual Basic Editor.
Database object views
Access lets you view data in different formats. The formats are based on the database object that you use.
The following are the common database object views:
Design view
Design view is available for all database objects. Design view has tools and shortcuts that you can use to
design a database object. In Design view, you can only modify the design of an existing database object.
You cannot modify the underlying data.

Datasheet view
Datasheet view is available only for certain database objects, such as tables, queries, and forms. Datasheet
view displays the underlying data for a database object in a tabular format. You can use Datasheet view to
add data to a database, to modify the data in a database, or to delete data from a database.

SQL view
In SQL view, you can view queries in the basic form of SQL syntax. You can only use SQL view to modify
queries. You cannot use SQL view to modify the underlying data.

Form view
After you design a form, you can use Form view to display the form. In Form view, you can display data and
accept data. You can use Form view to modify the underlying data in a table. However, you cannot change
the design of a form in Form view.

Print Preview
When you view a database object in Print Preview, you can preview the printed report by using the actual
data. Print Preview is useful when you use Access reports.

Page view
You can use Page view to view the contents of a data access page. Data access pages have the same
functionality in Page view that they have in Internet Explorer 5.0 and later. The record navigation control
displays the record source, the current record number, and the total number of records.
Relationship
A relationship is an association between Access tables or queries that uses related fields. A relationship can
be one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, or many-to-many.

A relationship lets you guarantee data integrity and data consistency. A relationship lets you avoid data
redundancy. Relationships let data flow from one database object to another database object. Therefore,
you can match data from different tables, and you can make sure that data is consistent between tables and
between queries. You can use relationships to make a database streamlined, manageable, and organized.
You can define a relationship between two tables or between two queries by using related fields. Related
fields typically have the same name in both tables. Typically, these fields include the primary key from one
table and a foreign key from the other table. The primary key provides a unique identifier for each record.

Normalization
Normalization organizes data in a database. Normalization includes creating tables and then establishing
relationships between the tables. Normalization lets you help protect data, and it makes a database more
flexible by eliminating redundancy and inconsistent dependencies.

Normalization typically involves dividing data between two or more tables and then defining relationships
between the tables. The purpose of normalization is to isolate data so that additions, deletions, and
modifications can be made in one table. The additions, deletions, and modifications are then propagated
through the rest of the database by using defined relationships.

The different stages of normalization are referred to as normal forms. When you perform more
normalization, normal forms become more restrictive. For example, the first normal form is the least
restrictive. The fifth normal form is the most restrictive. We recommend that you normalize your tables to
the third normal form.

For additional information about database normalization, click the following article number to view the article
in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
283878  Description of the database normalization basics
Join
After you define relationships between tables and then normalize the database, you may want to retrieve
data from tables that are related. You can use a JOIN statement to combine data from two tables in the
form of a join. A join is a connection between two tables that are merged based on a common field. Joins
play an important role in queries that retrieve data from multiple tables.

Connecting to external databases

Access does not restrict you to only Access databases or SQL Server databases. You can connect to and
work with other data sources, such as dBASE, Paradox, Microsoft Excel, or text files. You can also let other
databases use your Access data.

Link
In Access, you can link to tables that exist in other formats such as Excel, dBASE, and Paradox. When you
link to these tables, Access only creates a link between the original file and the Access database. Therefore,
you access the data in the original file from the Access database.

If you modify the data in a linked table, the data in the original table also changes. However, Access does
not let you modify either the structure or the design of a linked table. When you view the data in a linked
table, Access retrieves the data from the original table and then presents the data. Therefore, the
performance of the linked table may be slow.

Import

When you import a database object from other data sources to Access, Access creates a local copy of the
data. You can create a database object to store the imported data in. Or, you can append the imported data
to an existing database object.

Because Access creates a local copy of the data that you imported, the changes that you make do not affect
the original data. Changes that are made to the original data after the import do not affect the table that
you imported.

Export

You can export database objects so that other programs can access the database objects that you create in
an Access database. When you export a database object, Access converts the database object to the
destination file format. Access then creates a local copy of the database object in the destination file format